Mama Alto spreads the Gospel of Lady Day

Mama Alto_Lady Sings The BluesCabaret diva and jazz singer Mama Alto is thrilled to announce that both of her performances of Lady Sings The Blues have sold-out this weekend. Performed in the intimate Salon of the renowned Melbourne Recital Centre, the loving tribute to Billie Holiday’s centenary forms the closing night of the American Songbook Festival.

“Billie Holiday was one of the greatest jazz singers of all time, and one of my greatest inspirations,” comments Mama Alto. “She was a captivating and complex icon, a singer, a songwriter, a musician with immense stylistic and interpretive talent, a philosopher, an activist and a figurehead, and an agent of social change through her life and her music.”

That’s the many aspects of Lady Day we want to convey in this performance. It’s a mosaic of sorts, with glimpses or fragments of the many faces of Billie Holiday.”

2015 marks one hundred years since the birth of jazz singer Billie Holiday, one of the most exquisite and influential vocalists to ever interpret the American Songbook. In collaboration with musical director Miss Chief (Tiffanni Walton), Mama Alto pays homage to the musical genius and cultural legacy of a complex and captivating icon.

Celebrating the centenary of the legend called Lady Day, the program will include such gems as God Bless the Child, You’ve Changed, Lover Man and Lady Sings the Blues, just to name a few…

On performing sold out shows at one of Melbourne’s most prestigious venues, Mama Alto said “It’s beyond description! There is so much to feel overwhelmed, excited and blessed about. From being pulled up on stage with Supreme diva Mary Wilson on the night she opened the festival, to honouring the legendary Billie Holiday in the year of her 100th birthday, to performing in this dream venue for sold out audiences”

“For me, the most important thing is to spread the word of Lady Day’s genius and to pay tribute to her life and music. If I can share that with the audience, that’s really all I could ever wish for.”

Lady Sings The Blues
Salon – Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank Boulevard, Southbank
Performances: Saturday 4 July 2015 – 3.00pm / 7.00pm (currently sold out)

For more information, visit: www.melbournerecital.com.au or www.mamaalto.com for details.

Image: Mama Alto