Masters of Jazz

Personnel: Billie Holiday (vocals); Herbie Stewart (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Herbie Harper, Hot Lips Page, Neal Hefti, Roy Eldridge (trumpet); Jack Teagarden (trombone); Jimmy Rowles, Art Tatum, Buster Harding (piano); Red Norvo (vibraphone); Blinkie Garner, Big Sid Catlett, Marquis Foster (drums).
Liner Note Authors: The Mike Hennessey Chastet; Thorbjorn Sjogren.
Recording information: Apollo Theatre, NY (01/18/1944-10/??/1951); Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA (01/18/1944-10/??/1951); Los Angeles, CA (01/18/1944-10/??/1951); New York, NY (01/18/1944-10/??/1951); Storyville Club, Boston, MA (01/18/1944-10/??/1951).
Photographers: William Gottlieb; Bill Spilka; Paul J. Hoeffler; Herman Leonard; Chuck Stewart.
This Storyville series is always a mixed bag, but their goal is to be one. They try to offer -- consistently so -- the best material from all stages of an individual artist's career. Billie Holiday is a case in point. There are some gorgeous early and middle performances here, such as the opening reading of Duke Ellington's "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me" with Teddy Wilson, the live "Billie's Blues," and "Lover Man." There are also some later cuts here that are on the other side of Holiday's beautiful voice, such as the live "Strange Fruit," "You're Driving Me Crazy," and a stellar version of "I Cover the Waterfront." Most of these cuts are live or from radio transcriptions, and generally this is not the place to start with the great vocalist, but is more for serious collectors only. ~ Thom Jurek