Reggie Headen Quintet | The Last Seven Sayings of Billie Holiday

THE LAST 7 SAYINGS OF BILLIE HOLIDAY | A Tribute Performance by Reggie Headen

There was no farewell tour. No final statement. Just a lifetime of songs and a handful of words that, together, bring us to the doorstep of who Billie Holiday was.

Asheville vocalist Reggie Headen weaves seven of Holiday’s own words, drawn from her memoir and interviews, through thirteen songs spanning her extraordinary career. Together, they stand as a kind of final testimony, an intimate portrait told through the music she left behind and the words she chose for herself. Headen approaches Holiday not as an impersonation, but as a jazz musician and storyteller. His intention is to inhabit the truth within the music, allowing her humor, pain, defiance, tenderness and humanity to speak again.

A native North Carolinian and graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City, Headen began his professional career as a featured performer at New York’s Town Hall before eventually making Asheville home. Since arriving in 2018, he has described his relationship with the Asheville music community as a “return to jazz,” while developing a singular performance style that moves freely through jazz, soul, rock and theatrical storytelling.

For this special Hotel Eve performance, Headen is joined by exceptional musicians of Western North Carolina:

Reggie Headen: Vocals

Ben Colvin: Saxophone

Jason DeCristofaro: Piano

Keith Snyder: Bass

Micah Thomas: Drums

$15 | Advance Reservations are strongly recommended.