This is a rather incredible collection: ten CDs enclosed in a tight black box that includes every one of the recordings Verve owns of Billie Holiday, not only the many studio recordings of 1952-57 (which feature Lady Day joined by such jazz all-stars as trumpeters Charlie Shavers and Harry "Sweets" Edison, altoist Benny Carter, and the tenors of Flip Phillips, Paul Quinichette and Ben Webster). Also included are prime performances at Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts in 1945-1947, an enjoyable European gig from 1954, her "comeback" Carnegie Hall concert of 1956, Holiday's rather sad final studio album from 1959, and even lengthy tapes from two informal rehearsals. It's a perfect purchase for the true Billie Holiday fanatic.
Vocals: Billie Holiday
Alto saxophones: Willie Smith, Benny Carter
Tenor saxophones: Illinois Jacquet, Wardell Gray, Charlie Ventura, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Flip Phillips
Trumpet: Howard McGee, Buck Clayton, Charlie Shavers, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Roy Eldridge
Trombone: Trummy Young
Vibraphone: Red Norvo
Pianos: Milt Raskin, Ken Kersey, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Clark, Billy Taylor, Jimmy Rowles, Wynton Kelly, Tony Scott, Mal Waldron
Acoustic guitar: Freddie Green
Electric guitars: Tiny Grimes, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis
Basses: Charles Mingus, Curly Russell, Al McKibbon, Ray Brown, Red Mitchell, Milt Hinton, Joe Benjamin
Drums: David Coleman, J.C. Heard, Alvin Stoller, Ed Shaughnessy, Cozy Cole, Jo Jones
Disc 1
01. Body And Soul (3:24)
02. Strange Fruit (3:01)
03. I Cried For You (2:18)
04. Fine And Mellow (3:51)
05. He's Funny That Way (3:22)
06. The Man I Love (3:04)
07. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (2:20)
08. All Of Me (1:56)
09. Billie's Blues (aka 'I Love My Man') (3:39)
10. Travelin' Light (3:28)
11. He's Funny That Way (2:56)
12. Norman Granz Announcement #1 (0:09)
13. You Better Go Now (2:56)
14. You're Driving Me Crazy (1:30)
15. There Is No Greater Love (2:34)
16. I Cover The Waterfront (2:58)
17. Norma Granz Announcement #2 (0:29)
18. East Of The Sun (2:56)
19. Blue Moon (3:31)
20. You Go To My Head (2:57)
21. You Turned The Tables On Me (3:28)
22. Easy To Love (3:02)
23. These Foolish Things (3:35)
24. I Only Have Eyes For You (2:54)
25. Solitude (3:29)
Disc 2
01. Everything I Have Is Yours (3:45)
02. Love For Sale (2:59)
03. Moonglow (3:00)
04. Tenderly (3:25)
05. If The Moon Turns Green (2:47)
06. Remember (2:37)
07. Autumn In New York (Common Take - LP) (3:43)
08. Autumn In New York (Rare Take - 78) (3:56)
09. My Man (2:39)
10. Lover, Come Back To Me (3:37)
11. Stormy Weather (3:43)
12. Yesterdays (2:50)
13. He's Funny That Way (3:14)
14. I Can't Face The Music (3:19)
15. MC And Leonard Feather Announcements (0:48)
16. Blue Moon (2:05)
17. All Of Me (1:43)
18. My Man (2:52)
19. Them There Eyes (1:40)
20. I Cried For You (3:23)
21. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (2:41)
22. I Cover The Waterfront (3:17)
23. Leonard Feather Announcement (0:21)
24. Billie's Blues (aka 'I Love My Man') (11:39)
Disc 3
01. Lover, Come Back To Me (6:51)
02. How Deep Is The Ocean (2:59)
03. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (3:12)
04. I Cried For You (2:31)
05. Love Me Or Leave Me (2:35)
06. P.S. I Love You (3:37)
07. Too Marvelous For Words (2:13)
08. Softly (2:57)
09. I Thought About You (2:48)
10. Willow Weep For Me (3:08)
11. Stormy Blues (3:31)
12. Say It Isn't So (3:04)
13. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (3:58)
14. I Wished On The Moon (6:50)
15. Always (3:59)
16. Everything Happens To Me (6:22)
17. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (5:01)
18. Ain't Misbehavin' (4:39)
Disc 4
01. Nice Work If You Can Get It (4:05)
02. Discussion / Nice Work If You Can Get It (0:41)
03. Mandy Is Two (4:32)
04. Prelude To A Kiss (2:48)
05. I Must Have That Man! (1:06)
06. Jeepers Creepers #1 (2:13)
07. Jeepers Creepers #2 (0:51)
08. Discussion / Jeepers Creepers #1 (3:25)
09. Discussion / Jeepers Creepers #2 (2:28)
10. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone #1 (1:57)
11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone #2 (2:58)
12. Discussion / Moonlight In Vermont (0:52)
13. Misery (0:36)
14. Restless (2:45)
15. Moonlight In Vermont (2:02)
16. Everything Happens To Me #1 (3:26)
17. Discussion #1 (0:37)
18. I Don't Want To Cry Any More #1 (4:25)
19. I Don't Want To Cry Any More #2 (2:27)
20. Discussion / I Don't Want To Cry Any More (5:34)
21. Everything Happens To Me #2 (3:00)
22. Discussion #2 (1:49)
23. When You Are Away, Dear (1:41)
24. Discussion #3 (0:49)
25. It Had To Be You (1:56)
26. The Mood That I'm In (0:32)
27. Gone With The Wind (1:38)
28. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (3:17)
29. Discussion #4 (2:31)
30. A Sunbonnet Blue (0:07)
31. (I Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance (1:33)
32. Discussion #5 (2:15)
33. I'm Walkin' Through Heaven With You (2:06)
34. Discussion #6 (0:42)
35. Just Friends (1:02)
36. The Nearness Of You (1:06)
37. Discussion #7 (0:27)
38. It's Too Hot For Words (0:21)
39. They Say (2:26)
40. I Won't Believe It (0:20)
Disc 5
01. I Don't Want To Cry Any More (take 1 - false start) (0:32)
02. I Don't Want To Cry Any More (take 2 - master take) (3:55)
03. Studio Talk / Prelude To A Kiss (take 1 - false start) (0:14)
04. Studio Talk / Prelude To A Kiss (take 2 - incomplete) (0:52)
05. Prelude To A Kiss (take 3 - master take) (5:35)
06. (I Don't Stand A) Ghost Of A Chance (4:29)
07. When Your Lover Has Gone (take 1 - incomplete) (0:50)
08. Studio Talk / When Your Lover Has Gone (take 2 - incomplete) (1:01)
09. Studio Talk #1 (0:24)
10. When Your Lover Has Gone (take 3 - master take) (4:59)
11. Gone With The Wind (3:26)
12. Studio Talk #2 (0:10)
13. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (4:21)
14. It Had To Be You (4:02)
15. Studio Talk #3 (0:08)
16. Nice Work If You Can Get It (3:51)
17. Come Rain Or Come Shine (4:24)
18. I Got A Right To Sing The Blues (5:53)
19. What's New (4:18)
20. A Fine Romance (take 1 - incomplete) (0:47)
21. A Fine Romance (take 2 - alternate) (2:45)
22. A Fine Romance (take 3 - false start) (0:18)
23. A Fine Romance (take 4 - incomplete) (1:16)
24. A Fine Romance (take 5 - incomplete) (3:19)
25. A Fine Romance (take 6 - false start) (0:26)
26. A Fine Romance (take 7 - incomplete) (3:13)
27. A Fine Romance (take 8 - master take) (3:35)
28. Studio Talk #4 (0:06)
29. I Hadn't Anyone Till You (4:03)
Disc 6
01. I Get A Kick Out Of You (5:42)
02. Everything I Have Is Yours (4:32)
03. Isn't This A Lovely Day (4:16)
04. Discussion / Misery (1:26)
05. Israel (2:18)
06. Misery (4:39)
07. Discussion #1 (1:16)
08. I Must Have That Man! (6:30)
09. Discussion #2 (0:28)
10. Strange Fruit (5:48)
11. Discussion / God Bless The Child (5:50)
12. Discussion #3 (1:16)
13. God Bless The Child #1 (3:16)
14. God Bless The Child #2 (1:08)
15. Discussion #4 (0:34)
16. God Bless The Child #3 (3:36)
17. One Never Knows, Does One #1 (2:08)
18. Discussion #5 (2:00)
19. Beer Barrel Polka (Aka 'Roll Out The Barrel') (1:19)
20. Some Of These Days (1:03)
21. A Yiddishe Momme #1 (0:39)
22. A Yiddishe Momme #2 (2:16)
23. Discussion #6 (0:42)
24. Lady's Back In Town (2:36)
25. Discussion #7 (4:34)
26. Discussion #8 (1:13)
27. One Never Knows, Does One #2 (2:39)
28. Discussion #9 (1:19)
29. (Unknown Title) (1:54)
Disc 7
01. Travelin' Light (3:10)
02. I Must Have That Man! (3:06)
03. Some Other Spring (3:39)
04. Lady Sings The Blues (3:46)
05. Strange Fruit (3:04)
06. God Bless The Child (4:00)
07. Good Morning Heartache (3:32)
08. No Good Man (3:23)
09. Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (4:15)
10. Cheek To Cheek (3:37)
11. Ill Wind (6:17)
12. Speak Low (4:29)
13. We'll Be Together Again (4:27)
14. All Or Nothing At All (5:41)
15. Sophisticated Lady (4:51)
16. April In Paris (3:03)
Disc 8
01. Lady Sings The Blues (with reading from 'Lady Sings The Blues') (2:53)
02. Lady Sings The Blues (2:38)
03. Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do (2:33)
04. Travelin' Light (with reading from 'Lady Sings The Blues') (0:44)
05. Reading From 'Lady Sings The Blues' #1 (2:06)
06. Billie's Blues (aka 'I Love My Man') (3:20)
07. Body and Soul (2:40)
08. Reading From 'Lady Sings The Blues' #2 (0:55)
09. Don't Explain (2:30)
10. Yesterdays (1:16)
11. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone (1:43)
12. I'll Be Seeing You (2:28)
13. Reading From 'Lady Sings The Blues' #3 (2:50)
14. My Man (3:13)
15. I Cried For You (3:09)
16. Fine and Mellow (3:15)
17. I Cover The Waterfront (3:46)
18. What a Little Moonlight Can Do (2:54)
19. I Wished on The Moon (3:28)
20. Moonlight In Vermont (3:53)
21. A Foggy Day (stereo) (4:44)
22. I Didn't Know What Time It Was (stereo) (6:02)
23. Just One Of Those Things (take 7 - incomplete) (stereo) (0:25)
24. Studio Talk #1 (0:47)
25. Just One Of Those Things (take 8 - master take) (5:32)
26. Studio Talk #2 (0:29)
27. Comes Love (take 1 - alternate) (4:00)
28. Comes Love (take 2 - false start) (0:36)
29. Comes Love (take 3 - false start) (0:22)
30. Comes Love (take 4 - master take) (4:00)
Disc 9
01. Day In, Day Out (stereo) (6:49)
02. Darn That Dream (6:20)
03. But Not For Me (3:51)
04. Body And Soul (6:26)
05. Studio Talk #1 (0:45)
06. Just Friends (instrumental) (6:30)
07. Studio Talk #2 (0:16)
08. Stars Fell On Alabama (take 1 - incomplete) (0:38)
09. Stars Fell On Alabama (take 2 - master take) (stereo) (4:30)
10. Studio Talk / Say It Isn't So (take 1 - incomplete) (0:26)
11. Say It Isn't So (take 2 - master take) (3:18)
12. Studio Talk / Our Love Is Here To Stay (take 1 - false start) (0:28)
13. Our Love Is Here To Stay (take 2 - master take) (3:43)
14. Studio Talk / One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (take 1 - false start) (0:28)
15. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (take 2 - incomplete) (1:56)
16. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (take 3 - master take) (stereo) (5:42)
17. They Can't Take That Away From Me (4:12)
18. Embraceable You (6:49)
19. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (3:26)
20. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (5:38)
Disc 10
01. Willis Conover Announcement (0:54)
02. Johnny Mercer Announcement (0:42)
03. Fanfare From Oh, Lady Be Good (0:11)
04. Nice Work If You Can Get It (2:39)
05. Willow Weep For Me (3:08)
06. My Man (3:30)
07. Lover, Come Back To Me (2:06)
08. Lady Sings The Blues (3:00)
09. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (2:54)
10. Fanfare From Oh, Lady Be Good with Conover Announcement (0:23)
11. Leonard Feather Announcement (0:47)
12. I Wished On The Moon (2:43)
13. Lover Man (3:06)
14. All The Way (3:26)
15. It's Not For Me To Say (2:28)
16. I'll Never Smile Again (3:26)
17. Just One More Chance (3:47)
18. When It's Sleepy Time Down South (4:08)
19. Don't Worry 'bout Me (3:11)
20. Sometimes I'm Happy (2:49)
21. You Took Advantage Of Me (3:12)
22. There'll Be Some Changes Made (2:54)
23. 'Deed I Do (2:16)
24. All Of You (2:33)
25. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (3:04)
