The Complete Billie Holiday - Notably Incomplete

2/1/11 – The Complete Billie Holiday

If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all.

– Billie Holiday

So on the heels of yesterday’s post on Chopin’s Nocturnes, I’ve decided that I need to stop forcing myself to say something about every individual track.  Especially with collections like this with 35 songs; I end up forcing comments, repeating myself, and not really saying anything of value.  So today’s will be more of an overview than a play-by-play.

Billie Holiday is another one of those singers (like Carmen McRae) that I know a lot of, but not much of their music.  “God Bless the Child” is a notable exception, and while I prefer Blood, Sweat, and Tears version, they are far enough away from each other that comparisons are moot.  Billie’s is sweeter and more honest at times, where BS&T are just gritty and harsher.  Like Carmen, Billie’s ballads draw me in more than her swing tunes.  Tracks like “My Man” have a nice bounce to the swing, almost, but they lack the flair of bebop, the groove of Latin tunes, or the lushness of the sweet ballads.  “Summertime” is of course a more traditional interpretation than Janis Joplin’s a couple days back, and definitely faster, but maintaining a lot of Gershwin’s original countermelodies in the horn parts.

Unlike McRae, however, Holiday’s tone seems warmer, no doubt to a much more liberal use of vibrato in her tone.  In fact, I’ve noticed the same from her horn sections as well – Bilie’s sax players in particular have a tone that play well with her voice and match her style.  Her interpretation of “Georgia On My Mind” leaves me a little disappointed.  It’s one of those songs that I associate with another singer so strongly (in this case, Ray Charles,) that anyone else sometimes just doesn’t cut it through no fault of their own.

Again, while the ballads speak most to me, I feel the collection needs more variety.  It’s filled with medium swings and a ballad sprinkled here or there.  No latin, no real uptempos.  Just like with Django Reinhardt, many of the tunes just tend to blend in to one another because there’s not enough to set them apart.  Even the ballads, like “The Man I Love,” seem to push faster than I’d prefer into the same medium tempo zone as everything else.  “Night and Day” and “All of Me” however hit a sweet spot better than others like “The Way You Look Tonight.”

“Nice Work if You Can Get It” works well as a bouncy stride piece – I’ve mostly heard it done as a swingier number, but this is fresh and different, in a good way.  “You Go To My Head” is a tune I’m not at all familiar with, but the lyrics paint a great picture of that familiar romantic haze.  I have to add this one to the repertoire soon, I think. J  “I Cover the Waterfront” has a slightly bluer hue to it than most of Billie’s other works – full of nostalgia and longing.  This too may go on the “to learn” list.

One tremendous oversight of this album is the exclusion of “Strange Fruit,” perhaps Billie Holiday’s best known signature piece.  I plan on downloading it and listening to it solely on its reputation.

Vocal jazz, I feel, moreso than instrumental, tends to develop in a linear fashion in that most singers bring something to the table in addition to those who have come before them.  If it sounds like I’m particularly critical of Billie’s works here, I may be.  I think part of it is I set the standard by vocalists that have come after her era had come and gone.  Sure, Tierney Sutton and Kurt Elling are better technicians with their instruments, but their art is based on the stylings and standards set by the greats that have gone before – McRae, Holiday, etc.  Looking at vocal jazz in retrospect, it’s easy to forget the roots.  I mean, I take scat singing for granted when listening to a jazz singer.  There’s none anywhere in this collection at all, sadly.  It just wasn’t done back this far.  All the soloing is done by the band.  Still, this is a fine collection by a great singer.  While not my top choice, she most certainly paved the way for those who are.

Tomorrow – Songs in A minor (Alicia Keys)

Next week – Sky Blue (Maria Schneider)