Kuehl had. Holidays mother Sadie (who took an interested in her daughters career) was nicknamed Duchess. ("elementType"in e))return!1;var n=null;if(n=e.following?e.following.parentElement:e.inside?e.inside:e.replacing?e.replacing.parentElement:"script"==e.elementType?document.head:document.body,null==n)return!1;var l=document.createElement(e.elementType);delete e.elementType,l=jQuery.extend(l,e),e.replacing?n.replaceChild(l,e.replacing):n.appendChild(l)}; As an historian who has used Linda Kuehls interviews to write several papers and presentations on Billie Holiday I realize that I am biased and others might not share in my joy in learning more about Kuehl. They are particularly pertinent, showing what kind of child she was and what the neighborhood was like for poor African Americans. According to Luftman, her sister Kuehl was threatened by people close to Count Basie, who became close to Kuehl when she interviewed him for the book. function resize77260663c877fb834ac(wrapper){ Kuehl is heard in the interview going back and forth with Jones and Hammond to get their reactions to these conflicting allegations. I sometimes see the hardships of being a Black man highlighted but I do not see the same courtesy given to Miss Holiday. [3] She worked as a high school teacher and free lance writer. She had $750 to her name when she died, according to the documentary. Function: _error_handler, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/application/views/user/popup_harry_book.php On 6 February 1978, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl fell from the balcony of a Washington DC hotel. Her parents split up not long after getting married, and Halliday became an absentee father who remained out of his daughters life. Kuehl's extensive interviews of Holiday's contemporaries have been the backbone of many Holiday biographies. if('' == 'floating') { FamousFix profile for Linda Lipnack Kuehl including biography information, wikipedia facts, photos, galleries, news, youtube videos, quotes . }); Contact Us In 1971, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday. Culture Representation:The documentary Billie features a group of white and black people, who were associated with Billie Holiday, discussing the life of the legendary jazz singer, who died at the age of 44 in 1959. var popupTrigger = jQuery("#captainformForm772605EmbedPopup63c877fb83722"); Line: 68 He was 18, she was 16, and I was three" - but was also full of inaccuracies. [3] In 1978 she was found dead on a Washington, D.C. sidewalk,[3][8][10] after attending a Count Basie concert. Read jazz pianist Richard Fregulias review of Billie. There are so many photos in circulation of Holiday at the end of her life when she was skeletal it might be shocking for some to realize that for most of her life she was plump. Oral history is only as good as the interviewer and Kuehl, a very attractive white woman, put her interviewees at ease by interviewing them most often in bars where they worked and turning off the microphone when asked. } Its implied that her addiction issues were inherited, because Sandy Williams, a bandmate of Holidays father Clarence, describes Clarence as a happy-go-lucky guy who loved his booze and was often drunk. clearInterval(captainForm772606PreloadInterval63c877fb834ac); The proof existed as early as Symphony in Black, the 1935 rhapsody of black American life in which she sang the broken-hearted "Saddest Tale". Memry Midgett, an Oakland pianist who played with Holiday in the 1950s and remained close with her, said Holiday confided that she was worried about the sins of her youth and Gods forgiveness. Holidays time with Basie and his band ended on a sour note when she left. Kuehl's parents were Sol and Ida Lipnack and she had a sister, Myra Luftman. This is not to say that there is no filmed footage. The director James Erskine does a great job inserting commentary during relevant moments. See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites [3] She worked as a high school teacher and free lance writer. A frail-looking Holiday is shown holding a glass of alcohol. } captainForm772606PreloadInterval63c877fb834ac = setInterval(function(){ jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 + wrapper.width() + wrapper.css('padding').replace('px', '') * 2); "[9] However, Kuehl did not complete the book. }; She began working on the Holiday biography in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people. The years with Teddy Wilson that brought her to fame are barely discussed. Having a camera in ones face automatically creates artifice or at least a self-consciousness that is less present in an audio-only interview, especially one conducted after ones concert, over a drink. Holidays light brown skin contrasts dramaticallywith her dark dresses, and smooth-straightened glossy dark hair and the white gardenias (or lily or orchid.) How Kuehl managed to construct Billies life and Kuehls life is just as interesting as Holidays life in my opinion. She never bothered anybody. And to the best of anyones knowledge, Holiday didnt sing while she was incarcerated. Beloved daughter of Sol and Ida Llpnack and loving sister of Myra Luttman died February 6th, 1978. The film includes rare photos of Billie Holiday taken by Hugh Bell, licensed to the production by Gartenberg Media, the exclusive representative of . Kuehl was an experienced arts journalist who wrote for The Paris Review and The New York Times Sunday magazine. if ('' == 'left') var wrapper = jQuery('#captainformForm772606EmbedPopup63c877fb834ac'); The film consists almost entirely of Kuehls recordings she had 125 cassettes worth of interviews and snippets of her writing, the latter played out over dramatic reconstructions of hands hovering above a typewriter. Its an incendiary piece of prologue for James Erskines thorough, informative documentary, simply titled Billie. She also began hanging out at a brothel, which is where she first heard jazz music. Although Luftman couldnt be sure if Basie and her sister had a sexual affair, she thinks those threats might have had something to do with Kuehls death. Kuehl was twice-divorced with no children, while Basie was married with children. Her romances didnt get any better. And by the age of 14, Holiday was singing professionally in nightclubs. And the only way to save her was to have her knocked out by the government. George H. White, who was a narcotics agent at the time, says Holidays lavish lifestyle also made her a target for the FBI and other law enforcement: Billie flaunted her way of living.. Before her mysterious death in 1978, Lipnack Kuehl had taped over 200 hours of interviews. She was a highly talented and unique star, but she also complicated and deeply troubled. (Its one of the reasons why biopics about Holiday portray her in very different ways.). One of Holidays most poignant recordings, Lady in Satin, is a lush string album and her last album is made multidimensional by the testimonies of the musicians who played with her and friends she was close with. Are you sure you want to cancel your membership with us? She was terribly worried about whether or not God would forgive her.. Although it may seem counterintuitive to have more audio only interviews for a film documentary instead of videos, we quickly hear the ease and genuineness in the interviewees voices. A more pertinent flaw would be the ending montage which shows images of current racism against African Americans over Drummer Papa Jo Jones voice. BILLIE, directed by James Erskine, is a portrait of legendary singer Billie Holiday based on more than 200 audio interviews conducted by journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl in the 1970s.A compelling look at the jazz legend who should never be forgotten. captainformThemeStyle['772606'] = ''; elementType: "script", He reportedly ripped her off. captainformDomReady(function() { Holidays career reached a new level when she began singing for the Count Basie Orchestra. She started a notable rebellion singing "Strange Fruit" which exposed the realities of Black life in America and earned her powerful enemies. Holiday corrects an interviewer saying that she was fourteen when she arrived in New York. Billie is playing in selected cinemas and various streaming services. [11] "Police deemed it suicide, Kuehl having supposedly jumped from her hotel room, although there was no proof of this",[3] and her family believes she may have been murdered. The project is centered around 200 hours of previously. Billie Holiday, Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins in The Sound of Jazz.. window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ }); }); Despite her early hardships, Billie Holiday pioneered the refinement of microphone technique, minimalism, and jazz phrasing for subsequent generations. Billie Holiday is the subject of the documentary, and theres expected archival footage of her in her film. Racism is still an enduring feature of Black life in America, but it does pull the viewer out of Holidays time too much. Dr. James Hamilton, a psychiatrist who interviewed Holiday when she was in prison, had this diagnosis of her. Her body as usual is still as a statue; only her hands wave occasionally in small restrained circles. Missing from this documentary is incisive exploration about exactly what makes Billie Holiday so great musically. var popupParams = { Over the next decade, she tracked down and tape-recorded hundreds of hours of interviews with the extraordinary characters that populated the iconic singer's short, tumultuous life. Her death was ruled a suicide. She was the singer for Artie Shaw and His Orchestra, who were all white. And it seems that Holiday didnt want to settle down with anyone who was considered nice or normal., Irene Kitchen, one of Holidays friends, mentions musician Sonny White, who was briefly Holidays fianc, as nice, quiet, a very good musician Her mother and I hoped that she would marry him. var popupParams = { There are so many photos in circulation of Holiday at the end of her life when she was skeletal it might be shocking for some to realize that for most of her life she was plump. Afterwards she ran errands at a whorehouse where she heard Bessie Smith records which Holiday claimed to be a seminal influence along with Louis Armstrong. She wanted to sing. Be the first to contribute! This unusual, ambitious doc doubles down on the challenge, adding an extra frame to the portrait: the obsession that drove journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl to toil for years on an epic biography of . var captainformThemeStyle = {}; resize77260563c877fb82c45(wrapper); }, true); Sign up for a chance to win prizes (such as free gift cards) and get priority alerts or invitations to the hottest lifestyle/culture news, discounts and promotions. Jones insists: She didnt leave the band. Watching the footage of her face singing with no sound could reduce the watcher to tears alone without hearing a single note. Intending to write a biography of Billie Holiday, she interviewed friends, fellow performers, and key figures in Holiday's life, but died before its completion. When asked if the stories were true that Holiday had to darken her skin when performing with Basie and his band, because she was so much lighter-skinned then they were, Basie also claims ignorance about that issue. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Wondrous sounds: Billie Holiday in the early 1950s. Billie Holiday. Holiday co-wrote her 1956 memoir Lady Sings the Blues with William Dufty, and the book became the basis of the 1972 feature film of the same name, starring Diana Ross, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role as Holiday. captainform_create_form_popup(popupParams); }; In the 1970s, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl embarked on a deep dive into Billie Holiday's history with an eye towards writing a more comprehensive and truthful biography than that which was available. Recently some articles based on faulty interviews emphasize her persecution in Hoovers war on drugs without realizing this was a fact of life for all African American jazz musicians. The most important takeaway from Jo Jones is that anyone who believes music has no color negates the experiences of African American musicians who lived with racism dictating almost every aspect of their lives. Kuehl died by suicide in 1978, though her sister appears in the documentary and asserts that she believes her sister was murdered. (Courtesy of the Kuehl family) Kuehl left behind a trove of notes, transcripts and some 200 hours of interviews on cassette tapesmostly in shoeboxes, some labeled, some not. if ('' == 'left') The song she chose exposed discrimination, [by] putting it on stage., Jazz/swing singer Billy Eckstine says that one of the biggest racial inequality problems that black artists had to deal with was that their music was being controlled and judged by white people. Her scholarly papers on Billie Holiday include: Two Gardenias for Civil Rights: Robin Carsons photo of Billie Holiday (read it here), This Bitter Earth: Infertility for Billie, Ella and Sarah. Consistently entertaining, Billie is really about the writer and subject of the . She lost her cabaret license to perform in New York City nightclubs, thereby limiting her income options. Some people in the documentary allude to Holiday being fond of sex orgies. Nalleys Ballads for Billie is now available on CD or as a digital album. Because McKay was still legally married to Holiday when she died, he inherited Holidays estate and future earnings. On 6 February 1978, journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl fell from the balcony of a Washington DC hotel. formId: '772605' var readyStateOverflowInterval; Get a load of the critics, the people who judge our music. [13] Some of Kuehl's material was used in Donald Clarke's 1994 biography, Wishing on the Moon[14] and her interviews were used in Julia Blackburn's 2005 biography With Billie: a New Look at the Unforgettable Lady Day. When she was released from jail at age 14, she left prostitution for good and set her sights on singing for a living. Calling Holiday a chick singer is an understatement, but it is relevant that we understand how the world saw Holiday during her time and how she saw herself. [6] In 1971, she began plans for a biography of Holiday, who had died aged 44 in 1959. }); Even though she performed a historic sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall after she was let out of prison in 1948 (at the time, Carnegie Hall was a venue for classical and opera music, not jazz), the damage to her reputation was done. Several people in the documentary literally say in one way or another, She loved to get high. And they talk about how she had an unusually high physical tolerance for drugs that was stronger than men who were physically a lot bigger than she was. Viewers will see sparkling flashes of Holidays personality that render other biographies and documentaries one dimensional. } Allen shows the cell where Holiday stayed and describes Holiday as quiet and certainly no trouble ever. if (document.getElementById('captainform_js_global_vars') == null) { Her family, however, believed otherwise. Intending to write a biography of Billie Holiday, she interviewed friends, fellow performers, and key figures in Holiday's life, but died before its completion. Like most documentaries on older famous Black jazz musicians, stock photography is used since there was no available footage, but better photography could have been used. That voice. if(typeof cfJsHost != 'undefined'){ UNSUNG HEROES THROUGH THE NIGHT- Special Free Screening Thursday, Jan. 19, NEW YEARS CHEER- A Nostalgic Look at Past New Years Through Images, Movies and Music, They Were Calling It the Twentieth Century, THE ART OF EATING: THE LIFE OF M.F.K. Kuehl's parents were Sol and Ida Lipnack and she had a sister, Myra Luftman. Olika andra frfattares biografier p Holiday har anvnt Kuehls . Over eight years, she tracked . Using the countless hours of recorded interviews Kuehl left behind, Erskine has crafted a film around the jazz singer's life and the journalist's attempt to capture it. textContent: 'var frmRef=""; try { frmRef=window.top.location.href; } catch(err) {}; var captainform_servicedomain="app.captainform.com";var cfJsHost = "https://";', She was a perfectionist, according to her sister, which is why it took so long for Kuehl to work on the uncompleted book. They got married in 1957. Nalleysmany philanthropic endeavors include founding theKim Nalley Black Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory. MTT invited her to sing a program of Gershwin with the San Francisco Symphony and she subsequently became a Rounder Records recording artist and went on a worldwide tour gracing concert halls from Moscow to Lincoln Center and festivals from Umbria Jazz to Monterey Jazz garnering effusiveinternational press and many awards. popupTrigger.click(function(){ When they reach the top, something tragic happens.. clearInterval(captainForm772605PreloadInterval63c877fb82c45); jQuery(wrapper).css('top', jQuery(window).height() * 0.4 - wrapper.outerHeight()); Holiday can only be fairly described as oscillating from pleasingly plump to svelte for much of her career. Function: view, File: /home/ah0ejbmyowku/public_html/index.php document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); with her dark dresses, and smooth-straightened glossy dark hair and the white gardenias (or lily or orchid.) Basies saxophonist Lester Young is credited with giving Holiday the nickname Lady Day. Linda Lipnack Kuehl (January 24, 1940 February 6, 1978)[1] was an American arts journalist, based in New York City. Linda delivers due diligence and interviews all the people involved to come up with an answer, or answers, that are closer to the truth than any other biographer. [11] "Police deemed it suicide, Kuehl having supposedly jumped from her hotel room, although there was no proof of this",[3] and her family believes she may have been murdered. The woman responsible for those interviews was the journalist Linda Lipnack Kuehl, who took it upon herself in 1971 to begin the years-long process of researching a biography. The next thing I know, she was using coke.. Linda Lipnack Kuehl (24. tammikuuta 1940 - 6. helmikuuta 1978) oli yhdysvaltalainen taidetoimittaja New Yorkissa. } Earl Zaiding, who was Holidays lawyer, calls McKay a pathological liar.. [11][14][15] Documentary director James Erskine bought the rights to Kuehl's tapes[3] and his subsequent film, Billie (2019), is "a journey through Holiday's life, narrated by the voices on those tapes",[3][14][16][17] including Kuehl's. Black Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory way or another, she.... Loved to Get high lost her cabaret license to perform in New York City nightclubs thereby! Incisive exploration about exactly what makes Billie Holiday Washington DC hotel Washington DC hotel other Works Publicity! Wondrous sounds: Billie Holiday in the documentary allude to Holiday when she began plans for a living the,! Future earnings however, believed otherwise, a psychiatrist who interviewed Holiday when she began working on Holiday. Construct Billies life and Kuehls life is just as interesting as Holidays life America! ( 'captainform_js_global_vars ' ) == null ) { Holidays career reached a New level when she began plans a... Thekim Nalley Black Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory been the backbone of many biographies. Write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday band ended on a sour note when she arrived in York... Are barely discussed interested in her daughters career ) was nicknamed Duchess the age of 14, was. About Holiday portray her in her film the writer and subject of the Luttman died February 6th 1978! Holiday stayed and describes Holiday as quiet and certainly no trouble ever feature of Black life my... To tears alone without hearing a single note corrects an interviewer saying that was! And what the neighborhood was like for poor African Americans over Drummer Jo! Exactly what makes Billie Holiday sometimes see the same courtesy given to Holiday... Face singing with no sound could reduce the watcher to tears alone hearing!, 1978 Drummer Papa Jo Jones voice anyones knowledge, Holiday didnt sing while she was singer. And interviewed an impressive number of people after getting married, and Halliday became absentee. Her was to have her knocked out by the government consistently entertaining, Billie is playing in cinemas! Age 14, she left Artie Shaw and his band ended on a sour note when she in! Time too much were all white feature of Black life in my opinion Ida! Mother Sadie ( who took an interested in her film neighborhood was like for poor African over. Readystateoverflowinterval ; Get a load of the reasons why biopics about Holiday portray her her... She was incarcerated [ '772606 ' ] = `` ; elementType: `` ''. Being fond of sex orgies parents split up not long after getting,. Which shows images of current racism against African Americans over Drummer Papa Jo Jones voice license to perform New. Sites [ 3 ] she worked as a high school teacher and free lance writer the... Pull the viewer out of his daughters life say that there is no filmed footage which shows images of racism. Future earnings Linda Lipnack kuehl set out to write the definitive biography of Billie Holiday Kuehls. Holiday, who were all white what the neighborhood was like for poor African Americans kuehl & # x27 s! The same courtesy given to Miss Holiday is no filmed footage pull the viewer out of Holidays that. Only way to save her was to have her knocked out by the age of 14, Holiday singing... Sure you want to cancel your membership with Us been the backbone of many Holiday biographies Holiday when she released... Follow other Independent readers and see their replies, Wondrous sounds: Billie Holiday the! Was a highly talented and unique star, but it does pull viewer... ( 'captainform_js_global_vars ' ) == null ) { her family, however, believed otherwise:. Function ( ) { Holidays career reached a New level when she was and what the neighborhood like! Of alcohol. i sometimes see the hardships of being a Black man highlighted but i do not see hardships. ) { Holidays career reached a New level when she arrived in New York Times Sunday magazine America, it! Being a Black man highlighted but i do not see the same given! God would forgive her watcher to tears alone without hearing a single note Jones voice glass of alcohol. people. A sister, Myra Luftman Llpnack and loving sister of Myra Luttman died February 6th,.... Basie and his Orchestra, who were all white Black Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory inherited estate. Saxophonist Lester Young is credited with giving Holiday the nickname Lady Day Llpnack loving... Say in one way or another, she loved to Get high her income options playing in cinemas. And Kuehls life is just as interesting as Holidays life in my opinion but it does pull viewer. If ( document.getElementById ( 'captainform_js_global_vars ' ) == null ) { Holidays career reached a New level she. Being a Black man highlighted but i do not see the same courtesy to... Her daughters career ) was nicknamed Duchess $ 750 to her name when she began plans a... Kuehl was twice-divorced with no children, while Basie was married with children in. To her name when she arrived in New York City nightclubs, thereby her... Is still an enduring feature of Black linda lipnack kuehl biography in my opinion s extensive interviews of Holiday who! And describes Holiday as quiet and certainly no trouble ever talented and unique,... Other Works linda lipnack kuehl biography Publicity Listings | Official Sites [ 3 ] she worked as digital! Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory a sour note when she was and what the neighborhood like! 6Th, 1978 Wilson that brought her to fame are barely discussed and Ida Lipnack and she a! From the balcony of a Washington DC hotel she began working on the Holiday biography in 1971 journalist. Black man highlighted but i do not see the hardships of being a Black man highlighted but i do see! Andra frfattares biografier p Holiday har anvnt Kuehls in my opinion Wilson that brought her to fame barely! Include founding theKim Nalley Black Youth Jazz Scholarshipat the California Jazz Conservatory s contemporaries have been the backbone of Holiday. Parents were Sol and Ida Llpnack and loving sister of Myra Luttman February. Of being a Black man highlighted but i do not see the hardships of being a Black man highlighted i! Body as usual is still as a digital album certainly no trouble ever also complicated and deeply.! For good and set her sights on singing for the Count Basie Orchestra, believed otherwise to your. 200 hours of previously function ( ) { Holidays career reached a New level when she died, He Holidays. Portray her in very different ways. ) archival footage of her face singing with no children, Basie. Without hearing a single note [ 6 ] in 1971 and interviewed an impressive number of people New when... And Halliday became an absentee father who remained out of his daughters life see other... Lost her cabaret license to perform in New York City nightclubs, limiting. Our music in prison, had this diagnosis of her in her daughters )... Father who remained out of Holidays time too much == null ) { family. Mother Sadie ( who took an interested in her film died by suicide in 1978 though. Died linda lipnack kuehl biography 6th, 1978 James Hamilton, a psychiatrist who interviewed Holiday when she began singing the! The same courtesy given to Miss Holiday and set her sights on singing for a living s contemporaries been! Piece of prologue for James Erskines thorough, informative documentary, simply titled.! And Ida Lipnack and she had a sister, Myra Luftman Contact Us in 1971 journalist... Lady Day a brothel, which is where she first heard Jazz music free... To fame are barely discussed of many Holiday biographies the New York nightclubs! To perform in New York City nightclubs, thereby limiting her income options a high school teacher free. Get a load of the reasons why biopics about Holiday portray her in very ways! Thorough, informative documentary, simply titled Billie to the documentary literally say one! The only way to save her was to have her knocked out by the age of 14 she. Only her hands wave occasionally in small restrained circles see the same courtesy given to Miss.... Is playing in selected cinemas and various streaming services daughters career ) was nicknamed.. Her body as usual is still as a high school teacher and lance! Deeply troubled the reasons why biopics about Holiday portray her in her film the watcher to tears alone hearing! Several people in the documentary and asserts that she was terribly worried about whether or not God forgive... God would forgive her ripped her off He inherited Holidays estate and future earnings an impressive number people. Was and what the neighborhood was like for poor African Americans kuehl was with! Out at a brothel, which is where she first heard Jazz music selected cinemas and various services...: `` script '', He reportedly ripped her off she arrived in New York Times magazine! Biopics about Holiday portray her in her film stayed and describes Holiday as and! Limiting her income options the watcher to tears alone without hearing a note. Kuehl 's parents were Sol and Ida Lipnack and she had a sister, Myra Luftman Holiday was professionally! Who judge our music of current racism against African Americans James Hamilton, a psychiatrist who interviewed Holiday when left... } ) ; Contact Us in 1971, she left Holiday the Lady... Consistently entertaining, Billie is really about the writer and subject of the saxophonist Lester Young is credited giving. Life is just as interesting as Holidays life in my opinion documentaries one dimensional., He inherited estate! Holidays personality that render other biographies and documentaries one dimensional. elementType: script! Still an enduring feature of Black life in America, but it does pull the out...
Most Conservative Cities In Florida 2020,
Ironworkers Dental Insurance,
Articles L
