Description
Billie Holiday-Lady In Satin 1958
This was Billie Holiday’s penultimate album, recorded when her body was telling her enough was enough. During the sessions with arranger Ray Ellis she was drinking vodka neat, as if it were tap water. Despite her ravaged voice (the sweetness had long gone), she was still an incredible singer. The feeling and tension she manages to put into almost every track set this album as one of her finest achievements. “You’ve Changed” and “I Get Along Without You Very Well” are high art performances from the singer who saw life from the bottom up.
Composers: Frank Sinatra, Elise Bretton, Gene DePaul, Hoagy Carmichael, John Frederick Coots, Bill Carey, Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers, Johnny Burke, Alec Wilder, Edward Redding.
Video: Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis Orchestra – The End Of A Love Affair 1958
Tracklist:
LP Side One
- “I’m a Fool to Want You” (Frank Sinatra, Joel Herron, Jack Wolf) – 3:23
- “For Heaven’s Sake” (Elise Bretton, Sherman Edwards, Donald Meyer) – 3:26
- “You Don’t Know What Love Is” (Gene DePaul, Don Raye) – 3:48
- “I Get Along Without You Very Well” (Hoagy Carmichael) – 2:59
- “For All We Know” (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis) – 2:53
- “Violets for Your Furs” (Tom Adair, Matt Dennis) – 3:24
LP Side Two
- “You’ve Changed” (Bill Carey, Carl T. Fischer) – 3:17
- “It’s Easy to Remember” (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 4:01
- “But Beautiful” (w. Johnny Burke, m. Jimmy Van Heusen) – 4:29
- “Glad to Be Unhappy” (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)– 4:07
- “I’ll Be Around” (Alec Wilder) – 3:23
- Performers and musicians:
- Billie Holiday – lead vocals
- Ray Ellis – conductor
- Claus Ogerman – arranger
- George Ockner – violin and concertmaster
- Emmanual Green – violin
- Harry Hoffman – violin
- Harry Katzmann – violin
- Leo Kruczek – violin
- Milton Lomask – violin
- Harry Meinikoff – violin
- David Newman – violin
- Samuel Rand – violin
- David Sarcer – violin
- Sid Brecher – viola
- Richard Dichler – viola
- David Soyer – cello
- Maurice Brown – cello
- Janet Putman – harp
- Danny Bank – flute
- Phil Bodner – flute
- Romeo Penque – flute
- Tom Parshley – flute
- Mel Davis – trumpet (solos on “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “But Beautiful”)
- Billy Butterfield – trumpet
- Jimmy Ochner – trumpet
- Bernie Glow – trumpet
- J.J. Johnson – trombone (solo on “Glad to be Unhappy and “I Get Along Without you (Except Sometimes)”)
- Urbie Green – trombone (solos on “I’m a Fool to Want You” and “It’s Easy to Remember”)
- Jack Green – trombone
- Tommy Mitchell – bass trombone
- Mal Waldron – piano
- Barry Galbraith – guitar
- Milt Hinton – double bass
- Osie Johnson – drums
- Elise Bretton – backing vocals
- Miriam Workman – backing vocals
