Record Reviews

BILLIE HOLIDAY ~ LADY DAY - THE COMPLETE BILLIE HOLIDAY ON COLUMBIA 1933-1944 SONY 886979303621 (Barcode: 886979303621) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 1933 - 1944 Released: 2011 American singer / songwriter Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist is undoubtedly not only the most iconic female figure in the history of Jazz, but also a symbol of American history. Her tragic personal life, drug addiction and suffering caused by racial discrimination are a universal tale, which reflects the times she lived in. Musically, she is probably the greatest Jazz vocalist of all times and adding anything is simply superfluous. This Grammy Award winning Box Set collects all the recordings Holiday made for the ColumbiaFind albums on this label label and its subsidiary labels during that twelve years period, which was her most stable musically and basically established her diva status. Just to make everything perfectly clear, all these tracks were originally released on 78s before the LP format was invented. Painstakingly remastered, researched and annotated, this Box Set presents a formidable piece of Jazz history, with very few parallels. Holiday returned to record for Columbia in the very last years of her life (1957-1958) but these recordings are not included here and await a separate Box Set. On the recordings included here she is accompanied by superb gallery of Jazz musicians and bands, the absolute crème de la crème of the period. For listeners less acquainted with the earlier Jazz periods, this is simply a wonderful opportunity to enter that magnificent world. There are no weak moments or fillers here; everything is simply musical gold, every moment, every phrase and every sound. As I already said, this is absolutely essential piece of music history and a copy of this should be (in one form or another) present in every cultural home on this planet; ´nuff said!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted:

CD 10 Mini-Sleeve Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

CESAR JOANIQUET / BRICE SONIANO / KASPER TOM ~ SONGBOOK ASTROPI 1502 (Barcode: 5707471041512) ~ SPAIN ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 This is the debut album by the international trio comprising of Spanish saxophonist Cesar JoaniquetFind albums by this artist, French bassist Brice SonianoFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Kasper Tom ChristiansenFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine compositions, six of which are standards and three are originals co-composed by the trio members. The music is a subtle tribute to Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist, as the six standards are associated with her heartbreaking performances of these tunes. Of course the trio treats the standards only as a very loosely melodic / harmonic structure, while they improvise extensively and intensely. These three young players have all already established quite a record in the last few years, which puts them in the top echelons of the European Jazz scene in spite of their age. Anybody listening to this album should immediately understand why, as their performances are simply stellar. Joaniquet, when playing the melody lines, sounds remarkably close to Stan GetzFind albums by this artist, which is probably the highest compliment I personally could give any saxophone player, as I was sure until now that nobody will ever come close to Stan´s phrasing and sensitivity. Well, I have been proven wrong. When he improvises freely, he is of course in a different musical universe, so the similarity to Getz does not apply, but he still is a brilliant player. Soniano is one of the most imaginative and expressive bassist I happened to came across lately and his work on this album is a superb example of the role of the bass in contemporary music; no longer a background support but a soloist of equal standing and importance to the other band members. His tone, technique and ability to converse with his cohorts is nothing short of miraculous. Kasper Tom, an old acquaintance, has already captured my attention many times before and his highly unique approach to drumming, or rather playing the drums, has been a pleasure to follow through his diverse and always courageous and groundbreaking recordings. This album is an instant classic, a case study of the "Art of the Trio" variety in the Jazz idiom; in which telepathic group improvisation and lofty inspiration take the music straight to the top of human gratification hubs. This is definitely some of the finest music that landed on my player this year, full of immense aesthetic pleasure as well as intellectual contentment. Way to go!

CD 1 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend

CLEO LAINE ~ CLASSIC ALBUMS, 4 EPS & BONUS TRACKS REAL GONE JAZZ 421 (Barcode: 5036408154422) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1955 - 1962 Released: 2013 This is a reissue of four early albums by the British vocalist Cleo LaineFind albums by this artist, one of the most glamorous and widely known representatives of the British Jazz worldwide. She and her husband saxophonist / composers John DankworthFind albums by this artist were for many years the "Royal" couple of the British Jazz and they were eventually knighted (receiving the DBE and CBE respectively). Laine, a truly remarkable singer, is perhaps the last great British representative of the "classic" vocal Jazz school, created and developed by the great American female singers like Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist, Sarah VaughanFind albums by this artist, Ella FitzgeraldFind albums by this artist and so many others. Her great affinity towards the Blues and her wonderful feeling of the Swing made her a true star. She did not, however, cross over to the modern vocal Jazz approach, which developed in Britain (and the rest of Europe), which reinvented the role of the human voice and opened new possibilities. Laine stayed faithful to the "classic" approach, and represented it stunningly. On the recordings included in this set Laine is accompanied by the best British Jazz musicians active at the time and the time span (1955 to 1962) shows her rapid development from an unknown imitator to a full fledged luminary. The first album "She`s The Tops!Find albums with this title" presents Laine more as a Blues singer and shows her developing her chops and vocal abilities. The second album "ValmouthFind albums with this title" is the original cast recording of a West End musical theatre performance featuring Laine, showing her remarkable talent as an actress in addition to her singing career. The third album "Live DateFind albums with this title" is a live recording presenting Laine singing six songs with the Tubby HayesFind albums by this artist Orchestra and than Hayes playing three spectacular pieces with his quartet. The fourth album "All About MeFind albums with this title" is a wonderful vocal Jazz album recorded with the Johnny KeatingFind albums by this artist Orchestra and featuring his incredible arrangements, showing Laine as a fully developed Jazz Diva. In addition this set includes also four EPs (each with four songs) recorded with various British groups supporting her. The "bonus tracks" are in fact another full album, which presents her singing with the trombonist Keith ChristieFind albums by this artist and his quintet (not quartet as the packaging tells us), which includes John Dankworth on clarinet and alto saxophone, pianist / vibraphonist Bill Le SageFind albums by this artist, bassist Bill SutcliffeFind albums by this artist and drummer Allan GanleyFind albums by this artist. This is the earliest recording included in this set. Overall British Jazz lovers and vocal Jazz connoisseurs should find this set irresistible, enjoying the newly available music, which has mostly disappeared into the abyss for way to long. Side Note The Real Gone JazzFind albums on this label label releases hundreds of album collections, which include usually between three to eight original albums in a two to four CDs sets. Most of these albums were recorded and released in the 1950s and early 1960s. These collections provide the track lists and lineups of the original albums, but no recording information, liner notes and any background information whatsoever. The label takes advantage of the copyright law in UK, which limited the length of the copyright protection of recorded works to 50 years, after which recorded works become public domain. In 2013 UK implemented a correction of the copyright law extending the protection of recorded works to 70 years (like the rest of Europe), but the correction does not apply retroactively, which means that recordings which entered the 50 years rule prior to January 1, 2013 (i.e. recorded before January 1, 1963) remain public domain. There are two great advantages to these releases: they are really inexpensive and they bring back to life many albums not reissued previously on CD, which means it would cost a collector an arm and a leg to get a copy of them. Many of these albums are absolute gems and essential pieces of Jazz history. The disadvantages are: the lack of proper information, original cover art, combining tracks of several original albums on one CD and the sound quality, which depends on where the label gets the source material. From my experience most of the releases have quite excellent sound quality but I have not listened to all of them and some people have complained about it.

Updated: 27/05/2018Posted: 20/05/2016

CD 4 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

CASSANDRA WILSON ~ COMING FORTH BY DAY SONY 888750636225 (Barcode: 888750636225) ~ USA ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2015 Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Billie HolidayFind albums by this artist, American vocalist / composer Cassandra WilsonFind albums by this artist dedicates this album to her memory, performing some of the songs forever associated with Lady Day´s career. Of the twelve songs on this album two were written by Holiday and the rest are standards she used to perform often, except for the last song which is an original by Wilson. Wilson is performing these song accompanied by a basic piano trio, which comprises of pianist Jon CowherdFind albums by this artist, bassist Martyn CaseyFind albums by this artist and drummer Thomas WydlerFind albums by this artist. Several guest musicians add their input on selected tracks and lush orchestral arrangements are present on most tracks. The overall atmosphere is rather distant from the Jazz / Blues setting which surrounded the original interpretations of these songs, but sounds more like a cabaret / musical performance. Wilson´s throaty contralto sounds as good as ever of course, but sadly the passion and fire, which are present in Holiday´s performances, are lost in the process of wrapping these songs in cellophane. The album is beautifully overproduced, which means that a lot of listeners will love it to bits, but somehow it is like a meal in a fancy restaurant; you leave hungry but you can´t even think about food any more. Reading the liner notes I realize that there was a lot of good intensions invested in this album…

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend