Swing Shift Jazz Orchestra featuring Clairdee

Carmen McRae met the great Billie Holiday when she was just 17 years old, and Holiday recorded in 1939 a tune she composed, “Dream of Life.” It was love at first sight for McRae. “If Billie Holiday had never existed, I probably wouldn’t have, either,” McRae told The New York Times years later. That friendship will be highlighted Saturday when the Swing Shift Jazz Orchestra, featuring nationally acclaimed vocalist Clairdee (pictured), pays tribute to the women with Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae: A Beautiful Friendship. The friendship between the two remarkably talented women ran so deep that McRae would sing her mentor’s work along with hers 20 years after Holiday’s death “because she was the greatest influence in my life so far as singing was concerned.” It was a friendship that Clairdee finds special. “I am honored to pay homage to the enduring legacy and friendship of two great vocal innovators of American popular song,” the San Francisco-based singer tells Eugene Weekly. “My admiration for both singers lies in their exquisite taste in repertoire and their supreme ability to interpret lyrics.”

The Swing Shift Jazz Orchestra, with guest vocalist Clairdee, presents Billie Holiday and Carmen McRae: A Beautiful Friendship at 7:30 pm Saturday, March 4, at Wildish Community Theater, 630 Main Street, Springfield. Tickets are $10-20.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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Thank you for standing with us!