Powell Street Festival, Firehall Arts Centre celebrate the life of Mildred Bailey, December 30 and 31
The two local arts groups partner up to share the story of the late Salish jazz singer and musical pioneer
Mildred Bailey in New York in 1947. Photo by William P. Gottlieb via the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID gottlieb.00411.
UPDATED: The Powell Street Festival Society in partnership with the Firehall Arts Centre has cancelled the December 30 and 31 live performances and podcasts of The Unbroadcast Life of Mildred Bailey “due to COVID-19 concerns”.
MILDRED BAILEY’S STORY may be little-known, but the Salish jazz singer and social darling was a musical pioneer of the 1930s.
A new local podcast play brings her incredible tale to life.
Written by Russell Wallace, a composer and traditional singer from the Lil’wat Nation, The Unbroadcast Life of Mildred Bailey explores the artist’s experiences as one of the first microphone singers, who introduced a new technology to the artform, broke ground for the likes of Billie Holiday and Bing Crosby, and is said to have hosted legendary parties.
The workshop presentation of the live podcast play and musical revue, directed by Columpa Bobb, features music arranged by guitarist-composer Tony Wilson. It offers glimpses into rehearsal rooms, music studios, and star-studded shindigs in its look at Bailey’s impact on the jazz scene.
Wallace, a founding member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast and an instructor at Vancouver Community College, won a Leo Award for Best Musical Score for the documentary series, 1941: The Untold History of the Americas before Columbus. Over the last 30 years, his music has been featured on numerous film and television soundtracks and theatre/dance productions; in 2019, he was artist in residence with the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Wilson has been a fixture on the West Coast jazz and free improv scene for decades. His albums include Looking Back and A Day’s Life, and he has also played and recorded with the Peggy Lee Band, Waxwing and Pugs and Crows. A theatre artist for 25 years, Bobb launched the Urban Indigenous Theatre Company in Winnipeg, the only Aboriginal theatre company in Manitoba to produce theatre for and by Indigenous people.
The live performance is being sold at 45-percent capacity. Tickets, on a sliding scale from $15 to $35, can be purchased via the Firehall.
Visit Powell Street Festival Society for more information.
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