Angela Davis introduces Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," performed by Kim Nalley & Tammy Hall

Angela Davis reads from Blues Legacies and Black Feminism to introduce Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit," during a concert featuring Marcus Shelby and an all-star set of vocalists, on SFJAZZ's Fridays at Five on June 5, 2020.

Fridays at Five is SFJAZZ's new online series of weekly pre-recorded concerts that aspire to connect you – to music, to musicians, to the warm and unique feeling of experiencing live music at the SFJAZZ Center. For just $5 a month ($60 annually), you can become a Digital Member and tune in each Friday from 5–6 PM PT (8–9 PM ET) for the latest concert.

Learn more: https://www.sfjazz.org/fridaysatfive/

ABOUT THIS CONCERT
“I think that “Strange Fruit” is perhaps the most influential and most profound example, and a continuing site, of the intersection of music and radical social consciousness.” — Angela Davis

One of the most memorable moments from our June 5 Fridays at Five streaming concert led by SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Marcus Shelby was singer Kim Nalley and pianist Tammy Hall’s stunning duo performance of Abel Meeropol’s classic 1937 composition “Strange Fruit” — a lament on the rampant lynching of African-Americans in the South that was popularized by and largely associated with Billie Holiday. This performance, filmed in May 2019, includes a fascinating introduction by legendary author and activist Angela Davis that examines the origin of the song and Holiday’s relationship to it, taken in part from Davis’ 1998 book Blues Legacies and Black Feminism.

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SFJAZZ is the largest non-profit jazz organization in the United States, presenting year round concerts, festivals and educational programs at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, CA.