Documentarian joel katz traces the roots of the protest song popularized by billy holiday in 1939, strange fruit. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango. For her performance of strange fruit at the cafe society, she had waiters silence the crowd when the. His corporation with a movie camera 1992, a video about how corporate representations have shaped americans ideas about the. Strangefruitpod strange fruit pod free listening on. Joel katz s documentary doesnt have much panache, but with. Filmmaker joel katz discusses why he made strange fruit, how audiences have reacted to the film and how a song can change the world. Billie holiday protesting inequality this song informs people about the horrible doings against african americans. His corporation with a movie camera 1992, a video about how corporate representations. Named in 1999 the song of the millennium by time magazine, and bestknown from billie holidays haunting 1939 rendition, the song strange fruit is a harrowing.
Sheet music arranged for pianovocalguitar in f minor transposable. British singer rebecca ferguson said she was asked to sing at donald trumps inauguration but will only do so if she can sing the protest song strange fruit. The songs evolution tells a dramatic story of americas radical past using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. Strange fruit is a song performed most famously by billie holiday. Strange fruit, documentary that explores the history and legacy of the song, directed and produced by joel katz. The politics of sexuality in billie holidays strange fruit.
Instructors might instead turn to joel katz s recent pbs documentary about holiday, meeropol, and the song that linked them. Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root, black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. While the blues ballad strange fruit failed to gain a large audience upon its release, it has subsequently become enshrined within the popular music pantheon. In 1937, after seeing a photo depicting the lynching of a black man in the south, bronxborn high school teacher abel meeropol wrote a poem entitled strange fruit that begins with the words. Stream tracks and playlists from strangefruit on your desktop or mobile device. The moving wall represents the time period between the last issue available in jstor and the most recently published issue of a journal. Joel katz is an independent filmmaker based in upstate new york. Joel katz director, editor, producer, screenwriter. A magic song from a magic voice lyrics strange fruit southern trees bear strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit hanging. Mar 12, 2017 the mike brown documentary stranger fruit and its new surveillance footage raise questions. Pastoral scene of the gallant south, the big bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, then the sudden smell of burning flesh. Eunice kathleen waymon 21 february 1933 21 april 2003, better known by her stage name nina simone, was an american singersongwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music.
The bluegrass special billie holiday strange fruit. It condemned american racism, particularly the lynching of african americans that had occurred chiefly in the south but also in all regions of the united states. Show lynching power point while song strange fruit plays. She is telling everyone about the fatal acts that are being done, in hopes it will spread awareness.
Billie holiday strange fruit sheet music in f minor. She debuted the songs god bless the child and strange fruit while at cafe society. The mike brown documentary stranger fruit and its new. Although journalist david margolick speculates that allan was possibly inspired to write the song by a widelypublicized photograph of the 1930 lynching in marion, indiana, this photograph of two lynched men is less likely the one allan referred to. Bestknown from billie holidays haunting 1939 rendition. Southern trees bear a strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root. He set the poem to music and a few years later convinced billy holiday to record it in a legendary heartbreaking. This history of the songs evolution tells a dramatic story of americas radical past using one of the most influential protest songs ever written as its epicenter. Long after her ninemonth stint at cafe society, up to her death in 1959, holiday continued to perform strange fruit but only at venues of her choosing and only when she sensed the audience would genuinely appreciate the songs message. Joel christian gill is the chairman, ceo, president, director of development, majority and minority stock holder, manager, comanager, regional manager, assistant to the regional manager, receptionist, senior black correspondent, and janitor of strange fruit comics. Of strange fruit the song, an unidentified article clip, n. He began his career in the music business with the record label ecm records in his hometown of munich in the mid1970s and was associated with the german label for twelve years before moving to the united states in 1986.
Southern trees bear a strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. In a one hour running time, katz explores how a white jewish schoolteacher came to write the song which holiday claimed, incorrectly, was written for her and which was later adopted by the civil rights movement. If the twelve short lines of the song strange fruit can make as enormous an impact as they have on the world, there is no knowing how important each small act of resistance may become. Apr 02, 2018 on august 9th, 2014, officer darren wilson stopped michael brown in the street. Her lover, joe guy, traveled to hollywood while holiday was filming and.
Dec 22, 2011 a magic song from a magic voice lyrics strange fruit southern trees bear strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the root black bodies swinging in the southern breeze strange fruit hanging. Popularised by billie holiday in 1939, strange fruit gives a bitter and. Listen to strangefruit soundcloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create paris. These are the opening words to one of the worlds most famous protest songs. Stranger fruit, an explosive documentary retracing the events surrounding the 2014 shooting of michael brown, begins with an image of the ferguson, missouri. The strange story of the man behind strange fruit one of billie holidays most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting protest against the inhumanity of racism. Jan 03, 2017 british singer rebecca ferguson said she was asked to sing at donald trumps inauguration but will only do so if she can sing the protest song strange fruit. Its music and lyrics were written by abel meerpol pen name lewis allan a bronx public school teacher but are attributed to billie holiday, who first sang strange fruit in 1939 at barney josephsons cafe society, new yorks first integrated nightclub. Lewis allen, sonny white southern trees bear strange fruit blood on the leaves and blood at the roots black bodies swinging in the southern breeze. Simone aspired to become a classical pianist while working in a broad range of styles including classical, jazz, blues, soul, folk, rhythm and blues, gospel, and pop. Nina simone strange fruit interview lyrics genius lyrics. Her lover, joe guy, traveled to hollywood while holiday was filming and supplied her with drugs. In rare instances, a publisher has elected to have a zero moving wall, so their current issues are available. Strange fruit is a onehour documentary exploring the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of american music.
Uncelebrated narratives from black history, which unpacks its power through drawings and pointed text that chronicle the trials and triumphs of black americans who struggled against prejudice more than a century ago. Joel katz director, editor, producer, screenwriter joel katz director, editor, producer, screenwriter. Far more direct than a picture, strange fruit actually will decay. Strange fruit is the first documentary exploring the history and legacy of the billie holiday classic.
By introducing the natural rhythms of a work of arts life into the museum setting, strange fruit raises questions about the permanence of art, and whether it resides in objects, ideas. San francisco, cajoel katzs mesmerizing strange fruit is an hourlong documentary essay exploring the history and legacy of a song. Strange fruit brought the horror of lynching into the. Written by a jewish american from the bronx and famously recorded in 1939 by. Sep 05, 2012 the strange story of the man behind strange fruit one of billie holidays most iconic songs is strange fruit, a haunting protest against the inhumanity of racism.
Strange fruit cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. Eleanora fagan april 7, 1915 july 17, 1959, professionally known as billie holiday, was an. Written by teacher abel meeropol as a poem and published in 1937, it protested american racism, particularly the lynching of african americans. Such lynchings had reached a peak in the south at the turn of the century, but continued there and in other regions of the united states. Joel katz s documentary doesnt have much panache, but with material this rich it. The song strange fruit was written by lewis allan and was first released by billie holiday and her orchestra in 1939.
Print and download strange fruit sheet music by billie holiday. Southern trees bear a strange fruit, begins the protest song made famous by billie holiday and recorded by artists as various. San francisco, ca joel katz s mesmerizing strange fruit is an hourlong documentary essay exploring the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of american music. By examining her rendition outside of the conventional discussions of the song as a protest narrative, i complement and complicate the existing interpretations of holidays strange fruit. Still more thoughtful reflections come from joel christian gills graphic novel strange fruit. While many people assume strange fruit was written by billie holiday, it actually began as a poem by a jewish. An independent ny filmmaker, producer, director, and editor joel katzs.
In his spare time he is the associate dean of student affairs at the new hampshire institute of. In 1937, after seeing a photo depicting the lynching of a black. Stranger fruit is the story of what happened to mike brown, told through the eyes of those closest to. May 09, 2017 strange fruit is a successful bit of historicalfictionmeetssuperherostoryline, that uses the raging mississippi during the great floods of 1927 to illustrate the great forces of change bearing down on a small southern town marred by its own entrenched racism. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing strange fruit near you. Stream tracks and playlists from strangefruitpod on your desktop or mobile device. Strange fruit 2003 joel katz on allmovie made famous by singer billie holiday in an.
Joel katz s strange fruit is a meditation on the song of the same name that chillingly relates the story of a lynching. This essay sheds new light on the politics of sexuality embedded in holidays early nightclub performance of strange fruit. Strange fruit explores the history and legacy of a song unique in the annals of american music. Stranger fruit is the story of what happened to mike brown, told through the eyes of those closest to him. A history of the antilynching protest song made famous by billie holiday explores the alliance between american jews and africanamericans in the struggle for civil rights. The mike brown documentary stranger fruit and its new surveillance footage raise questions. Joel christian gill, author of strange fruit and tales of the talented tenth. With dorothy thigpen, milton gabler, farah jasmine griffin, c.
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