Joey will also be appearing at the Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival screening of ARIAS WITH A TWIST: THE DOCUFANTASY this Saturday, 5pm at The Egyptian. There are a limited number of discount tickets available for both shows: http://swedishhousewife.com/2010/09/27/1…

I'm not going to say a word against Joey Arias, but the most interesting Billie Holiday is her earlier work, which is the embodiment of the exact opposite of "hesitation" or "forced". It's light and effervescent yet graceful, and always in masterful control. That's what made her a great artist, still worth paying attention to after the drugs destroyed her instrument, even if the results were often a little trite or even imaginary. Modern listeners fetishize her pain, but she was infinitely more than that once. Billie Holiday in the 30s is much more awe-inspiring than Billie Holiday in the 50s.

This isn't a video, but listen to what a vocal genius can do with phrasing and tone, before heroin took most of it away. You don't need a monster range: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xZ_uHXyd…