Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Miss Brown to You - Billie Holiday, , Teddy Wilson & His Orchestra
2. What a Little Moonlight Can Do
3. I Cried for You
4. Mean to Me
5. Strange Fruit
6. Fine and Mellow
7. God Bless the Child
8. Trav'lin' Light - Billie Holiday, , Paul Whiteman Orchestra
9. My Old Flame
10. I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)
11. Billie's Blues
12. He's Funny That Way
13. Lover Man
14. Don't Explain
15. Good Morning Heartache
16. No Good Man
17. Blues Are Brewin'
18. Solitude
19. Easy Living
20. I Loves You Porgy
21. My Man (Mon Homme)
22. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness if I Do

Disc 2:

1. Them There Eyes
2. You Can't Lose a Broken Heart - Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday
3. You're My Thrill
4. Crazy He Calls Me
5. Detour Ahead
6. These Foolish Things
7. You Go to My Head
8. Love Me or Leave Me
9. Willow Weep for Me
10. I Thought About You
11. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
12. Come Rain or Come Shine
13. It Had to Be You
14. What's New?
15. Lady Sings the Blues
16. I Cover the Waterfront [Live]
17. Body and Soul
18. But Not for Me
19. One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)
20. I'm a Fool to Want You

Disc 3:

1. Saddest Tale [DVD]
2. Blues Are Brewin' [DVD] - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday
3. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans [DVD] - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Billie Holiday
4. My Man (Mon Homme) [DVD]
5. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone [DVD]
6. Billie's Blues [DVD]
7. Fine and Mellow [DVD]
8. What a Little Moonlight Can Do [DVD]
9. St. Louis Blues [DVD] - Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith
10. I Cover the Waterfront [DVD]
11. Swing! Brother, Swing! [DVD Audio]
12. They Can't Take That Away from Me [DVD Audio]
13. Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me [DVD Audio] - All Star Jam Band, Billie Holiday
14. I'll Get By [DVD Audio] - All Star Jam Band, Billie Holiday
15. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone [DVD Audio] - Billie Holiday, Red Norvo & His Orchestra
16. Jeepers Creepers [DVD Audio] - Billie Holiday, Jimmy Rowles
17. Bonus Materials [DVD][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140647 in Music
• Released on: 2005-04-11
• Number of discs: 3
• Formats: Dolby, Import, Box set
• Dimensions: .55 pounds

Customer Reviews

A 90th Birthday Present From Lady Day To Her Fans! Superb!!
My highest praise goes to this extraordinary compilation of songs which cover Lady Day's entire 25 year career - the first American collection to do so. The release commemorates what would have been Billie Holiday's ninetieth year and her spirit shines through on every track. What really makes this "Best of Billie Holiday" set so special, is that along with the two CDs, which contain forty-two of her greatest hits, is a DVD with rare footage of Ms. Holiday performing in eight films, and on television, with beloved friend and fellow musician, "Prez," a name she gave to Lester Young. He, in turn, nicknamed her "Lady Day." Also appearing with her are greats Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan and Roy Eldridge. Highlights of the performances by Ms. Holiday are a 1935 video short with Duke Ellington, three songs from a rarely seen 1956 TV special, and her renowned 1957 TV appearance with an all-star combo. Audio reminiscences by friends and fellow artists like Billy Eckstein, Sylvia Syms and Jimmy Rowles are also included as well as an interview with Mike Wallace. The DVD also has a clip of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong, musicians who influenced Billie tremendously. "I always wanted Bessie's big sound and Pop's feeling."

To my mind Billie Holiday is the greatest jazz vocalist of all times. She lived such a difficult, often turbulent life, and died an untimely, tragic death at age 44. She had/has, however, the unique ability to communicate a lifetime's worth of intense personal emotion in her songs. French actress Jeanne Moreau once said of the legendary singer, "She could express more emotion in one chorus than most actresses can in three acts." Songs such as "God Bless the Child," "Good Morning Heartache," and "Gloomy Sunday" reveal not only her extraordinary talent, but her incredible pain as well. "Strange Fruit," a deeply powerful song about lynching, and an emotional condemnation of racism, is unforgettable. She once said, "You can't copy anybody and end with anything. If you copy, it means you're working without any real feeling. No two people on earth are alike, and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music." Many have tried to copy Lady Day's unique sound, but she was, is and always will be the original.

The album also features accompaniment by Louis Armstrong (vocals); Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Mundell Lowe (guitar); Tony Scott , Benny Goodman, Buster Bailey (clarinet); Johnny Hodges, Willie Smith, Benny Carter (alto saxophone); Al Cohn, Lester Young, Paul Quinichette, Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Frankie Newton, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Roy Eldridge, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers (trumpet); Jimmy Rowles (piano, celesta); Eddie Heywood, Oscar Peterson, Teddy Wilson, Wynton Kelly, Bobby Tucker (piano); John Kirby, Ray Brown (double bass); Chico Hamilton, Cozy Cole, Alvin Stoller, Sid Catlett (drums); Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra.
JANA