Billie holiday Quote by Jose James
“If you look at the other singers of Billie Holiday's time, they were really trying to entertain. They were trying to make people feel good. They were singing fast - and she was singing the blues.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Jazz Talk Podcast, 2022
He contrasts holiday Holiday’s blues focus with contemporaries’ entertainment aims, highlighting artistic depth over commercial appeal.
In simple terms: Holiday sang blues while others aimed to entertain.
Key Takeaway
Value artistic depth over mere entertainment.
Themes
artistic integrity
musical history
cultural impact
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
musical
historical
When to use this quote
- music education
- concert programming
- artist interviews
- record production
Key Concepts
blues tradition
commercial pressure
authenticity
genre evolution
Questions to Reflect On
- What drives an artist to prioritize depth?
- How does audience expectation shape music?
A Different Perspective
Blues may limit mainstream popularity.
![“[Billie Holiday] was keeping it super real, and you can feel that to this day. Everything that she sang, she believed in. So I had to pick songs that I felt the same about.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3ba/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_billie-holiday-was-keeping-it-super-real_313883.jpg)
![“The other songs [of Billie Holiday] - "Body and Soul" is like the standard - I also wanted some songs that I knew I would sound good on, as a producer. It's been the same nine songs since I debuted it back in 2012.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/134/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_the-other-songs-of-billie-holiday-body-a_260885.jpg)
![“All my stuff is pretty seamless - like now, while I'm touring [Yesterday I Sang The Blues], today I'm going to go in the studio, I'm writing my next one. For me it's continual.” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e35/jose-james-22349_next_all-my-stuff-is-pretty-seamless-like-now_1077289.jpg)
![“Jason [Moran] and John [Patitucci] and Eric [Harland] knew it was a Billie Holiday tribute. I'm sure they assumed it was going to be like another singer date, where we just have a bunch of charts and they write them down and they got paid and kind of moved on. There's nothing wrong with that, but…” quote by Jose James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/caf/jose-james-22349_billie-holiday_jason-moran-and-john-patitucci-and-eric_1495513.jpg)
