Billie Holiday Musical Analysis

                                              What a little moonlight can do- live at Carnegie Hall

 Throughout the course of her life, Billie Holiday performed at Carnegie Hall 22 times. This was within a 13-year span from 1944-1957. During this recording in 1956, her health was rapidly declining due to liver disease; which she soon succumbed to as she passed three years later. Her health battle is not at all evident in this recording as critics present at the performance say she “sang with a warmth and wonderful expressive artistry.”  Her band on this recording was Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Kennedy Burrell on guitar, and Coleman Hawkins on saxophone. This album is filled with incredible jazz standards such as body and soul, love for sale and you go to my head, however, the topic of this analysis will be “What a little moonlight can do” by Harry Woods. This song is a contrast from Billie Holiday’s usual style as much of her discography is composed of slower pieces. Even on this song at a fast tempo she still lays the melody back behind the beat which is incredibly hard to do while keeping the form of the song. Another feat of musical intelligence in this song and frankly this entire album is her choice of band. Coleman Hawkins is well known for his airy subtone style on the saxophone which perfectly matches Holidays raspy, lower register. Hawkins and Eldridge are both improvising constantly throughout the song but never feel like it is overwhelming Holiday always accentuates what she is doing as it is her performance. Her laid-back style is accentuated during the hits in time stamps 0:34 and 1:33. Holiday sings the hits as normal at 0:33 and 1:33 was laid back behind the hits as an effect but they all end the phrase at the same time. This version of what a little moonlight can do has become a classic and has influenced many modern – older women jazz singers such as Cecile Mclorin Salvant, who has a version of this song, Jazzmeia horn and Nina Simone. Billie Holiday has many songs that are powerful including Strange Fruit and Solitude; however, this song was chosen because of how Holiday was able to headline an act at the infamous Carnegie Hall in 1956. As a woman of color, this is a very remarkable achievement. Her band was filled with other well respected musicians at the time, including Coleman Hawkins, however she was able to stand proudly in front as the headliner.