PhD student Lee Caplan’s active schedule of writing and lecturing continues this spring. His review of Billie Holiday: Essays on the Artistry and Legacy was recently published in the Jazz Research Journal. In the review, Caplan provides a chapter-by-chapter assessment of this collection of essays, affirming the book’s often fruitful efforts to expand our understanding of Holiday while also providing suggestions for further scholarly inquiry. In this way, Caplan underscores the value of the work while helping to further its goals.

In other activity, Caplan will give a lecture on Thursday, May 27 at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue on the topic of “Influential Jews in Jazz.” The lecture will explore the work of notable Jewish jazz musicians and how their identity played a role in shaping their music. Tickets to this event are available from Tree of Life Synagogue.

Listen to Lee discuss aspects of his work on the January 2021 episode of The Music at Pitt Podcast.