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Velvet Mood
Billie Holiday
Jazz Wax Records
8436542015080
LPS 140895
JWR 4545 LP
JAZZ
1
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5 STARS DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE
The title for this Billie Holiday LP was born, as often is the case, through a chance remark. A break had been called in the recording session. “What’s New?” had just been recorded; Miss Holiday and the six musicians accompanying her were relaxing. One of the musicians lighted his cigarette. He puffed deeply. He turned to a friend. “That Billie”, he said, voice wrapped in awe, “There’s velvet in that woman’s voice!” The friend agreed, but with a slight reservation. “That’s true”, he said, “especially when she’s of a mood.” Velvet was indeed the mood for this Lady Day session –an altogether pleasing combination of artist and song. Miss Holiday is equipped vocally to do well by any song, but she does her particularly best with two types of vocals –the basic blues and the sophisticated tunes. The latter is in evidence on this album, topped off by the Duke Ellington effort, “Prelude to a Kiss”, along with such standards as Harold Arlen’s “I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues”, and “Everything I Have Is Yours”. And for a change of pace, there’s the Gershwins’ cheerful suggestion that it’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It”. In all the songs, of course, the very special Billie Holiday characteristics of intensity and emotion are revealed in good measure. Through the years, it has been another characteristic of Miss Holiday that her accompanists be of a high order as jazzmen themselves. Such is the case here.
INCLUDES 1 BONUS TRACK
PERSONNEL:
BILLIE HOLIDAY, vocals
HARRY “SWEETS” EDISON, trumpet
BENNY CARTER, alto sax
JIMMY ROWLES, piano
BARNEY KESSEL, guitar
JOHN SIMMONS, bass
LARRY BUNKER, drums
Hollywood, August 23 (Side A & B5) & August 25 (B1-B4), 1955.
SIDE A:
1 PRELUDE TO A KISS (Duke Ellington-Irving Gordon-Irving Mills) 5:34
2 WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE (Einar A. Swan) 4:59
3 PLEASE DON’T TALK ABOUT ME WHEN I’M GONE (Sam H. Stept-Sidney Clare) 4:20
4 NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT (George & Ira Gershwin) 3:50
SIDE B:
1 I GOTTA RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES (Harold Arlen-Ted Koehler) 5:53
2 WHAT’S NEW? (Robert Haggart-Johnny Burke) 4:17
3 I HADN’T ANYONE TILL YOU (Ray Noble) 4:04
4 EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS (Burton Lane-Harold Adamson) 4:31
5 GONE WITH THE WIND (Allie Wrubel-Herbert Magidson) 3:23*
*BONUS TRACK: From the same sessions. Not on the original LP
FORMAT | LP |
DISCS NUMBER | 1 |
RECORDED | 0 |
LABEL CODE | JWR 4545 LP |
STYLE | JAZZ |