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Billie Holiday: The Musician and the Myth

by John Szwed
Viking. 2015. 240p. notes. index. ISBN 9780670014729. $28.95; ebk. ISBN 9781101614709. MUSIC
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Szwed, a seasoned music writer (So What; Space Is the Place), jazz musician, and former Columbia University music professor, attempts to complement the nearly 40 books already written about renowned jazz singer Billie Holiday (1915–59). In an intriguing first section, he provides background about the artist's cowritten autobiography, Lady Sings the Blues, and the deletions from it, especially demonstrating Holiday's close friendships with such celebrities as Tallulah Bankhead and Orson Welles. In a less satisfying second part, the author sometimes unconvincingly traces the musical influences and style of the singer. Szwed rebounds in the third segment, which selectively describes the background and context for some of the most famous songs that Holiday recorded.
VERDICT Well written and containing only a few errors, this book offers the general reader a breezy and compelling, though not essential, perspective on the iconic jazz singer just in time for her centenary.
Reviewed by David P. Szatmary, emeritus, Univ. of Washington, Seattle , Jun 01, 2015
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