Jazz Unlimited for April 26 will be “The Billie Centenary and New Music.” Vocalist Billie Holiday set the standards for jazz vocals from the 1930’s up until today. They are emotional honesty, good time and swing. Very few have even attempted (unsuccessfully) to imitate her. She will be heard singing both live and in studio singing from 1935 to 1957. Her accompanists include Roy Eldridge, Lester Young, Benny Goodman, Ben Webster, Teddy Wilson, the Esquire All-Stars, the Jazz at the Philharmonic All-Stars, the Count Basie Band, the Artie Shaw band, the Eddie Heywood Orchestra, Carl Drinkard, Buck Clayton and Hot Lips Page. The new music for April includes vocalist Judi Silvano, pianist Justin Kauflin, pianist-Vocalist Dawn Clement, St. Louisan Marty Ehrlich and the Joe Lovano/Dave Douglas group Sound Prints.
The Slide Show contains my photographs of some of the artists heard in the new music segment of this show.
This Archive of the show will be available until the morning of May 3, 2016.
Here is the famous version of "Fine and Mellow" by Billie Holiday in December, 1957 on the CBS TV show "The Sound of Jazz.". She is accompanied by Ben Webster, Lester Young (ts) Vic Dickenson (tb) Gerry Mulligan (bar) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Roy Eldridge (tp) Doc Cheatham (tp) Mal Waldron (p) Danny Barker (g) Milt Hinton (b) Osie Johnson (d). Note the interaction between her and Lester Young, who was quite ill and died 15 months later (March 15, 1959). Billie Holiday died 19 months later (July 17, 1959)
