Billie Holiday

MINI-LP PAPERSLEEVE NEW GATEFOLD REPLICAS WITH OBI

LIMITED EDITION CD RELEASE

INCLUDES 7 BONUS TRACKS

Although Billie Holiday’s association with tenor saxophonist Ben Webster could never match up to her long-standing relationship – both musically and personally – with the great tenorist Lester Young, the Bvocalist would record with Webster on many occasions dating back to the very beginning of her career. In fact, Webster was present on her fourth recording session on July 2, 1935, which was also the vocalist’s first date under the wing of pianist Teddy Wilson. She waxed three of her earliest hits at the session: “I Wished on the Moon”, “What a Little Moonlight Can Do” and “Miss Brown to You”, which would remain in her repertoire throughout her career.

The singer and tenorist participated on five more recording sessions together prior to 1937. Their paths would then diverge, and with the exception of a single 1944 radio broadcast in which both were captured on two tunes (“Fine and Mellow” and “All of Me”), no further collaborations between Billie and Ben exist until the first of the many sessions included on this set, which took place on August 14, 1956. With the exception of the two December 1957 versions of “Fine and Mellow” recorded for the TV broadcast “The Sound of Jazz” (one is a studio recording and the other the actual live performance during the show) – in which Billie was also reunited with Lester Young – all of Webster and Holiday’s late collaborations are limited to their 1956-57 recordings for Norman Granz, some of which were issued on the album "All or Nothing at All".

1956-57 proved a busy period for Billie Holiday, who after overcoming many breakdowns had just published her memoirs, titled Lady Sings the Blues (in collaboration with William Dufty). She performed a concert at Carnegie Hall on December 10, 1956 to promote her book. Harry Edison had recorded with Holiday on just one session during the thirties (on December 14, 1939, which also featured Lester Young and Buck Clayton). However, he would back her on three sessions during the singer’s time with Granz, in 1954 and 1955 (issued on the albums Lady Sings the Blues, Music for Torching and Velvet Moods).

After the sessions with Webster, Edison would also be present on Billie Holiday’s last studio sessions ever, recorded in March 1959 under the direction of Ray Ellis. Music from two Carnegie Hall concerts on which Billie appeared backed by Count Basie’s band has been added as a bonus.

PERSONNEL:

BILLIE HOLIDAY, vocals
BEN WEBSTER, tenor sax
HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON, trumpet
JIMMY ROWLES, piano
BARNEY KESSEL, guitar
JOE MONDRAGON, bass (on 1-4)
RED MITCHELL, bass (on 5-12)

Hollywood, 1956-57.

(*) BONUS TRACKS (13-19):
Billie Holiday with Count Basie & His Orchestra.
Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, 1954-55.

TRACKS:

01 DO NOTHIN’ TILL YOU HEAR FROM ME
02 CHEEK TO CHEEK
03 ILL WIND
04 SPEAK LOW
05 I WISHED ON THE MOON
06 BUT NOT FOR ME
07 ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL
08 WE’LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN
09 SOPHISTICATED LADY
10 APRIL IN PARIS
11 SAY IT ISN’T SO
12 LOVE IS HERE TO STAY
13 ALL OF ME (*)
14 IT AIN’T NOBODY’S BUSINESS IF I DO (*)
15 LOVER COME BACK TO ME (*)
16 MY MAN (*)
17 THEM THERE EYES (*)
18 LOVER MAN (*)
19 STORMY WEATHER (*)

TOTAL TIME: 69:39 Min.