(A) STUDIO SESSIONS
Session #43 New York, 21/March/1941, Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra (CD: Complete in Columbia vol.6, tk.23-24; vol.7, tk.1-2 and MT147 in vol.10, tk.10 )
Shad Collins (tp) Leslie Johnakins, Eddie Barefield (as) Lester Young (ts) Eddie Heywood (p) John Collins (g) Ted Sturgis (b) Kenny Clarke (d) Billie Holiday (v)
Three members of Lester Young band take part in this Okeh session, full of wonderful classic songs.
(MT 143) Let’s Do It * a Cole Porter classic. I am a Porter’s fan, but this song does nor rank among my favorites. They could let Lester fill the bridge.
(MT 143a) Let’s Do It (alternate take)
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
(MT 144) Georgia On My Mind – another classic, this one by Hoagy Carmichael. For those of my generation, the rendering of Ray Charles, in the sixties, is unforgettable.
(MT 144a) Georgia On My Mind (alternate take, matrix 29988-2)
(MT 144b) Georgia On My Mind (alternate take, matrix 29988-3)
(MT 145) Romance In The Dark
(MT 145a) Romance In The Dark (alternate take, matrix 29989-2)
(MT 145b) Romance In The Dark (alternate take, matrix 29989-3)
(MT 145c) Romance In The Dark (alternate take, matrix 29989-4)
(MT 146) All Of Me *** a song by Seymour Simons & Gerald Marks, one of those unique pearls by a composer. A wonderful song , one of Billie’s greatest recordings. Add the Lester Young’s solo, back in scene, and the three stars are more than deserved. A jazz anthem.
(MT 146a) All Of Me (alternate take)
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
(MT 147) All Of Me *** in the same session two more takes, generally considered as AT, were made. As a rule, they shouldn’t be included in this discography. However, take #3, the MT 147, came out with 3’48″, too long for a 78rpm disc at the time. It was issued years later in the LP Columbia C2 34849 The Lester Young Story vol5. That’s why I opened an exception to include it here. In this version, Lester plays two solos, alternating with Eddie Heywood. Delicious.
- This song became popular in Billie’s live shows; nine other registers of this composition are known.
Session #44 New York, 09/May/1941, Eddie Heywood and his Orchestra (CD: Complete in Columbia vol.7, tk.3-6)
Roy Eldridge (tp) Jimmy Powell, Lester Boone (as) Ernie Powell (ts) Eddie Heywood (p) Paul Chapman (g) Grachan Moncur (b) Herbert Cowans (d) Billie Holiday (v)
Four songs were recorded in this Okeh session in a very slow tempo.
(MT 148) I’m In A Low-Down Groove
(MT 149) God Bless The Child * this is probably the most famous composition by Billie (music by Arthur Herzog) and one of most recorded by other artists in her honor. There’s a second version recorded in 1950 (s. MT #213) for Decca, but this is a better version.
(MT 149a) God Bless The Child (alternate take)
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
(MT 150) Am I Blue? * nice song by Harry Akst & Grant Clarke; notice the three reeds in the bridge in a nice performance reading the song; this track would be issued later under the Columbia label.
(MT 150a) Am I Blue? (alternate take)
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
(MT 151) Solitude – a recording in a funereal tempo. There’s a second recording, with no better results, in 1952 (MT #226)
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
Session #45 New York, 07/August/1941, Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra (CD: Complete in Columbia vol.7, tk.7-10)
Emmett Berry (tp) Jimmy Hamilton (cl) (ts) Hymie Schertzer (as) Babe Russin (ts) Teddy Wilson (p) Al Casey (g) John Williams (b) JC Heard (d) Billie Holiday (v)
Teddy Wilson is back to the piano in this Okeh session.
(MT 152) Jim
(MT 152a) Jim (alternate take)
(MT 153) I Cover The Waterfront * issued under the Columbia label, this standard by John Green & Edward Heyman is beautiful, in spite of being in a boring slow tempo. There’s also a second recording for Commodore in 1944 (s.MT #164), but inferior to this one.
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
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From 1944 on, this song would be frequently played in her show scores. Eight live registers are known.
(MT 154) Love Me Or Leave Me *** an standard by Walter Donaldson, lyrics by Gus Kahn in a delicious tempo. Babe Russin shines in the bridge. Billie sings “this suspense is killin’ me…”, while the original lyrics says “this affair is killin’ me…” Billie will record it again in 1954 (MT #243) and then her voice could be compared to this one.
The image below is from the original 78rpm disc. Click here to listen.
(MT 155) Gloomy Sunday – the funeral tempo keeps me from enjoying this song.
(MT 155a) Gloomy Sunday (alternate take, matrix 31005-2)
(MT 155b) Gloomy Sunday (alternate take, matrix 31005-3)
(B) LIVE SESSIONS
Live Session #7 [live recording] New York, 19/June/1941, Floyd ‘Horsecollar’ Williams & Band (CD: Perfect Complete Collection vol.1)
Floyd Horsecollar Williams (as), unknown (p, b, d), Billie Holiday (voc)
An old music spot, Clark Monroe’s Uptown House got this name in 1936, located at 134th Street and 7th Ave. By that time, Billie was close to Jimmy Monroe, Clark’s brother, and spent some weeks in the house. There, Jerry Newman recorded these songs on an unknown date.
(LR 9) I Cried For You
(LR 10) Fine And Mellow
Original LP Xanadu 112 Harlem Odyssey (US, 1976). No sound available.
© www.billieholidaysongs.com February 2017
I love the Uptown House cuts – are there more? – is it known what the full set was if not?
is there a release of the DECCA two disc “Billie Holiday story ” 2 record set
in original mono?
Will send you an image to your email
Paulo
Am I Blue is under-rated. Definitely in my Top 10. Listen to how she phrases “Oh he’s gone, he left me” and “lordy”. The weakness in the arrangement is the middle eight, which just drags.
Jon, I added your comment under same title in the Lyrics section.
Paulo
So, would you regard MT 153 as the ‘best’ available version of I Cover The Waterfront? I tend to think it is, despite the slow tempo…..
I agree. There are many versions, most of them live recordings. MT 153 is my favorite.
I think her version of “Georgia On My Mind” never gets the credit it deserves. Very different from the Ray Charles version but equally as good. While Ray has that inimitable gospel influence, Billie’s version has a reverie that envelopes you. And check out that piano solo from Eddie Heywood. A beautiful recording. I disagree with your assessments of “Jim” (second take) and especially “Gloomy Sunday.” I think they are among her most affecting recordings.
Dear Danny, here we use to say “What would be yellow if everyone liked red?” Actually, I actually love Georgia but, as everyone has its memories, Ray Charles speak louder for me. On the other two, I’ll give those one more listening.
Regards
Hi mr Paulo Novaes, my name is David Kirouac, Billie Holiday is my biggest idol since my teenage years, her recording of Cole Porter “Let’s Do It” is one of my favourites recordings of her career, but yesterday for the first time i paid attention to the introduction of the song “Chinks do it, Japs do it,
up in Lapland little Laps do it…” i know my idol fought against racism all of her life, but i think like Cole Porter & other artists who recording this song with the original introduction she did not know there was maybe racial slur at the time of her recording,. My question is should i feel guilty to continue to listening to this recording and i would like to hear your most honest opinion about my comment.
First of all, my compliments for your good taste in singers. Billie is my favorite and Cole Porter is also my favorite songwriter. He was a master of words. A genius, like many others in various arts such as painting, music and sculpture. We need to appreciate them for the works they left us and not for any deviations they made or thought about in their private lives. I don’t know how old you are or where you live. I am over 70 and I live in Rio de Janeiro. Our concepts of racism are likely to be different, David. You asked for my opinion. I am against racism and against many other things these days. But I also learned not to be radical against or in favor of something. “Let´s do it” is a pearl. It was written a century ago. I have no idea what those words were considered at that time and in that country. But he continued to love it. Listen also to another jewel “You do something to me”. Too bad our Billie didn’t record it. A hug (abraço in portuguese, as we compliment in Brazil)
he continued = I continue to love it
Dear mr Paulo Novaes, thank you very much for your answer and your compliment, i just want to tell you i did not want in any case to be radical like erasing music history mistakes, we can’t change the past but we can’t change the present for a better future which i’m totally for. I’m a 26-year old Gay Man Canadian from the province of Quebec, (Which in case you want to know a little of my identity) i also speak French and English (French is my first language so sorry if i made any mistakes in my English) Maybe my question was useless i am often a person who is often guilty with himself so i will simply continue to listen to the recording in my playlist simply don’t said these words in the present 🙂 because that what history is here for to remember for not doing the same mistakes of the past 😉 So again thank you for your answer, sorry if i bothered with this question & comment & passez une belle soirée, in french : have a nice evening 🙂
Hi, David. Simply enjoy your music, it will be good to the spirit. I have to tell you that years ago I have been twice to Montreal in business, I still remember two unusual things: the undergroud city and the Formula One circuit. And to tell you that my grandfather was born in France and came to Brazil to work and never got back. I don’t speak very much, but you may write in French if you wish. Regards, Paulo
Oops sorry for my mistakes i was meaning “we can’t change the past but we can change the present” and i forget “but” before the sentence “simply don’t said those words in the present” Again sorry for my grammar mistakes in my comments.