Viv Mantels & James Weidman Trio "Billietunes"
In Loving Memory of Billie Holiday (°1915-1959) and her 100th Birthday.
Jazz-vocalist, Actress & Producer Viv Mantels performs "BILLIETUNES - The Billie Holiday Songbook" together with her all-american trio (of New York-based jazz-pianist & composer James Weidman).
In January 1989 Viv registrated her 1st tribute to Billie, together with the trio of her last pianist & acompagnist Mal Waldron (1925-2002) for VRT in Brussels-Belgium, called : "No more tears - A Personal Tribute to Billie Holiday !"
Viv was also the producer of that vocal-jazz-project.
For her latest vocal jazz-project BILLIETUNES, Viv won't perform - like most other jazz-singers do when they start to sing songs of Billie Holiday - her known songs and hits...
But Billie's own works !
Not many people know that Billie was also a great songwriter.
She wrote her first own tune in 1932 (when she was 17), her last one in 1957.
In total 22 own songs of Billie Holiday, for which she wrote the lyrics, music or both !
Some known, others not that well-known...
Viv Mantels & her superb jazz-trio (of James Weidman - former pianist of Abbey Lincoln & Cassandra Wilson and many more other great jazz-vocalists) will take you inside Billie's own world thru her own work(s) !
A unique Vocal-Jazz-Project !
The real Billie Holiday Songbook. With a book.
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"Mr. SOUL EYES - The Mal Waldron Songbook"
This project brings a tribute and is a hommage to the great jazz-pianist & composer Mal Waldron (1925-2002) was.