Lady Sings the Blues (Billie Holiday album)
Encyclopedia
Lady Sings the Blues is an album by Billie Holiday
. This was Holiday's last album released on Clef Records
, for the following year, it would be absorbed into Verve Records
. Lady Sings the Blues was taken from sessions taped during 1954 and 1956. It was also released with her ghostwritten autobiography of the same name
.
saxophonists Budd Johnson
and Paul Quinichette
, trumpeter Charlie Shavers
, pianist Wynton Kelly
, and guitarist Billy Bauer
. And while these autumnal sides bear some of the frayed vocal moments often heard on Holiday's '50s Verve sides, the majority here still ranks with her best material. This is especially true of the cuts from a June 1956 date, which produced unparalleled versions of "No Good Man," "Some Other Spring," and "Lady Sings the Blues." In a 1956 review, Down Beat
praised the album giving it 5 out of 5 stars, and also mentions the autobiography saying:
On Saturday, November 10, 1956, Holiday appeared at concert at Carnegie Hall
in front of a sold out crowd. Maybe the best live recording session of her career, accompanied by several of her loyal companions. Billie is perfect, although her voice is failing. The show was planned to commemorate the edition of her autobiographic book, some paragraphs being read during the performance.
Side 2
September 3, 1954, Capitol Studios
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
. This was Holiday's last album released on Clef Records
Clef Records
Clef Records was an American Jazz record label founded by Norman Granz in 1946. It was later absorbed into Verve Records....
, for the following year, it would be absorbed into Verve Records
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded by Norman Granz in 1956, absorbing the catalogues of his earlier labels, Clef Records and Norgran Records , and material which had been licensed to Mercury previously.-Jazz and folk origins:The Verve...
. Lady Sings the Blues was taken from sessions taped during 1954 and 1956. It was also released with her ghostwritten autobiography of the same name
Lady Sings the Blues (book)
Lady Sings the Blues is an autobiography novel by jazz singer Billie Holiday, it was co-authored by William Dufty.The book was the basis of the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues starring Diana Ross.-Overview:...
.
Content
Taken from a couple of sessions taped during 1954-1956, Billie Holiday is in top form and backed by the sympathetic likes of tenorsaxophonists Budd Johnson
Budd Johnson
Not to be confused with Buddy Johnson.Budd Johnson was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Earl Hines, among others.-Biography:He initially played...
and Paul Quinichette
Paul Quinichette
Paul Quinichette was a jazz tenor saxophone musician. He was known as the Vice President or Vice Prez for his uncanny emulation of the breathy style of Lester Young, known as Prez. Young, who affectionately called everyone "Lady ****" , called him "Lady Q"...
, trumpeter Charlie Shavers
Charlie Shavers
Charles James Shavers , known as Charlie Shavers, was an American swing era jazz trumpet player who played at one time or another with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams and Billie Holiday...
, pianist Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
, and guitarist Billy Bauer
Billy Bauer
Billy Bauer was an American cool jazz guitarist.-Life:Bauer was born in New York City. He played banjo as a child before switching to guitar...
. And while these autumnal sides bear some of the frayed vocal moments often heard on Holiday's '50s Verve sides, the majority here still ranks with her best material. This is especially true of the cuts from a June 1956 date, which produced unparalleled versions of "No Good Man," "Some Other Spring," and "Lady Sings the Blues." In a 1956 review, Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
praised the album giving it 5 out of 5 stars, and also mentions the autobiography saying:
"Lady Sings The Blues is Billie Holiday's autobiography. And she tries to get the reader on her side of the mirror so don't expect a three-dimensional view of the subject. The book was written with William Dufty, assistant to the editor of the New York Post (...) Seldom in the book does she talk about her singing (...)"
On Saturday, November 10, 1956, Holiday appeared at concert at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in front of a sold out crowd. Maybe the best live recording session of her career, accompanied by several of her loyal companions. Billie is perfect, although her voice is failing. The show was planned to commemorate the edition of her autobiographic book, some paragraphs being read during the performance.
Track listing
Side 1- "Lady Sings the BluesLady Sings the Blues (song)"Lady Sings the Blues" is a song written by jazz singer Billie Holiday, and jazz pianist Herbie Nichols.It is the title song to her 1956 album, released on Clef/Verve Records ....
" (Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Herbie NicholsHerbie NicholsHerbie Nichols , was an American jazz pianist and composer who wrote the jazz standard "Lady Sings the Blues". Obscure during his lifetime, he is now highly regarded by many musicians and critics.-Life:...
) - 3:46 - "Trav'lin' LightTrav'lin' Light (song)"Trav'lin' Light" is a 1942 song composed by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. In 1942, with vocals by Billie Holiday, Paul Whiteman hit number one on the Harlem Hit Parade charts for three non consecutive weeks. The song also hit the pop charts at number 23 for one week...
" (Trummy YoungTrummy YoungJames "Trummy" Young was a trombonist in the swing era. Although he was never really a star or a bandleader himself, he did have one hit with his version of "Margie," which he played and sang with Jimmie Lunceford's Time-Life Orchestra.-Biography:Growing up in Savannah, GA and Richmond, VA, Young...
, Jimmy MundyJimmy MundyJimmy Mundy was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Earl Hines....
, Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
) - 3:08 - "I Must Have That Man" (Dorothy FieldsDorothy FieldsDorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist.She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films...
, Jimmy McHughJimmy McHughJames Francis McHugh was a U.S. composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he composed over 270 songs...
) - 3:04 - "Some Other Spring" (Irene HiggenbothamIrene HiggenbothamIrene Higginbotham was an American songwriter and concert pianist...
, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) - 3:36 - "Strange FruitStrange Fruit"Strange Fruit" is a song performed most famously by Billie Holiday, who released her first recording of it in 1939, the year she first sang it. Written by the teacher Abel Meeropol as a poem, it exposed American racism, particularly the lynching of African Americans. Such lynchings had occurred...
" (Lewis AllenLewis AllenLewis Allen or Allan may refer to:* Frederick Lewis Allen , American editor and historian* Lewis Allan , pseudonym of Abel Meeropol , American lyricist...
) - 3:05 - "No Good Man" (Irene HiggenbothamIrene HiggenbothamIrene Higginbotham was an American songwriter and concert pianist...
, Sammy Gallop, Dan Fisher) - 3:18
Side 2
- "God Bless the ChildGod Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)"God Bless the Child" is a song written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr. in 1939, first recorded on May 9, 1941 under the Okeh label.Holiday's version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in...
" (Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Arthur Herzog, Jr.) - 4:00 - "Good Morning HeartacheGood Morning Heartache"Good Morning Heartache" is a song written by Irene Higgenbotham, Ervin Drake, and Dan Fisher. Originally recorded by jazz singer Billie Holiday on January 22, 1946.-About the songwriters:...
" (Irene HiggenbothamIrene HiggenbothamIrene Higginbotham was an American songwriter and concert pianist...
, Ervin DrakeErvin DrakeErvin Drake, born Ervin Maurice Druckman is an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as "It Was a Very Good Year". He has written in a variety of styles and his work has been recorded by musicians from all over the world in a multitude of styles...
, Dan Fisher) - 3:28 - "Love Me or Leave MeLove Me or Leave Me (song)"Love Me or Leave Me" is a U.S. popular song from the 1920s.The music was written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was introduced in the Broadway play, Whoopee!, which opened in December 1928...
" (Walter DonaldsonWalter DonaldsonWalter Donaldson was a prolific United States popular songwriter, composing many hit songs of the 1910s and 1920s.-History:...
, Gus KahnGus KahnGustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890...
) - 2:38 - "Too Marvelous for WordsToo Marvelous for Words"Too Marvelous for Words" is a popular song written in 1937. Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics for music composed by Richard Whiting. It was featured in the 1937 Warner Brothers film Ready, Willing and Able, as well as a production number in a musical revue on Broadway...
" (Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
, Richard WhitingRichard WhitingRichard Whiting may refer to:* Richard Whiting , the last Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey before the Dissolution of the Monasteries...
) - 2:16 - "Willow Weep for MeWillow Weep for Me"Willow Weep for Me" is a popular song composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell, who also wrote the lyrics. It is mostly known as a jazz standard, but it was a Top 40 hit for the British duo Chad & Jeremy in 1964.-Notable recordings:...
" (Ann Ronnell) - 3:08 - "I Thought About YouI Thought About You"I Thought About You" is a 1939 popular song composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was one of three collaborations Van Heusen and Mercer wrote for the then recently established Mercer-Morris publishing company, started by Mercer and former Warner Bros. publisher Buddy...
" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
) - 2:47
Personnel
June 6 & 7 1956, Fine Sound Studios, New York City (Tracks 1-8)- Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, vocals - Paul QuinichettePaul QuinichettePaul Quinichette was a jazz tenor saxophone musician. He was known as the Vice President or Vice Prez for his uncanny emulation of the breathy style of Lester Young, known as Prez. Young, who affectionately called everyone "Lady ****" , called him "Lady Q"...
, tenor saxophone - Charlie ShaversCharlie ShaversCharles James Shavers , known as Charlie Shavers, was an American swing era jazz trumpet player who played at one time or another with Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams and Billie Holiday...
, trumpet - Tony ScottTony Scott (musician)Tony Scott was a jazz clarinetist known for an interest in folk music around the world...
, clarinet - Wynton KellyWynton KellyWynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
, piano - Kenny BurrellKenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, guitar - Lenny McBrowne, drums
- Aaron BellAaron BellSamuel Aaron Bell was an American jazz double-bassist.As a child, Bell played piano, and learned brass instruments in high school. He attended Xavier University, where he began playing bass, and graduated in 1942; following this he joined the Navy, completing his service in 1946...
, bass
September 3, 1954, Capitol Studios
- Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, vocals - Willie SmithWillie Smith (alto saxophonist)William McLeish Smith was one of the major alto saxophone players of the swing era. He also played clarinet and sang. He is generally referred to as Willie Smith.-Biography:...
, alto saxophone - Harry Edison, trumpet
- Bobby TuckerBobby TuckerBobby Tucker was a pianist and arranger during the jazz era from the 1940s into the 1960s...
, piano - Barney KesselBarney KesselBarney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
, guitar - Chico HamiltonChico HamiltonChico Hamilton , is an American jazz drummer and bandleader.-Early life through 1960s:Hamilton was born in Los Angeles, California. He had a fast-track musical education in a band with Charles Mingus, Illinois Jacquet, Ernie Royal, Dexter Gordon, Buddy Collette and Jack Kelso...
, drums - Red CallenderRed CallenderRed Callender, , was a jazz bass and tuba player, famous for turning down a chance to work with Duke Ellington's Orchestra and the Louis Armstrong All-Stars....
, bass
External links
- http://www.billieholidaysongs.com/LP_discography.htm Billie Holiday LP discography
- http://www.billieholiday.be/ Billie Holiday songs