Billie Holiday Recommendations

Posted by: John on 28 February 2001

Is anyone familiar with Billie Holiday? I have her Lady in Satin and Ultimate Billie Holiday Collection. I can't get into the Lady in Satin but like some of the songs on the collection. The swinging blues selections with Oscar Peterson are great.

From what I have heard I like her blues/swing singing preferably in trio, quartet format or solo format. Some of the earlier recordings are very bad. Any good recordings that have it all?

Thanks
John

Posted on: 28 February 2001 by Steve Shochet

Its true that much of her best work is on Columbia (the Quintessential series), which has pretty lousy recording quality. Tis is partly due to the age of the material, but mostly to do with the crap job columbia did to its jazz library. The best sounding album is probably the Deca material (you can get a three disc collection), but it is mostly orchestral backing, and thus more "pop" than jazz.

Try Songs for Distingue Lovers. It is a little earlier than Lady in Satin, so her voice is not quite as shot, and she is backed by a true jazz band (Sweets Edison, Ben Webster,etc.)

Lady in Satin does take a while to sink in, but it is quite beautiful and hartbreaking, especially when you learn about Billie Holiday's difficult and often tragic life.

Have fun,
Steve

Posted on: 01 March 2001 by Paul B

Try these. All Verve 50's material. Highly recommended.

Songs for Distingue Lovers
Body and Soul
Lady Sings the Blues
Stay With Me
Jazz at the Philharmonic

Paul

Posted on: 02 March 2001 by woodface

I cannot think of a major music figure who is more shoddily treated in the re-issue/re-master dpeatrment. Much of her work is now out of copyright so any old cretin can release a shoddy 'Bets of..'. Unfortunately many do! She is far and away my favourite female singer yet most of her best material is badly mastered as to render it unlistenable. By the way the best best of is 'The Legend of Billie Holiday'.