Billie Holiday – The Voice Of Jazz, Volume Six

Billie Holiday – The Voice Of Jazz, Volume Six

The Voice Of Jazz, Volume Six presents ten outstanding performances from the later recording career of Billie Holiday, one of the most influential and distinctive vocalists in the history of jazz. Released as part of Verve's Voice Of Jazz series in 1973, the collection draws from Holiday's important 1956 recording sessions, bringing together a selection of sophisticated jazz standards and deeply expressive ballads.

By this stage of her career, Holiday's voice had become more weathered and intimate, but her extraordinary ability to interpret a lyric remained completely intact. Rather than relying on vocal power, she used phrasing, timing and subtle changes in emphasis to transform familiar songs into intensely personal performances. This quality is at the heart of recordings such as “Good Morning Heartache,” “No Good Man” and “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me.”

“Good Morning Heartache” and “No Good Man” come from a June 1956 New York session with Tony Scott's Orchestra, featuring musicians including Charlie Shavers, Paul Quinichette, Wynton Kelly, Kenny Burrell, Aaron Bell and Lenny McBrowne. These sessions are part of the material associated with Holiday's celebrated Lady Sings The Blues recordings.

The repertoire is particularly strong, moving effortlessly between classic swing standards and more introspective material. “Cheek To Cheek,” “Ill Wind,” “Speak Low,” “We'll Be Together Again” and “Sophisticated Lady” showcase Holiday's remarkable ability to reshape well-known songs through her unique sense of rhythm and phrasing. The closing “April In Paris” provides another superb example of her mature interpretive style.

For collectors and listeners exploring Billie Holiday vinyl, Verve jazz, vocal jazz and classic 1950s jazz, The Voice Of Jazz, Volume Six is an excellent compilation. It sits alongside the other volumes in Verve's Voice Of Jazz series, making it an appealing addition for collectors of the label's extensive Billie Holiday reissue programme. Contemporary UK coverage described the volume as the latest instalment in Polydor's Billie Holiday reissue series, specifically highlighting its 1956 recordings.

A beautifully focused collection for fans of Lady Day, classic jazz standards and great female jazz vocalists, this album captures Billie Holiday during one of the most poignant periods of her recording career, with a repertoire that remains essential listening more than half a century later.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Good Morning Heartache
2. No Good Man
3. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
4. Cheek To Cheek
5. Ill Wind

Side B

1. Speak Low
2. We'll Be Together Again
3. All Or Nothing At All
4. Sophisticated Lady
5. April In Paris