Just read a very good book about the famous jazz singer Billie Holiday called WITH BILLIE, written bt Julia Blackburn. Apparently in the 1970's, some woman did a load of audio interviews with old jazz pals of Billie with a view to doing something, but she died and all these years later the author has taken the tapes and put them down on paper.

So the general idea of the book is all these addled old musos giving their take on Billie, most of it good but a lot of it bad. She was some character, addictions to drink,drugs and bad men left her penniless, in jail and evetually dead. I know the story of her life is well known but the scenes these old wastrels dig up are great. Harlem and the jazz scene in the '30's. All these talented musos strung out on drink and drugs, promiscuous beyond belief. These guys were the ultimate hell riasers!The only down point is that they all contradict each other, saying they were all in the same place at the same time which can't be true, and it makes you wonder if they aren't just spilling a load of old baloney???

But that aside, i only found this book and read it by accident, but it is by far and away the best book i have read this year!