James Erskine and Michele Smith on their new Billie Holiday documentary
b'(12/8/20)Billie Holiday, one of the greatest vocalists of all time, was always controversial\\u2014a proud black woman who preferred white audiences, an exploited artist and a violent drug addict, a loyal friend and a vindictive lover, a blues singer who didn\\u2019t sing the blues. Featuring unseen interview footage from Charles Mingus, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, Count Basie and even the FBI agents who arrested her, director James Erskine\\u2019s new documentary Billie aims to discover who this jazz icon really was. In this installment of Leonard Lopate at Large on WBAI, the film\\u2019s executive producer and executor of the late singer\\u2019s estate Michele Smith joins James for a new look at the legacy of Billie Holiday.'