The Billie Holiday Project and the historic Presidio Theatre are pleased to present "Billie Holiday's 105th Birthday Celebration!!"
We invite you to join us for this very special show, featuring The Billie Holiday Project Band, which has been playing to sold out houses since it began performing the show in early 2019. The Billie Holiday Project show was conceived of, created, and is led by rising Bay Area Jazz vocalist, Stella Heath. This special night, honoring the life, legacy, and artistry of the incredible Billie Holiday, will guest feature some of San Francisco's finest swing style players. We have Johnny Bones, of The California Honeydrops, on Soprano and Tenor Saxophone; also guitarist Nick Rossi, a San Francisco-Bay Area jazz scene stalwart, known for his classic approach to early, swing, and modern jazz; and Clint Baker, said to have the closest trumpet sound to Louis Armstrong of anyone perhaps in the world.
The Billie Holiday Project, led by Stella Heath, celebrates the music of Lady Day! Shrouded in mystery, as she was draped in furs, Billie was quintessentially multi-faceted, possessing the sensitivity and ability to make the songs she sang as personal as if she was singing them softly in your own very ear. Featuring some of the Bay Area’s finest Jazz musicians, The Billie Holiday Project evokes the electric and intimate feeling of experiencing Lady Day live in a 1930s Jazz Club. Drawing from some of Billie’s most recorded tunes, the band also revives some of the earlier and lesser-known tunes that Billie interpreted. In performance, interspersed with the music are stories of Billie’s life and musical artistry. The Band features Stella Heath, invoking the vocal stylings of Billie Holiday; Neil Angelo Fontano, piano virtuoso from Sonoma County; Michael Fortunato, rich and inventive on tenor saxophone and clarinet; Trevor Kinsel, interchanging between upright bass and cornet; and the Spike Klein on the drum kit.
With an all-star lineup of musicians, this show is one not to be missed!
Step back to a time when swing was king!