GENIUS OF BILLIE HOLIDAY, THE
Billie Holiday
Frank Sinatra said of her in 'Ebony' magazine: 'With few exceptions, every major pop singer in the U.S. during her generation has been
touched in some way by her genius. It is Billie Holiday whom I first heard
in 52nd Street clubs...who was and still remains the greatest single musical influence on me.'
The tumultuous and erratic existence of an irresistible woman and a legendary artist tormented by drug-addiction and racial prejudice viewed
through her best songs, images and films. A one-in-a-million artist surrounded by a disturbing legend, Billie Holiday began singing in Harlem clubs and learned the ropes with the likes of
Benny Goodman and Teddy Wilson after her unique singing voice was discovered by talent-scout John Hammond.
In spite of her many personal problems, during the Forties she recorded many of the songs that helped her establish a worldwide reputation as an incomparable vocalist: "Lover Man," "Strange Fruit," "Don't Explain," "God Bless the Child," "Crazy He Calls Me," "Them There Eyes," "Strange Fruit"... Lady Day's reputation kept growing during the final decade of her life. After her untimely death in 1959, Billie Holiday remains as
one of the true legends in jazz.
This DVD uncovers the life and career of this 'dark lady of the sonnets,' featuring Count Basie, Lester Young, Doc Cheatham, Ben Webster,
Coleman Hawkins, Gerry Mulligan, Mal Waldron and others. Includes rare TV and movie clips, her four sequences of 'New Orleans' (her unique appearance on a Hollywood movie, with Louis Armstrong), and the extremely rare fifteen-minute musical short presenting Count Basie
and his Sextet, Billie Holiday and 'Sugar Chile' Robinson: a virtual
triptych of talent, for the first time complete.
Bonus: TV appearances with Mal Waldron and others, selected discography
and bibliography, 'Strange Fruit' lyrics, list of her compositions, her 'New Orleans' sequences, the legendary short with Count Basie and 'Sugar Chile' Robinson (for the first time complete), and many more.
Retail Price: $19.98
Online Sale Price: $17.98
Product Details: DVD (NTSC/PAL - ALL REGION)
Product Code: 8436028690299
This item usually ships within 1 business day.
What Are NTSC and PAL?What are NTSC and PAL?
- NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) is a standard used in North America and Japan. It has the ability to display up to 525 lines of resolution on your television.
- PAL (Phase Alternating Line), a standard used almost everywhere else in the world, has the ability to display 625 lines of resolution on your television.
What DVD standard does my country use?
If you're in North America, Japan, Korea, the Philippines and parts of South America, you use NTSC. Most other areas of the world use PAL. Half of Brazil uses NTSC while the other half uses PAL-M. Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay use PAL-N. The rest of the world uses mainly PAL.
What Does This Mean?
What this means is that if you live in a country that uses NTSC, only this format will be compatible with your player. If you live in a country that uses PAL, most likely only this format will work for you. However, there are many players that will play both formats. The best bet is to check the manual for your DVD player before making a purchase.
What Is the DVD Region System?
DVDs themselves are encoded for a specific region or indicated as 'all region.' On the back cover of many DVD packages, you will a find a region number (0 thru 6) placed inside an image of the Earth. This refers to which region the DVD is encoded for.
The geographical regions are as follows:
- REGION 0: ALL AREAS OF THE WORLD
- REGION 1: USA AND CANADA
- REGION 2: JAPAN, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA, AND MIDDLE EAST
- REGION 3: SOUTH KOREAN, TAIWAN, HONG KONG, AND SOUTH EAST ASIA
- REGION 4: AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CENTRAL AMERICA, MEXICO, AND SOUTH AMERICA
- REGION 5: EASTERN EUROPE, RUSSIA, INDIA, AND AFRICA
- REGION 6: CHINA
The way this works is that DVDs encoded for regions other than Region 1 cannot be played on a region 1 DVD player. In addition, DVD players marketed for other regions cannot play region 1 DVDs. All region (region 0) DVDs may be played anywhere in the world.
The region system was designed to protect copyright and film distribution rights in the sense that movie studios can dictate who can watch what and when.
Please note that there are code free or Universal DVD players on the market that will play any disc from anywhere. Most Home DVD players are subject to region code restrictions, but most computer DVD players will play any DVD.
