Once upon a time...
the gift of song that had been given to each of
them by a muse of Music named Jazz. While the
other muses constantly moved back and forth across
the globe, Jazz had a favorite place…a certain spot
in the world where earth, sky and sea met in just
the right measure. It was a wonderful place, full
of heart and soul and energy. So true was her love,
that if Jazz wandered from it for too long, sadness
overwhelmed her. She would weep endless tears that
flooded the summer sky and darkened the sun. In her
haste to return, she sometimes caused the great winds
that mortals called hurricanes. And so, though none
of the five Great Ladies had first received their
gift of song there, they decided to honor Jazz by
journeying together to the place she loved best—
the magical city called New Orleans.
In that city, there lived an independent girl named
Cecelia. The locals all called her Cissy. She was
a vibrant, unconventional sort who had adored music
since childhood, though her favorite by far was jazz.
Now every girl needs to make a living and Cissy was
happy to be doing it in a way that she loved. Her
little club, Bourbon Street Blues, was always busy.
People came from far and wide to sample the food from
her kitchen and hear the songs of both famous and new
musicians who passed through the club nightly. When
Cissy heard that the five Great Ladies were coming to
New Orleans to honor Jazz, she thought Bourbon Street
Blues would be the perfect place for them to make their
music. To her surprise and delight, the five
Great Ladies agreed...
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Click here to play the Bessie Smith song |
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Click here to play the Billie Holiday song |
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Click here to play the Ella Fitzgerald song |
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Click here to play the Sarah Vaughan song |
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Click here to play the Etta James song |
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