A Tribute To Billie Holiday

Lola Haag, a Los Angeles based Jazz singer, grew up in the mid-west singing with her family along to the records of Bing Crosby and The Mills Brothers and there is a little Bing in her style. She caresses the lyric with relaxed, delicate buoyancy and with rich, sensual low tones that are uncharacteristic of many singers of contemporary jazz, especially female singers. It is not unusual during one of her performances to see couples make eye contact, take each other hands and move their chairs a little closer together. Her live performances seamlessly blend hot swinging jazz with sensual ballads and bluesy melodies and remind one of the intimate mood reminiscent of an after hour’s club. In a recent interview, Lola was questioned about her approach to her music. She responded, “I attempt to get inside the head and the heart of the woman telling her story through the song. The lyrics are the most important thing for me. I try to be true to them. The melody seems to just fall into place when I focus on the message of the words and the woman’s story becomes my story.” Lola laughed when asked what personally drew her to the blues of Billie Holiday. “Email me privately and we’ll talk”, she said with a smile.