"I don’t think I’m singing. I feel like I’m playing a horn. What comes out is what I feel."
~ Billie Holiday
(1915-1959)
"The camera wiped away all of my self-consciousness with people. For me the camera was my open sesame."
~ Herman Leonard
(1923-2010)
I have always found solace when listening to music in many forms, and I am particularly moved by the voices of such rich talents as Billie Holiday. There is such honesty, beauty and a sort of tender pain in her work, because she only sang about the truth. She brought all of herself to her craft. Herman Leonard, one of the most talented jazz photographers ever, was not only a superb artist but was well known for his easy-going manner, empathy for the musicians he worked with and how comfortable his subjects felt in front of his lens.
