Jerry Dantzic: Billie Holiday at Sugar Hill: With a reflection by Zadie Smith

by Jerry Dantzic, Zadie Smith (Introduction), Grayson Dantzic (Contributor)

A vivid, intimate, and largely unseen photographic chronicle of one week in the life of jazz icon Billie Holiday In 1957, New York photojournalist Jerry Dantzic spent time with the iconic singer Billie Holiday during a week-long run of performances at the Newark, New Jersey, nightclub Sugar Hill. The resulting images offer a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse of Billie with her family, friends, and her pet chihuahua, Pepi; playing with her godchild (son of her autobiography’s coauthor, William Dufty); washing dishes at the Duftys’ home; walking the streets of Newark; in her hotel room; waiting backstage or having a drink in front of the stage; and performing. The years and the struggles seem to vanish when she sings; her face lights up. Later that same year, Dantzic photographed her in color at the second New York Jazz Festival at Randall’s Island. Only a handful of the photographs in the book have ever been published. In her text, Zadie Smith evokes Lady Day herself and shows us what she sees as she inhabits these images and reveals what she is thinking. 90 illustrations

Genres: History, Music, Nonfiction

144 pages, Hardcover

Published April 18, 2017

Reviews

[Ted]

She pulled him closer until her face was shadowed by the brim of his hat and her lips touched the side of his face. Their relationship depended on these little touches: lips pecking each other, a hand on the other's elbow, holding his fingers in her hands as if they were no longer substantial enough to risk firmer contact. Pres was the gentlest man she had ever known, his sound was like a stole wrapped around bare shoulders, weighing nothing. She'd loved his playing more than anyone else's and probably she loved him more than anyone. Perhaps you always loved people you never fucked more purely than anyone else. They never promised you anything but every moment was like a promise about to be made.

Courtesy of Geoff D, not Zadie S


So this book won’t be out for a month yet, but you, lucky you, can read Zadie’s ay-pree-shee-ay-SHUN right now – or even LISTEN to it, cause she will read it FOR you if you want.

And you know, don’t you, that when she (that is Lady Day) mentions Lester, she talkin’ about Lester Young, Pres, the President. That’s the name Lady gave him, when they hung together back then.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/201... (will this link still work??

So you back? What you think of that? Is that Zadie (or Lady) somethin? You bet.

But here’s the thing that got me, when I read it (and I had to read it, first time anyway, right out of the mag). I thought – hey – you tell me that Zadie never read But Beautiful A Book About Jazz. And if you don’ know what I mean you take a look at some words from that book, which you can read plenty of here .

But I wish I had put some of the words about Lady Day that Dyer wrote in the Lester Young part, but damn, I didn’t … well too late now.

Well hell, here's the last few Dyer wrote about Pres.

As the hum of traffic resumed he played the same stack of records and returned to the window. Sinatra and Lady Day: his life was a song coming to an end. He pressed his face against the cold of the windowpane and shut his eyes. When he opened them again the street was a dark river, its banks lined with snow.

But how could I have forgotten? I put some words up top too. I guess I can't see them from down here. I think they're up there ...


But the thing that got me is this. I ain’t sayin that Zadie’s just ridin’ Dyer’s slipstream here, if you know what I mean. No, NOT AT ALL. Dyer never did what Zadie did here, writin’ in the second per-son and makin’ it absolutely sound like it’s bein’ spoken in the first person. All them ‘yous’, that’s Lady Day speakin’, and she’s talkin’ about herself. Now I find that re-mark-ab-le. But who knows, maybe that’s just me.


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[Phil Overeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incandescent. Hard to believe she would be gone about a year later. The photos are thrilling, and Zadie Smith's inhabiting essay is not to be missed.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick flip through and you might think this is just a hasty collection of bad photos but if you read the foreward and allow it to put you in the time and place, then look at the photos closely, this is a genuinely haunting small collection of work. It is a snapshot of a week in her life but despite the brevity, it captures much of her. We see Louis MacKay both helpful and malevolent, we see her shuttled by money men, transported in music and the joy she had in her friendships with Duftys and her dog. We also see the beauty of her, voice, clothes and those eyes. These are inspirational and heart breaking photos.

[A W Main · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel as if I'm cheating with my Goodreads challenge for the year as this is the second photojournalism book I've included, but to go easy on myself I have poured over the images rather than gave them a casual glance.
A fan of Lady Day since childhood I snatched this up when I seen it going for cheap and I've no regrets.
The photographs, especially the candid ones, leap of the page. A cliche, but nonetheless true.
A record of a time, a place, a legend.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most amazing photos - and a terrific essay/reflection by Zadie Smith; captures the spirit and tone just perfectly. A must for fans.

[Kerry-Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures of Miss Holiday were amazing! She was such a phenomenal singer!

[GHAIDA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lookin at her pics felt like listening to SUGAR!
Coffee Table kind of book.

[Mary Narkiewicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs.. Could look at them for hours..

[Karah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only she hadn't used heroin. If only she hadn't loved violent men. If only she hadn't died at 44.


Billie Holiday proved an exquisite woman to photograph. Even ravaged, she still looked compelling.