Friday’s performance of “Lady Day and the Blues”, a tribute to jazz legend Billie Holiday sold out, tickets still available for Saturday and Sunday shows at Auburn Avenue Theater

Published 6:01 pm Monday, September 27, 2010

The Auburn Avenue Theater will ring with the songs of blues and jazz legend Billie Holiday on Oct. 15-17 when the venue welcomes “Lady Day and the Blues: A Salute to the Billie Holiday Songbook.”

Produced by Purple Phoenix Productions the tribute to the music of Holiday will feature vocalist/entertainer Stacie Calkins accompanied by a five-piece jazz band and include songs written by Holiday, as well as tunes she put here distinctive stamp on.

Considered one of the most iconic jazz vocalists of all time, Holiday was influenced by the jazz instrumentalists of the 1930s and 40s and pioneered a new style of vocal phrasing that many jazz aficionados claim changed the sound of popular singing.

The tribute will include songs that Holiday made her own such as: “Lover Man (Where Can You Be)”, “I Cover The Waterfront”, “Them There Eyes”, “I Cried For You”, “You’ve Changed” and “Good Morning Heartache.”

While primarily known as a vocalist Holiday also as a prolific songwriter and the show will feature several of her original compositions, including: “Lady Sings The Blues”, “Tell Me More and More and Then Some”, “Fine and Mellow”, “Billies’ Blues (I Love My Man)”, “Don’t Explain” and the classic “God Bless The Child.”

Also included in the performance will be a rendition of the controversial classic “Strange Fruit”, a song recorded by Holiday in 1939. The song is a condemnation of racism written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish poet from New York and depicts the aftermath of a lynching. Holiday’s record label refused to allow the singer to record the song and radio stations refused to play it. Eventually Holiday was allowed by her label to record the song for another label and it became a mainstay in her set list.

“Lady Day and the Blues” will feature the vocal stylings of Calkins, who has performed lead roles in such musical theater productions as “Dreamgirls, “Aida”, “Ragtime”, “Ain’t Misbehaving” and “Some Enchanted Evening.”

Theater critic Alec Clayton described Calkins’ voice as “rich and resounding – the kind which melts your heart.”

Although Friday’s 8 p.m. showing is sold out, there are still tickets available for the 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday matinee performances.

Tickets for the show are $20, $15 for seniors, students and military and $10 if bought in groups of eight or more, and available at www.brownpapertickets.com