Billie Holiday: Lady Sings the Blues (180g, Leloir Collection) Vinyl LP

BILLIE HOLIDAY'S LATE CAREER WAS MARRED BY THE SINGER'S DRUG ABUSE, DRINKING, AND RELATIONSHIPS WITH ABUSIVE MEN. However, her voice maintained its edge. Lady Sings The Blues was released concurrently with Holiday's autobiography of the same name. Recorded during two sessions in 1956, the album found the singer in top form. It features four new tracks, "Lady Sings the Blues," "Too Marvelous for Words," "Willow Weep for Me," and "I Thought About You," along with fresh recordings of some of Holiday's biggest hits to date. Notable re-recordings include "Trav'lin' Light," "Strange Fruit" and "God Bless the Child." Holiday was joined for these sessions by tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette, trumpeters Charlie Shavers and Harry Edison, pianist Wynton Kelly, and guitarists Kenny Burrell and Barney Kessel. The group provides the perfectly restrained accompaniment to the singer's bluesy laments. In spite of not sounding like the chipper singer from her 1930s Columbia recordings, many have grown to love Lady Sings The Blues for the smoky raspiness of Holiday's later career voice. This heavyweight 180g reissue is part of the Leloir Collection, a limited retrospective series of some of the best jazz albums of all time with new artwork incorporating Jean-Pierre Leloir's iconic photography.

• limited edition
• 180 gram virgin vinyl reissue
• new cover art featuring iconic photos by Jean-Pierre Leloir
• deluxe gatefold sleeve
• music label: Jazz Images 1956 / 2016

reviewed by Cool Hand 01/2015