Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday On Columbia

The material contained in the sublime set is very well known and I will limit myself to saying this is sublimly perfect Jazz.Recorded when the world was young with no pretention it is a joy to listen toI am old enough to remember when original 78's of this material particularly the rare alternate takes cost an arm and a legOver the years I have not been able to resist re-purchase in formats that define a lifeVinyl Cassette Tapes C/D's Downloads now at the end of my life I have it all again the sound quality is as good as I have knownResisting the thought that such an issue at this price makes me consider the true value of music for those with a love of Jazz do not hestitate purchase and I promise you there will be no regretsHow Lady Day must look down and laugh.What a legacy............... the material has enriched and continues to enrich my life.

I can only concur with everything said by Charles R Day in his review, to which I commend you.I was pleased to see that someone else takes exception to the inexplicable [other than the whim of some 'arty' marketing department] use of virtually illegible script in what is otherwise very good [= informative] little booklet. Black on white printing is used universally for a reason - it is more easily read than grey on white [or, indeed, any other colour combination].Absolutely wonderful - her recordings from this, her golden era,still send shivers up my spine and brings me out in goose bumps.Having said that, I must also confess that this is my second purchase of the set - two copies must be better than one!

If you have any interest in Jazz, Popular Music or Singing, you must have this recording. In Jazz, there is nothing better. Billie Holiday's influence in Popular Music and everything we now know and love about singing cannot be overstated and these recordings from Columbia in the 30s showcase her voice beautifully. Buy it now.

I have always thought that Billie holiday was a beautiful jazz singer and I purchased this set recently to collect the missing 60 extra takes there are in here of songs she issued in the period between 1933 and 1944.Having had over the years various bits of this period on lp and cd this set gives so much more, the quality of the recording trans-fares are excellent, the clarity is in some cases breathtaking ,when the quality slightly may drop due to rarity of the take,it does not seem to matter after hearing such clarity on most of the issued takes, these songs have been cleaned up and cared for by people who loved and treasured her art.With her you also have encyclopedia of jazz artists backing her and soloing with great delicacy and beauty, saying just enough to match the beauty of her voice, Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Count Basie and his orchestra, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Benny Carter, Johny Hodges, Ben Webster, Gene Krup, Cosy Cole the list is emence over 65 star and prime movers in Jazz of that day are included in her line-Ups, and on top of that you have lyrics in the songs to cover every mood you may come across in your life.Tales of love and joy told by a voice who as well as being great story teller, is also a very fine instrument as well. buy and enjoy.

A very good set,at a good price.Like Callas,a voice that doesn't always appeal,at least not to me,in an aesthetic sense.But there is more to Billie than mere beauty of voice,as with Maria.There is expressiveness,a something je ne sais quois about her. Great singer? Yes,but not for the obvious reasons.No Ella Fitzgerald,but surpassing Ella in a certain way.I listen to Ella,and there is no sense of depth of feeling that Billie exhibits.The words are largely just that,perfectly sung,fabulous diction.Not so here.Buy,and enjoy a unique voice,from a time gone by.

This is proper music, Billie Holliday actually sang her music and had real amazing musicians and orchestras behind her. Show this to the terrible 'singers' nowadays and they could learn something. Im 16 years old and I wish they made music like this nowadays. Billie Holiday is the best female singer ever (Ella Fitzgerald ?) and this box set is an amazing bargain at £10 fo 10 disks. The box is very deluxe and the huge 68 page booklet is very interesting. I recomend this to anyone who wants to hear proper music for once in 2011.

Indispensible , definitive and totally compelling .If you only buy one more cd. or box set then this should be it .Billie Holiday , unquestionably the finest Jazz Vocalist of all timeis here portrayed in all her tragic glory .Simply sensational , almost beyond words , all one is asked to dois simply listen and admire such a wonderfully beautiful LADY .God Bless you Billie .

John Szwed is one of the great jazz writers. Don't be put off by some of the negative Amazon reviews. This is not a complete biography like Clarke's or Nicholson's, but on the issues it addresses, it is more incisive, and powerfully insightful into Holiday's life and music.He is tenacious in teasing out some key issues. For instance, Szwed rejects the common view that Holiday sang low-grade material rejected by white singers. He helps to illuminate why she is the greatest jazz vocalist.