Zahra Newman on becoming Billie Holiday: ‘I want people to feel how they do when they listen to her’
The Jamaican-born Australian performer delivers an uncanny evocation of the jazz singer in an upcoming cabaret set during the last year of Holiday’s life
April 2021
My pandemic awards moment
Andra Day: ‘I want to be sexy and pow in an awards outfit’
Playing Billie Holiday was a daunting task for the first-time actor and now Oscar nominee, but she’s having a blast at the virtual award ceremonies
March 2021
TV tonight
TV tonight: the story of Billie Holiday
Billie traces writer Linda Lipnack Kuehl’s search to complete the comprehensive biography of the jazz singer. Plus: Man in Room 301 concludes. Here’s what to watch this evening
February 2021
Mark Kermode's film of the week
The United States vs Billie Holiday review – Andra Day's film all the way
God bless the style: how Billie Holiday made glamour revolutionary
Lee Daniels: ‘Studios will give you about $10 to make a black movie’
Peter Bradshaw's film of the week
The United States vs Billie Holiday review – Lee Daniels' misguided biopic
December 2020
M Ward: Think of Spring review – a spectral tribute to Billie Holiday
The ever-questing Matthew Ward turns his minimalist attentions to Holiday’s lush 1958 album Lady in Satin
November 2020
Guy Lodge's streaming and DVDs
Streaming: the best jazz films
A new Billie Holiday documentary prompts a look at the films that best capture the spirit of the jazz greats
Billie review – a truer, historical spin on the great Billie Holiday
Exploitation and harassment, not ‘inner demons’, brought down the singer, argues this documentary that showcases her superb voice
Singer, activist, sex machine, addict: the troubled brilliance of Billie Holiday
A new documentary uncovers lost tapes to tell the intimate real story of the jazz singer – one with terrible resonance today as the US continues to fight institutional racism
May 2020
Jimmy Cobb obituary
Jazz drummer who continued to perform for half a century after recording Kind of Blue with Miles Davis
June 2019
Novel, letter, essay, memoir? Eimear McBride on Elizabeth Hardwick’s Sleepless Nights
Hardwick’s novel depicts her encounters with Billie Holiday and refers to her divorce from Robert Lowell, but is much more than autofiction
May 2019
Live Aid to Sonic Death Monkey – the best gigs at the movies
As the Queen and Elton John biopics prove, great concert performances are at the heart of the best films about music. Here are 15 of the finest
February 2019
Brief letters
Are Maybot’s speeches due an upgrade?
Ranked
The greatest banned songs of all time – ranked!
September 2018
Young arts run free: the 50 best things to do in the UK for zilch
Whether you’re a social strategist or a stone-broke student, there’s a world of cultural freebies to be seized across the UK
March 2018
Exploring the Sade conundrum: dinner party soundtracker or timeless muse?
The enigmatic musician remains an influence on modern stars such as Drake and Beyoncé. As she releases her first single in seven years we explore why
July 2017
Readers recommend
Readers recommend playlist: your songs about repression
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill review – Audra McDonald is Billie Holiday
