Siren Nation Brings 17th Annual Billie Holiday Tribute Night to Alberta Rose Theatre

The Lady Sings the Blues evening celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month and what would’ve been the artist’s 109 birthday.

Billie Holiday, photo courtesy of Siren Nation.
By Robin Bacior

It’s been almost 65 years since Billie Holiday died, but her influence and legacy remain an everlasting cultural presence. On April 6 at Alberta Rose Theatre, Siren Nation presents the 17th annual Billie Holiday Tribute night to celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month, along with Lady Day’s birthday month, when she would’ve turned 109 years old.

Lady Sings the Blues – A Tribute to Billie Holiday, will feature performances by Nafisaria Mathews, Jessie Marquez, Shelly Rudolph, Marcia Hocker, Marilyn Keller and Lenanne Sylvester Miller, each giving their renditions of Holiday’s highly formative, iconic songs.

Once again the evening is being curated and emceed by Hocker, who received the 2018 Jazz Hero Award for the city of Portland from the nationally recognized Jazz Journalists Association.

“I consider it a privilege to have an opportunity to curate the 17th Annual Billie Holiday Tribute: Lady Sings The Blues,” Hocker tells WW in a statement. “This responsibility entails choosing vocal talents who can not only sing but understand the message of the songs and the iconic history behind her presence in this globally embraced genre. Each selection tells a part of [Holiday’s] story.”

A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to KBOO community radio. Tickets for both in-person attendance and live streaming the event can be found here.

GO: Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 8 pm Saturday, April 6. $25.

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