20th Century Masterworks BILLIE HOLIDAY / LADY SINGS THE BLUES + 1 bonus album Stay With Me Two albums on one disc, Deluxe digipak with 20-page booklet and additional line notes by Penguin Guide to Jazzs writer Brian Morton. BILLIE HOLIDAY, vocals, plus: Charlie Shavers, Harry Sweets Edison (tp), Tony Scott (cl), Willie Smith (as), Paul Quinichette (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), among others. New York & Los Angeles, 1954-56. Billie Holiday is an important artist in the time of Black Lives Matter. Her voice and her songs are a permanent reminder that the second act of American life doesnt just have to balance the first; it has to redress it, too. And that is more than a comeback. PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ And while she was poignant in her interpretation of the dark Strange Fruit, she was perhaps even more moving when singing about the setbacks of love and everyday life, because thats when she allowed us to take a glimpse into her own tragic life. JAZZ MAGAZINE Lady Sings the Blues comes through as a characteristic, satisfyingly troubling, indelible Billie monologue. No other singer now in jazz gets so fully into the bloodstream as Billie still does. Net Hentoff
