Fine and Mellow — The Music of Billie Holiday performed by the Tracey Thomas Jazz Quintet

Tracey Thomas has been working the Akron music scene for 35 years now and tonight at 8 at the Akron Civic Theatre, she’ll take a step back from her original work to play the hits of Billie Holiday in a program dubbed “Fine and Mellow — The Music of Billie Holiday performed by the Tracey Thomas Jazz Quintet.” Holiday was unbelievably influential throughout the ’50s, but her music moved to the wayside with the success of rock music. Today, most young people might know Holiday’s work best from the hit video game Fallout 3. Thomas’s vocal style doesn’t usually fall in the same vein as Holiday’s, but surely the experienced vocalist will rise to the occasion and give these classic songs their due. (William Hoffman)