![]() ![]() She would move from one club to another, working for tips. Although she never underwent any technical training and never even so much as learned how to read music, Holiday quickly became an active participant in what was then one of the most vibrant jazz scenes in the country. She made her true singing debut in obscure Harlem nightclubs and borrowed her professional name – Billie Holiday – from screen star Billie Dove. ![]() When Holiday’s mother, Sadie Fagan, moved to New York in search of a better job, Billie eventually went with her. As a young teenager, Holiday served the beginning part of her so-called “apprenticeship” by singing along with records by Bessie Smith or Louis Armstrong in after-hours jazz clubs. Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan) grew up in jazz talent-rich Baltimore in the 1920s. Holiday’s poignant voice is still considered to be one of the greatest jazz voices of all time. Today, Holiday is remembered for her masterpieces, creativity and vivacity, as many of Holiday’s songs are as well known today as they were decades ago. Her soulful, unique singing voice and her ability to boldly turn any material that she confronted into her own music made her a superstar of her time. Was a true artist of her day and rose as a social phenomenon in the 1950s. ![]() Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California between January 3 & 9, 1957 '.because Billie is that rare artiste who cannot and will not have anything to do with a song, which story doesn't meet with her understanding and approval literally, Billie tells her songs rather than sings them as far as the lyrics are concerned, yet, withal, treating the melody as strikingly as any instrumentalist.' (Norman Granz) This legendary recording features the singer's best studio work of the Fifties.ĭown Beat's West Coast editor John Tynan gave this a four star review, remarking that it is, '.loose, utterly relaxed, a top flight solo work.' The great Lady Day is backed by Harry Edison's trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass and Alvin Stoller on drums. Maybe it's that still-arresting word distingué maybe it's that iconic, tinted image of Lady Day on the cover. The classic LP Songs For Distingué Lovers, has also deepened and become burnished with time. Her economy of means distilled her sound to its expressive essence - a kind of heightened speech. Her voice darkened an shifted to a lower range. It is undeniable that Billie Holiday's singing changed in her later years. Info for Songs For Distingué Lovers (Remastered) ![]()
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