I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was the preeminent jazz singer of her day and among the most revered vocalists of the century. Although her brief life was fraught with tragedy, Holiday left a transcendent legacy of recorded work. Her pearly voice, exquisite phrasing, and tough-tender persona influenced the likes of Janis Joplin and Diana Ross, among others. She helped originate the now standard “Swing Song” style and collaborated with a variety of fellow legends, including Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, Count Basie, Artie Shaw, and others. In particular, Holiday formed a unique musical bond with tenor saxophonist Lester “Prez” Young, who dubbed her “Lady Day.”

Catskill Jazz Factory

Founded in 2012 by Lucy and Piers Playfair with Aaron Diehl as inaugural artistic director, the Catskill Jazz Factory supports jazz music through intergenerational dialogue, community building, and artistic excellence, offering jazz performances and educational programs within the Hudson Valley. 

A program of the Friends of Tannersville Organization (FOTO), the Catskill Jazz Factory is becoming one of the most dynamic jazz organizations in the region. Since its inception less than three years ago, it has organized three annual weeklong artist residencies as well as countless community events, parades, year-round master classes, and school workshops across the Hudson Valley. Past programming boasts collaborations with a number of world-class musicians including pianist Marcus Roberts, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, and pianist Dan Tepfer. 

Known for her definitive interpretations of classic jazz standards such as Strange Fruit, Summertime, and God Bless the Child, Billie Holiday is considered to be one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. Join Fisher Center and the Catskill Jazz Factory as they present the Aaron Diehl Trio and Grammy-nominated vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant in a centenary tribute to Holiday's ongoing legacy.

The New York Times has called Diehl a "smart young pianist with a fastidious grasp of jazz traditions," and has said of Salvant: "If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three—Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald—it is this . . . virtuoso."