Billie Holiday in the 30´s

[EKE BBB]

I have to pick a disc of Billie Holiday (30´s) to be included in a "XXX best jazz discs" selection for newbies. What I have to choose is the "best" edition (material, sound, liner notes, presentation, availability). I´d prefer to pick a just-one-disc release to avoid "completism fever", but there´s no problem with a two-disc issue.

There are two ways:

-Trying to choose a compilation focused on her 30´s material. Any idea?

-Picking a single chronological disc, such as one of the "Quintaessential BH" volumes on Columbia, one of the Blue Moon discs ("Definitive BH edition. Master takes 1933-44") or one Chronogical Classics volume

Which would be the best option, in your opinion?

If it´s a chronological disc, which volume?

Thanks in advance!!!

Agustín

[jazzbo]

Assuming they have corrected the problems with the liner notes since it was introduced years ago ("Chuck Berry" on tenor sax?) I would recommend Columbia's "Love Songs," a very nice collection of material very well remastered.

Or one of the current one or two cd compilations from the ten cd "Lady Day" set on Columbia.

It's been my experience that starting with "Love Songs" the remastering on the Columbia Holiday material is better than nearly any other labels, significantly better.

[Rosco]

I'd go for this one:

Lady Day, the Best of Billie Holiday (Columbia). It's 2 cds all taken from the superb 10 cd box set. Fine remastering and the 2 disc set looks like a good track selection. Good place for a neophyte to start I would say.

[Harold_Z]

It's been my experience that starting with "Love Songs" the remastering on the Columbia Holiday material is better than nearly any other labels, significantly better.

←

Same here. As Lon said on the King Oliver thread - the sound is very important when presenting vintage music to people who are not familiar with the sound of old records. People have trouble getting past that.

[EKE BBB]

Big thanks to all!

I was also thinking of that "Lady Day: The best of BH" 2CD set extracted from the complete collection, Rosco.

Looks like there´s a recent 3CD set from that very same source:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=music

But I´d stay with the 2CD set.

[king ubu]

Maybe this one's too obscure?

Anyway, I made my first acquaintance with both Billie and Lester on this disc...

Here's the info:

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CD - Livret 4 pages - ENGLISH NOTES - HORS SERIE

"... Trop émerveillés d'être ensemble pour ne pas rester des amants chastes, qui n'enlacent que leurs musiques. Qui se moquent des fêlures dans les ciels de faïence. Et qui font des miracles comme on fait des chansons." Alain Gerber.

ALL OF ME (S. SIMMONS, G. MARKS) • THE MAN I LOVE (G. GERSHWIN, I. GERSHWIN) • I CAN'T GET STARTED (V. DUKE, I. GERSHWIN) • THE VERY THOUGH OF YOU (R. NOBLE) • BACK IN YOU OWN BACKYARD (A. JOLSON, B. ROSE, D. DREYER) • WHEN YOU'RE SMILING (L. SHAY, J. GOODWIN, M. FISHER) • TRAV'LIN ALL ALONE (J. C. JOHNSON) • GETTING SOME FUN OUT OF LIFE (E. LESLIE, J. BURKE) • WITHOUT YOUR LOVE (J. LANGE, F. STRYKER) • F. SIGNORELI) • FOOLIN' MYSELF (P. TINTURIN, J. LAWRENCE) • MEAN TO ME (R. TURK, F. E. ALHERT) • YOURS AND MINE (A. FREED, N. H. BROWN) • SUN SHOWERS (A. FREED, N. H. BROWN) • I MUST HAVE THAT MAN (D. FIELDS, J. MC HUGH) • THIS YEAR'S KISSES (I. BERLIN).

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There's also a 2CD version:

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2 CD - Livret 20 pages - ENGLISH NOTES - HORS SERIE

ALL OF ME - TAKE 1 (G. MARKS, S. SIMMONS) • FOOLIN' MYSELF (P. TINTURIN, J. LAWRENCE) • MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOU (S. H. STEPT, C. TOBIAS) • WHEN YOU'RE SMILING (L. SHAY, J. GOODWIN, M. FISHER) • BACK IN YOU OWN BACKYARD (A. JOLSON, B. ROSE, D. DREYER) • HE'S FUNNY THAT WAY (N. MORET, R. A. WHITING) • HE AIN'T GOT RHYTHM (I. BERLIN) • NOW THEY CALL IT SWING (L. HANDMAN, N. CLOUTIER, W. HIRSH, V. DE LEATH) • I'VE GOT A DATE WHITH A DREAM (H. REVEL, M. GORDON) • IF DREAMS COME TRUE (E. SAMPSON, B. GOODMAN, I. MILLS) • I MUST HAVE THAT MAN (J. MC HUGH, D. FIELDS) • THE MAN I LOVE (G. GERSHWIN, I. GERSHWIN) • WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN (B. HANIGHEN, G. JENKINS; J. MERCER) • YOU'RE A LUCKY GUY (S. CHAPLIN, S. CAHN) • EASY LIVING (R. RAINGER, L. ROBIN) • EVERYBODY'S LAUGHING (B. OAKLAND, S. LERNER) • LAUGHING AT LIFE (C. TODD, B. TODD, N. KENNY) • GETTING SOME FUN OUT OF LIFE (E. LESLIE, J. BURKE) • I'M PULLING THROUGH (I. WILSON, A. HERZOG JR.) • I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME (J. MC HUGH, C. GASKILL) • LET'S DO IT (C. PORTER) • SAY IT WITH A KISS (H. WARREN, J. MERCER) • THIS YEAR'S KISSES (I. BERLIN) • SUN SHOWERS (N. H. BROWN, A. FREED) • TIME ON MY HANDS (V. YOUMANS, H. ADAMSON, M. GORDON) • A SAILBOAT IN THE MOONLIGHT (C. LOMBARDO, J. J. LOEB) • YOURS AND MINE (N. H. BROWN, A. FREED) • I CAN'T GET STARTED (V. DUKE, I. GERSHWIN) • THE VERY THOUGH OF YOU (R. NOBLE) • YOU'RE JUST A NO-ACCOUNT (S. CHAPLIN, S. CAHN) • MEAN TO ME (F. AHLERT, R. TURK) • TRAV'LIN ALL ALONE (J. C. JOHNSON) • WITHOUT YOUR LOVE (F. STRYKER, J. LANGE) • I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME (M. MALNECK, F. SIGNORELLI, G. KAHN) • ME, MYSELF AND I (I. GORDON, A. ROBERTS, A. KAUFMAN) • ALL OF ME - TAKE 3 (G. MARKS, S. SIMMONS).

Un trésor d'amoureux (Billie et Pres) pour amoureux (vous et moi). Lady Day incarne lumineusement la nuit du jazz, le Président laisse flotter le monde réel comme une bulle bleue de saxophone. Ce double album déroule trente-quatre chansons entre deux versions de All of me. Tout ce que Billie Holiday, jeune femme encore, battue déjà, défaite jamais, avait encore à offrir de meilleur : "You took the part that once was my heart, now why don't you take all of me?" (Vous avez pris la part qui un temps fut mon cœur, maintenant pourquoi ne pas prendre tout de moi?

C'est une belle idée d'Alain Gerber, le plus épris des amoureux déclarés de Lady Day et de Lester Young, que de choisir les chansons qu'il préfère parmi 49 "masters" et un certain nombre de prise "alternatives" produites par les treize séances de 1939-1941 pour Brunswick. Mais qui aurait su, comme lui, retrouver les accents d'Aragon pour écrire de Billie et Lester : "Trop émerveillés d'être ensemble pour ne pas rester des amants chastes, qui n'enlacent que leurs musiques. Qui se moquent des fêlures dans les ciels de faïence. Et qui font des miracles comme on fait des chansons".

Michel CONTAT, TELERAMA

DIAPASON D'OR - ƒƒƒƒ EVENEMENT TELERAMA - CHOC JAZZ MAN -

DISQUE D'OR LE GUIDE DU CD

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And a complete Lady Day & Pres set (3CDs):

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3 CD - Livret 32 pages - ENGLISH NOTES - HORS SERIE

COMPLETE BILLIE HOLIDAY/LESTER YOUNG

CD1 HE AIN'T GOT RHYTHM • THIS YEAR'S KISSES • WHY WAS I BORN ? • I MUST HAVE THAT MAN • SUN SHOWERS • YOURS AND MINE • MEAN TO ME (PRISE MASTER) • MEAN TO ME • FOOLIN' MYSELF • EASY LIVING • I'LL NEVER BE THE SAME • ME, MYSELF AND I • ME, MYSELF AND I (PRISE MASTER) • A SAILBOAT IN THE MOONLIGHT • BORN TO LOVE • WITHOUT YOUR LOVE (PRISE MASTER) • WITHOUT YOUR LOVE • GETTING SOME FUN OUT OF LIFE • WHO WANTS LOVE? • TRAV'LIN' ALL ALONE • HE'S FUNNY THAT WAY • I CAN'T GET STARTED • CD2 MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOU • MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF YOU (PRISE MASTER) • WHEN YOU'RE SMILING (PRISE MASTER) • WHEN YOU'RE SMILING • I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME • I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME (PRISE MASTER) • IF DREAMS COME TRUE (PRISE MASTER) • IF DREAMS COME TRUE • NOW THEY CALL IT SWING • NOW THEY CALL IT SWING (PRISE MASTER) • BACK IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD (PRISE MASTER) • BACK IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD • WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN • THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU • I CAN'T GET STARTED (PRISE MASTER) • I CAN'T GET STARTED • I'VE GOT A DATE WITH A DREAM • I'VE GOT A DATE WITH A DREAM (PRISE MASTER) • YOU CAN'T BE MINE • EVERYBODY'S LAUGHING • HERE IT IS TO-MORROW AGAIN • SAY IT WITH A KISS • CD3 THE MAN I LOVE • YOU'RE JUST A NO-ACCOUNT • YOU'RE A LUCKY GUY • I'M PULLING THROUGH • LAUGHING AT LIFE (PRISE MASTER) • LAUGHING AT LIFE • TIME ON MY HANDS • THE MAN I LOVE • LET'S DO IT (PRISE MASTER) • LET'S DO IT • ALL OF ME (PRISE MASTER) • ALL OF ME • ALL OF ME • I CRIED FOR YOU • FINE AND MELLOW • HE'S FUNNY THAT WAY • THE MAN I LOVE • GEE BABY, AIN'T I GOOD TO YOU ? • ALL OF ME • BILLIE'S BLUES (I LOVE MY MAN).

CHOC JAZZ MAN - SELECTION NOEL JAZZ MAG

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Nothing wrong with going for a Columbia compilation, though.

The three releases above are all on the Fremeaux label (that's the fellows who do the Django Intégrale series).

ubu

[John L]

The problem with those three (musically magnificent, of course) compilations of Billie and Lester is that they are in INCOMPARABLY worse sound quality than the newer Columbia discs.

I would also recommend avoiding the "Quintessential" series on Columbia, which was released before the superior, I would even say astounding, remastering job for the 10-disc set.

I am not an audiophile by any means. But the difference in sound quality here is just HUGE.

I would therefore highly recommend going for the discs suggested by Rosco or Jazzbo first. If you want more, get the whole Columbia set. There does not exist a better collection of music, period.

[king ubu]

The problem with those three (musically magnificent, of course) compilations of Billie and Lester is that they are in INCOMPARABLY worse sound quality than the newer Columbia discs. 

I would also recommend avoiding the "Quintessential" series on Columbia, which was released before the superior, I would even say astounding, remastering job for the 10-disc set. 

I am not an audiophile by any means.  But the difference in sound quality here is just HUGE.

I would therefore highly recommend going for the discs suggested by Rosco or Jazzbo first.  If you want more, get the whole Columbia set.  There does not exist a better collection of music, period.

←

Thanks for chiming in John! I wasn't aware of sound differences... no need to spin the 1CD edition (I've never heard the others), since I've bought the 10CD Columbia set (and indeed, it's one fantastic box! The only thing I dislike is the grouping of alternates at the end of the set, rather than at the end of the sessions, or any other way - annoying to always have to change the discs if you want to listen to all of it chronologically!)

[EKE BBB]

Thanks, Flurin and John!

John: I do own the 10 CD Columbia set. See my first post for the purpose of my inquiry.

Flurin: I also thought about the Fremeaux at first, but did put them off my list.

[J.A.W.]

Sorry to spoil the party, but I don't find the remastering of the 10CD-box all that great: the higher frequencies boost is a bit too much for my ears... (Same with the big Columbia/Sony Armstrong box; I prefer the J.R.T. Davies-remastered JSP Armstrong set).

[AllenLowe]

yes, everybody knows that Chuck Berry played GUITAR on those sides with Billie -

[EKE BBB]

yes, everybody knows that Chuck Berry played GUITAR on those sides with Billie -

←

Chuck? Wasn´t he a record producer?

[Harold_Z]

No...he wrote "Louis Louis".

[John L]

Are you guys thinking of Billie's trumpet player, Buck Berry?

[AllenLowe]

wait - now I think we're confusing him with Huckleberry Hound -

[Brad]

Have to go with Rosco on this one. Nice disc, actually 2.