Billie Holiday

The Last Albums (EJC 55705)

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The Last Albums

Billie Holiday

Essential Jazz Classics

8436559461870

EJC 149444

EJC 55705

JAZZ

2

The Last Albums

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CD 14,96 €

2-CD SET

BILLIE’S COMPLETE LAST TWO ALBUMS

INCLUDES 24 BONUS TRACKS!

24-PAGE BOOKLET

This set presents all of the master takes ever recorded by Billie Holiday backed by Ray Ellis and his orchestra. In 1958, the singer asked Ellis to arrange some sessions for her with a string orchestra. The results were issued as Lady in Satin (Columbia CS-8048), which became a big hit and is considered Billie’s last masterpiece. After a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse, her voice wasn’t in top form by this point in her career. However, she was above all an artist, and the poignancy with which she performs the material produced a true classic.

Such was the success of Lady in Satin that the singer tried to repeat the formula the following year. By that time her health had deteriorated further, and the sessions were hard for both Holiday and Ellis. Holiday would die before the album was released, which led to its title, Last Recording (MGM SE3764/E3764). Both LPs are presented here in their entireties.

Various concert and broadcast recordings from Billie’s last two years have been added here as a bonus. Among them are two rare radio tracks with Percy Faith which are the singer’s only other recordings withstrings from this period, her complete 1958 Monterey performance, her 1959 London broadcast from the “Chelsea at Nine” show, and her Storyville club setfrom the same year, which constitutes Billie’s actual last recording ever.

PERSONNEL:

  • BILLIE HOLIDAY, vocals
  • RAY ELLIS and His Orchestra:
  • CD 1 [1-12]: LADY IN SATIN
  • Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York, February 18-20, 1958.
  • CD 2 [1-12]: LAST RECORDING. New York, March 3, 4 & 11, 1959.
  • BONUS TRACKS
  • CD 1 [13-23]: GERRY MULLIGAN (bar), BENNY CARTER (as)
  • BUDDY DeFRANCO (cl), MAL WALDRON (p),
  • EDDIE KHAN (b), DICK BERK (d).
  • Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, California, October 5, 1958.
  • CD 2 [13-14]: The Woolworth Orchestra and Strings conducted by Percy Faith.
  • Broadcast, Los Angeles, California, probably 1958.
  • CD 2 [15-16]:JAZZ AT THE PLAZA:
  • BUCK CLAYTON (tp), MAL WALDRON (p), unknown bass and drums.
  • Persian Room, Plaza Hotel, New York, September 9, 1958.
  • CD 2 [17-19]: “Chelsea at Nine” TV Show.
  • MAL WALDRON (p) and orchestra conducted by PETER KNIGHT.
  • London, England, February 25, 1959.
  • CD 2 [20-25]:
  • MAL WALDRON (p) , CHAMP JONES Jones (b), ROY HAYES (d).
  • Broadcast from the Storyville Club, Boston, April 20-26, 1959.

TRACKS:

  • CD ONE ( 77:26)
  • 01 I’m A Fool To Want You
  • 02 For Heaven’s Sake
  • 03 You Don’t Know What Love Is
  • 04 I Get Along Without You Very Well
  • 05 For All We Know
  • 06 Violets For Your Furs
  • 07 You’ve Changed
  • 08 It’s Easy To Remember
  • 09 But Beautiful
  • 10 Glad To Be Unhappy
  • 11 I’ll Be Around
  • 12 The End Of A Love Affair
  • 13 ‘T Ain’t Nobody’s Business If I Do (*)
  • 14 Willow Weep For Me (*)
  • 15 When Your Lover Has Gone (*)
  • 16 God Bless The Child (*)
  • 17 I Only Have Eyes For You (*)
  • 18 Good Morning Heartache (*)
  • 19 Them There Eyes (*)
  • 20 Billie’s Blues (*)
  • 21 Oh, What A Little Moonlight Can Do (*)
  • 22 Trav’lin’ Light (*)
  • 23 Lover Come Back To Me (*)
  • CD TWO (72:01)
  • 01 All Of You
  • 02 Sometimes I’m Happy
  • 03 You Took Advantage Of Me
  • 04 When It’s Sleepy Time Down South
  • 05 There’ll Be Some Changes Made
  • 06 ‘Deed I Do
  • 07 Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me
  • 08 All The Way
  • 09 Just One More Chance
  • 10 It’s Not For Me To Say
  • 11 I’ll Never Smile Again
  • 12 Baby Won’t You Please Come Home
  • 13 You Better Go Now (*)
  • 14 Them There Eyes (*)
  • 15 When Your Lover Has Gone (*)
  • 16 Don’t Explain (*)
  • 17 I Loves You Porgy (*)
  • 18 Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone (*)
  • 19 Strange Fruit (*)
  • 20 Nice Work If You Can Get It (*)
  • 21 Willow Weep For Me (*)
  • 22 When Your Lover Has Gone (*)
  • 23 Billie’s Blues (*)
  • 24 Too Marvelous For Words (*)
  • 25 Lover Come Back To Me (*)
  • (*) BONUS TRACKS