Black History Part 1: An Introduction and Billie Holiday
An Introduction: There are 28 days in February and I am challenging myself and the kids I work with to listen to a different black musician every day. I’ve chosen many that I haven’t fully experienced in hopes it will cause Black History to become an experience for me and my kids. We are in our fourth day of Black History Month and the ingenuity and talent I’ve neglected over the years is blaringly apparent because for me- music speaks the truth.
I’ve decided to bring this Black History project to The Sunday Idiom, as well as my feelings about the music. Attached to the music are also personal stories about how these artists found their way into my life. They may be long winded stories whose importance isn’t much to you (the reader), but these are memories I’d like to remember.
Jazz in my life: In a household of Rock and Roll enthusiasts jazz barely made an appearance. It wasn’t until high school radio class that I found something in the genre that was gravitational. A trio of musicians known as the Bad Plus first sparked my interest with their cover of Kurt Cobain’s “Smells like Teen Spirit.” It was interesting, challenging and a release from the monotonous sound I was being saturated with. Slightly after The Bad Plus’s influence I found myself highly intrigued by my friend Tom who began an early hobby in live-taping- a tradition of recording live concerts and trading them with others. This tradition has been promoted and embraced by musicians for years, but seemed to gain momentum with artists like the Dave Matthews Band, The Grateful Dead, Primus and others supporting the scene. A lot of these bands could be labeled as “jam-bands” but the more I listened to jam-bands the more realized how jazz influenced their styles. I’ve also noticed with time that many modern jazz bands were included on a list of pro-taping musicians and its something both genres have in common. These are naive realizations I came across myself before Wikipedia could answer all questions of thought. Anyhow, I never took it upon myself to explore the roots of the jazz genre and still I couldn’t tell you why.
Discovering and Remembering Billie Holiday: I remember writer David Sedaris reading an excerpt of the Santa Land Diaries on NPR, Sedaris mocked a woman named Billie Holiday when he sung “Away in a Manger”. It was the first time I remember hearing Billie Holiday’s name and I never forgot it. Years later I met my friend Joi in Grand Rapids with whom I could “talk music” with. Joi was the first girl I met who could challenge my knowledge of music and she was more than willing to introduce me to the music she loved listening to. I remember her room vividly, but what I remember most is her Billie Holiday poster. Joi and I never listened to Billie Holiday, but she did introduce me to Cocorosie a band I would later realize was highly influenced by Holiday’s style.
It was in February 2009 when I listened to Billie Holiday that the jazz genre was finally blown open. My Girlfriend and I spent an evening in her cramped kitchen listening to jazz CD’s. It felt perfect, as if we were in a small cramped apartment in New York City. And we listened to a lot of music that night, but it was Billie Holiday that swept me away. I was instantly aware that her voice was unique and irreplaceable. And slowly with time I grew aware of the influences that Holiday’s music will continue to be.
Another sad truth is that I never really researched her history until a few days ago when preparing to present her music. It is deeply disturbing and depressing, especially if you’re listening to her music at the same time. There is a reason Billie Holiday is an icon and her music speaks to me on many different levels. Some of them are more social and political than “musical”, but if you’ve read this far I still have your attention. Firstly there is no reason why women should have to submit to a lineage of patriarchy and sexism. And no reason an artist shouldn’t be able to control and profit from their art.
