Comments on: Lady sang the blues…passably http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/ your friend Rat Fink fires the neurons at random Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:21:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Rat Fink http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-481 Rat Fink Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:41:47 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-481 Thanks for your comment, Sarah. There is a difference between blues and straight jazz, but it all seems to get lumped into the jazz basket when speaking of singers of the old days. I don't know why that is. Everyone has an opinion on Billie's talent...I don't mind agreeing to disagree. Although I don't feel she was the most talented or best, I do feel she was the most influential on future singers. Thanks for your comment, Sarah. There is a difference between blues and straight jazz, but it all seems to get lumped into the jazz basket when speaking of singers of the old days. I don’t know why that is.

Everyone has an opinion on Billie’s talent…I don’t mind agreeing to disagree. Although I don’t feel she was the most talented or best, I do feel she was the most influential on future singers.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-480 Sarah Sat, 16 Aug 2008 03:24:14 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-480 Billie Holliday was not the greatest female jazz singer of all time. She was the greatest female BLUES singer of all time. Billie Holliday was not the greatest female jazz singer of all time. She was the greatest female BLUES singer of all time.

]]> By: meg http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-416 meg Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:24:51 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-416 Yeessss what an awful life she had indeed. I began to appreciate her more after i did a research paper in May about her and her life. (the only 'learning experience' i had in two years of Reg's history class. HA!) i always knew she didn't have it great, but after i learned those little and terrible details of her short life i respect her that much more. She obviously needed strength to overcome her troubles and keep pursuing her dream. She kept truckin! I don't think i could have done that? i would have given up. soooo yeaaah....that is that :] >now i'm more ticked i didn't get into your music history class! I like rambling on topics like this - that is if i know who the heck it is or what it is! hahaa tah tah for now, Ms. Rat :) Yeessss what an awful life she had indeed. I began to appreciate her more after i did a research paper in May about her and her life. (the only ‘learning experience’ i had in two years of Reg’s history class. HA!)

i always knew she didn’t have it great, but after i learned those little and terrible details of her short life i respect her that much more. She obviously needed strength to overcome her troubles and keep pursuing her dream. She kept truckin! I don’t think i could have done that? i would have given up.

soooo yeaaah….that is that :]

>now i’m more ticked i didn’t get into your music history class! I like rambling on topics like this – that is if i know who the heck it is or what it is! hahaa

tah tah for now, Ms. Rat :)

]]> By: Rat Fink http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-415 Rat Fink Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:03:04 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-415 Hey Meg - this is the place for rambling, Missy. Ramble away! That's what we're here for. I think it's great that you like Billie. I was just your age (Meg is a very savvy 16, folks) when I started listening to her, and as I said in my post, she was the largest influence on me in my high school and early college days. I will always love her music because of that. And I think "These Foolish Things" is probably her best overall ballad -- so smoky and wistful. You should get that one if you don't have it. She was definitely a down-to-earth singer. And so fragile, too, due to the torture she endured from no-good men and heroin. I think that added something really special (and sad) to her delivery. So you just keep on listening to her, luv. It's good for ya. And add some Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Ella, Nancy Wilson and Mel Tormé to your collection while you're at it. You won't be sorry! Hey Meg – this is the place for rambling, Missy. Ramble away! That’s what we’re here for.

I think it’s great that you like Billie. I was just your age (Meg is a very savvy 16, folks) when I started listening to her, and as I said in my post, she was the largest influence on me in my high school and early college days. I will always love her music because of that. And I think “These Foolish Things” is probably her best overall ballad — so smoky and wistful. You should get that one if you don’t have it.

She was definitely a down-to-earth singer. And so fragile, too, due to the torture she endured from no-good men and heroin. I think that added something really special (and sad) to her delivery.

So you just keep on listening to her, luv. It’s good for ya. And add some Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Ella, Nancy Wilson and Mel Tormé to your collection while you’re at it. You won’t be sorry!

]]> By: meg http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-413 meg Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:33:28 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-413 hmmmm....i am left speechless! while reading this (the comments too) it felt as if i were being pulled in 2,369 directions...all of them being fairly good directions! i think the reason i enjoy her is this; simplicity is what i like. she is simple. there is nothing 'show offy' or 'glamorous' or 'high-and-mighty' about her and her style/sound. Sort of like me??? (maybe that's why i like her?) Yes, i think some of her songs are 'overwhelming' for her, with the band overpowering her voice and the melody of the songs too demanding for it and it's imperfections. But in her sound she comes off (to me) as a sweet and fairly average woman simply doing what she loves; singing. And singing simple. Nothing extravagant. Just a relaxed, mellow voice. Honestly, i don't listen to her all that much. i have a select 5-10 songs that i adore and those are the ones i repeatedly listen to from time to time. but if u rade my car for CDs - u won't find much of the modern pop, rap, etc. i tend to be drawn to the simplest music. one of my fav groups being damien rice. a male and female voice always in harmony, a guitar, and paino, sometimes a viola. thats it. thats what i like. weird, eh? sooo thats that. sorry i rambled. blaaah...thoughts, ms rat fink?? :]]] hmmmm….i am left speechless!
while reading this (the comments too) it felt as if i were being pulled in 2,369 directions…all of them being fairly good directions!
i think the reason i enjoy her is this; simplicity is what i like. she is simple. there is nothing ’show offy’ or ‘glamorous’ or ‘high-and-mighty’ about her and her style/sound. Sort of like me??? (maybe that’s why i like her?)
Yes, i think some of her songs are ‘overwhelming’ for her, with the band overpowering her voice and the melody of the songs too demanding for it and it’s imperfections. But in her sound she comes off (to me) as a sweet and fairly average woman simply doing what she loves; singing. And singing simple. Nothing extravagant. Just a relaxed, mellow voice.

Honestly, i don’t listen to her all that much. i have a select 5-10 songs that i adore and those are the ones i repeatedly listen to from time to time.

but if u rade my car for CDs – u won’t find much of the modern pop, rap, etc. i tend to be drawn to the simplest music. one of my fav groups being damien rice. a male and female voice always in harmony, a guitar, and paino, sometimes a viola. thats it. thats what i like. weird, eh?

sooo thats that. sorry i rambled. blaaah…thoughts, ms rat fink?? :]]]

]]> By: Rat Fink http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-398 Rat Fink Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:24:30 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-398 Danny: Whoa...simmer down with the karma-destroying verbiage, friend. You are right - that's my opinion, which, *to me*, is truth - the same as your opinion is truth to you. If you think Billie Holiday is wonderful, then God love ya and you just enjoy her to the hilt. Interesting comment about singers' flaws. We all have them - and yes, even the greats you mentioned have them. My point is that in order to be a truly great anything, your flaws need to be, at the least, minimized. Frank, Ella, Sarah (at least until the late 70s)...all their flaws were tremendously minimized. Hairline cracks hardly ever showed. That's what separates them from the likes of regular people like me. I'm glad that Billie was honest with herself about the limitations of her voice. I'm not "hating" on her, so be cool. Don't misread or skim over the paragraph about what I believe was Billie's true gift (the torch song), or that she was an amazing influence on many singers who came after her, including myself. And while I appreciate Jerome's comment because for a long time, I thought I was the only one who thought this way about Billie, I'm completely fine with others loving her voice. I'm not out to change anyone's opinion...because, as I'm sure you know, 99% of the time, it can't be done. And you are right: the years will go on and my opinions will be forgotten. So no use getting upset in the present, right? Thanks for your comments - a little conflict breeds great discourse. :-) Danny:

Whoa…simmer down with the karma-destroying verbiage, friend. You are right – that’s my opinion, which, *to me*, is truth – the same as your opinion is truth to you. If you think Billie Holiday is wonderful, then God love ya and you just enjoy her to the hilt.

Interesting comment about singers’ flaws. We all have them – and yes, even the greats you mentioned have them. My point is that in order to be a truly great anything, your flaws need to be, at the least, minimized. Frank, Ella, Sarah (at least until the late 70s)…all their flaws were tremendously minimized. Hairline cracks hardly ever showed. That’s what separates them from the likes of regular people like me. I’m glad that Billie was honest with herself about the limitations of her voice. I’m not “hating” on her, so be cool.

Don’t misread or skim over the paragraph about what I believe was Billie’s true gift (the torch song), or that she was an amazing influence on many singers who came after her, including myself.

And while I appreciate Jerome’s comment because for a long time, I thought I was the only one who thought this way about Billie, I’m completely fine with others loving her voice. I’m not out to change anyone’s opinion…because, as I’m sure you know, 99% of the time, it can’t be done.

And you are right: the years will go on and my opinions will be forgotten. So no use getting upset in the present, right? Thanks for your comments – a little conflict breeds great discourse. :-)

]]> By: Danny Appel http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-397 Danny Appel Sat, 19 Jul 2008 18:29:45 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-397 As someone who has also loved Billie since the 70s, I’ve come to appreciate her artistry even more as I’ve gotten older. And not because I think that’s what I’m suppose to do. You’re sarcasm notwithstanding, we genuflect in front of the great Lady Day because we want to and not out of some mindless sense of obligation. There’s a timelessness and universality to her singing that can’t be calibrated in note placement and wind power. Flaws in her voice? Absolutely--even she admitted that. You could add Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Jimmy Scott, Nina Simone and countless others into that mix. But if an artist’s validity is discounted by their flaws, that pretty much wipes everyone off the map. And that includes Ella, Sarah, Frank, etc. I see you’ve already gotten one response praising you for having the so-called guts to speak the truth. You’ll probably get a lot more. But these are opinions, not truths. The truth is, Lady and her music will live on long after these opinions are forgotten. The greatest jazz singer of them all? That will always be debated. But overrated? No way. As someone who has also loved Billie since the 70s, I’ve come to appreciate her artistry even more as I’ve gotten older. And not because I think that’s what I’m suppose to do. You’re sarcasm notwithstanding, we genuflect in front of the great Lady Day because we want to and not out of some mindless sense of obligation. There’s a timelessness and universality to her singing that can’t be calibrated in note placement and wind power. Flaws in her voice? Absolutely–even she admitted that. You could add Louis Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Jimmy Scott, Nina Simone and countless others into that mix. But if an artist’s validity is discounted by their flaws, that pretty much wipes everyone off the map. And that includes Ella, Sarah, Frank, etc. I see you’ve already gotten one response praising you for having the so-called guts to speak the truth. You’ll probably get a lot more. But these are opinions, not truths. The truth is, Lady and her music will live on long after these opinions are forgotten. The greatest jazz singer of them all? That will always be debated. But overrated? No way.

]]> By: Jerome Unglaub http://www.finkweb.org/lady-sang-the-bluespassably/#comment-396 Jerome Unglaub Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:25:28 +0000 http://finkweb.org/?p=529#comment-396 I have been saying this for years, everyone says I am just partial to Ella Fitzgerald because I met her a couple of times. Thanks for having the guts to speak the truth! Jerome Unglaub (would like to hear your response) I have been saying this for years, everyone says I am just partial to Ella Fitzgerald because I met her a couple of times. Thanks for having the guts to speak the truth! Jerome Unglaub (would like to hear your response)

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