Billie Holiday – Billie (The Original Soundtrack)

 

Billie is a 2019 documentary film about Billie Holiday, written and directed by British filmmaker James Erskine. The film is based around interviews recorded on audio cassettes through the 1970s by Linda Lipnack Kuehl, researching a book on Holiday that was never completed because of Kuehl's death in 1978: her body was found on a Washington D.C. street, and she was deemed to have died by suicide, although that supposition is disputed by her family. Erskine's documentary "is about both Holiday — as told through the voices of people who knew her — and Kuehl's obsession with crafting her biography."

Kuehl's interviews were with friends, family members, band members, peers from 1930s Harlem, piano players, psychiatrists and a pimp. Prominent figures from the jazz world who contributed recollections include Count Basie, Charles Mingus, Jo Jones and Sylvia Syms.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2019.

1 Billie Holiday– Now Or Never

2 Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra*– God Bless The Child

3 The Sonhouse All Stars– Hoppin' Around

4 Billie Holiday Feat. John Simmons & His Orchestra*– Blues Are Brewin'

5 The Sonhouse All Stars– Funeral In New Orleans

6 Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra*– Fine And Mellow

7 Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra*– Strange Fruit

8 Billie Holiday Feat. Ray Ellis And His Orchestra– Just One More Chance

9 Billie Holiday– My Man

10 Billie Holiday– I Only Have Eyes For You

11 Billie Holiday Feat. Ray Ellis And His Orchestra– I'll Never Smile Again

12 Billie Holiday– Don't Explain

13 Billie Holiday– I Loves You Porgy

Billie (The Original Soundtrack)

Billy's Holiday...Original Songs from the Australian Motion Picture Musical

This movie is all about a normal guy called Billy Apples. He is a social drinker and sometimes lead singer of a band. While he is doing all of this, he still manages to bring up his teenage daughter. One night while sitting at home Billy finds that he has a talent! He finds that he is able to sing like his idol, jazz/blues singer Billie Holiday. From there he is going places, from huge live performances to even cutting a hit record, but in the end he must make a choice between the life he has, and the life he once knew. 

The real treat of this movie is this now rare soundtrack from 1995 featuring songs that were originally done by Billie Holiday but performed in the movie by Max Cullen himself (who manages an almost perfect impersonation of her voice). The score is jazzy, uptempo and will have you bopping, singing along and dancing around the room. 

Billy's Holiday