Most of this excellent CD features one of Billie Holiday's finest concert recordings of the 1950s. Recorded in Europe before an admiring audience, this enjoyable set finds Lady Day performing seven of her standards with her trio and joining in for jam session versions of "Billie's Blues" and "Lover Come Back to Me" with an all-star group starring clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, vibraphonist Red Norvo and guitarist Jimmy Raney. These performances (which find Holiday in stronger voice than on her studio recordings of the period) have also been included in Verve's massive CD box set. This program concludes with Holiday's four rare sides for Aladdin in 1951 (between her Decca and Verve periods) which are highlighted by two blues and "Detour Ahead," and her 1942 studio recording of "Trav'lin' Light" with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra.
Tracklist :
1. Announcement By Leonard Feather 0:27
Presenter – Leonard Feather
2. Blue Moon 2:15
Written-By – Rodgers/Hart
3. All Of Me 1:43
Written-By – G. Marks, S. Simons
4. My Man 2:51
Written-By – Willametz, Pollock, Charles, Yvain
5. Them Their Eyes 1:40
Written-By – Tauber, Pinkard, Tracey
6. I Cried For You 3:22
Written-By – Lyman, Freed, Arnheim
7. What A Little Moonlight Can Do 2:45
Written-By – H. Woods
8. I Cover The Waterfront 3:10
Written-By – Heyman, Green
9. Announcement 0:20
10. Billie's Blues 11:35
Written-By – Billie Holiday
11. Lover Come Back To Me 6:39
Written-By – Hammerstein, Romberg
12. Blue Turning Grey Over You 2:01
Written-By – Razaf, Waller
13. Be Fair With Me Baby 2:36
Written-By – Mesner, Darnell
14. Rocky Mountain Blues 3:04
Written-By – Tucker, Heywood
15. Detour Ahead 3:03
16. Trav'lin' Light 3:17
Arranged By – Jimmy Mundy
Bass – Artie Shapiro
Directed By – Paul Whiteman
Drums – Willie Rodriguez
Guitar – Mike Pingitore
Other [Unknown], Reeds – Alvy West, Dan D'Andre, Lennie Hartman
Other [Unknown], Trombone – Murray McEachern, Skip Layton
Piano – Buddy Weed
Trumpet – Don Waddilove, Larry Neill, Monty Kelly
Credits :
Bass – Red Mitchell (tracks: 2 to 11), Unknown (tracks: 12 to 15)
Clarinet – Buddy DeFranco (tracks: 10, 11)
Drums – Elaine Leighton (tracks: 2 to 11), Unknown (tracks: 12 to 15)
Guitar – Jimmy Raney (tracks: 10, 11), Tiny Grimes (tracks: 12 to 15)
Piano – Bobby Tucker (tracks: 12 to 15), Carl Drinkard (tracks: 2 to 8)
Piano [First Solo] – Sonny Clark (tracks: 10, 11)
Piano [Second Solo] – Beryl Booker (tracks: 10, 11)
Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Heywood Henry (tracks: 12 to 15)
Vibraphone [Vibes] – Red Norvo (tracks: 10, 11)
Vocals – Billie Holiday
Notes :
Tracks 2 to 11 recorded live in Köln, Germany on January 5, 1954
Tracks 12 to 15 recorded in New York City on April 29, 1951 for Aladdin Records
Track 16 recorded in Los Angeles on June 12, 1942 for Capitol Records
25.4.25
BILLIE HOLIDAY — Billie's Blues (1988) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
13.9.22
BILLY ECKSTINE | BENNY CARTER - Billy Eckstine Sings with Benny Carter (1987) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Billy Eckstine's final recording (although he would live until 1993) finds the 72-year old singer showing his age. Mr. B's famous baritone voice at this late date only hints at his earlier greatness although his phrasing and enthusiasm uplift what could have been a depressing affair. Ironically altoist Benny Carter (who was 79) still sounds in his prime on alto and he takes an effective trumpet solo on "September Song." Singer Helen Merrill opens and closes the set by interacting vocally with Eckstine on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" and "Didn't We." Eckstine, backed by a trio headed by his longtime pianist Bobby Tucker, does his best on such songs as "My Funny Valentine," "Memories of You" and "Autumn Leaves" but his earlier recordings are the ones to get. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1 You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To 5:24
Cole Porter
Vocals – Helen Merrill
2 My Funny Valentine 3:33
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3 Here's That Rainy Day 3:52
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
4 Summertime 3:53
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
5 A Kiss From You 3:54
Benny Carter / Johnny Mercer
6 Memories of You 3:46
Eubie Blake / Andy Razaf
7 I've Got the World On a String 4:42
Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler
8 Now That I Need You 3:53
Benny Moten
9 Over the Rainbow 4:40
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
10 September Song 3:57
Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill
11 Autumn Leaves 3:44
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
12 Didn't We 5:25
Jimmy Webb
Vocals – Helen Merrill
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Benny Carter
Bass – Paul West
Drums – Vernell Fournier
Piano, Arranged By – Bobby Tucker
Trumpet – Benny Carter (pistas: 10)
Vocals – Billy Eckstine, Helen Merrill (pistas: 1, 12)
19.4.20
BILLIE HOLIDAY – 1945-1948 (1999) The Classics Chronological Series – 1040 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1 Don't Explain 3:20
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
2 Big Stuff 2:55
Leonard Bernstein
3 You Better Go Now 2:32
Robert Graham / Bickley S. Reichmer
4 What Is This Thing Called Love? 3:03
Cole Porter
5 Good Morning Heartache 3:04
Ervin Drake / Dan Fisher / Irene Higginbotham
6 No Good Man 6:06
Dan Fisher / Sammy Gallop / Irene Higginbotham
7 Big Stuff 2:28
Leonard Bernstein
8 Baby, I Don't Cry Over You 3:07
Morton Krouse
9 I'll Look Around 3:11
George Cory / Douglass Cross
10 The Blues Are Brewin' 2:58
Louis Alter / Eddie DeLange
11 Guilty 3:09
Harry Akst / Gus Kahn / Richard A. Whiting
12 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? 6:29
Louis Alter / Eddie DeLange
13 Don't Explain 2:37
Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog, Jr.
14 Deep Song 3:08
George Cory / Douglass Cross
15 here Is No Greater Love 2:55
Isham Jones / Marty Symes
16 Easy Living 3:09
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
17 Solitude 3:07
Eddie DeLange / Duke Ellington / Irving Mills
18 Weep No More 3:18
Tom Adair / Gordon Jenkins
19 Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys 3:10
Ralph Blane
20 Porgy 2:53
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
21 My Man 2:54
Jacques Charles / Channing Pollack / Albert Willemetz / Maurice Yvain

+ last month
LOUIE BELLSON AND HIS ORCHESTRA — Skin Deep (1954-1999) RM | Verve Elite Edition Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless
Louis Bellson has long been acknowledged as one of the greatest drummers in jazz history and this release combines two separate sessions tha...
