Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald are two prominent divas of jazz. To compare their stage performance is not a simple task. On the one hand, their impressive musical performance differs in that Ella has a unique gift of singing in a range of three octaves. She was using her unbelievable voice like a well-tuned instrument. It was best reflected in her scat singing.
Ella’s the “First Lady of Song” had the utmost success. On the other hand, Billie was known for her tones and nuances that triggered very strong emotions. Unlike Ella, Billie used a far more elastic approach to the words in her songs.
As personalities, both artists had a hard life that was reflected in their music. However, they described their heartache differently. Ella’s songs can be characterized as slow and steady, with a clear pronunciation. In her songs, she bridges a gap between race, class and age. Throughout her grand career, Ella accomplished an impressive list of recordings. They included 70 albums and 13 Grammys. Like no other jazz performer, she was greatly admired by the musical stars as well. She was called Lady Ella.
Billie was as bright, but a far more controversial personality than Ella. Her musical style can be characterized as innovative, over-emotional, and beyond all jazz standards. Hers was a bluesy vocal style. She used new emotive vocals that were not common. In reality, this added a beautiful touch to jazz singing. And it was Billie, who always wore a white flower in her hair, when she sang.
