Billie Holiday with Amazing All-Star Jazz Band

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 25 Jan 2009 9:28 pm

How's this for a lineup?

Billie Holiday, vocals; Lester Young, tenor sax; Coleman Hawkins, tenor sax; Ben Webster, tenor sax; Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax; Roy Eldridge, trumpet;
Doc Cheatham, trumpet; Vic Dickenson, trombone; Danny Barker, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Mal Waldron, piano.

Go here: http://www.jazzonthetube.com/page/8.html

Stephen Gambrell · Post by **Stephen Gambrell** » 26 Jan 2009 1:59 am

Absolutely beautiful.

Kevin Macneil Brown · Post by **Kevin Macneil Brown** » 26 Jan 2009 6:08 am

That piece of film always brings chills up and down my spine. Utter perfection of soul and expression.

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 27 Jan 2009 2:35 pm

The story goes that Billie and Prez, after being tight for many years, had a major falling out and weren't talking. It was late in their careers when they got booked together on this TV date and as you can see, Prez brought it and Billie knew it was happening and was digging him.

I've always liked the story, maybe true or maybe not, that Lester ended up living in an rented room over 52nd street. He was sick and could no longer work and he would sit there alone and listen to the new cats coming up from the street.

Charles Davidson · Post by **Charles Davidson** » 27 Jan 2009 4:32 pm

Jim,that's great stuff,Even tho I listened to a lot of the old classic country as a kid growing up in the fortys,for some reason was a sucker for sax players,When I got old enough to earn money of my own,some of the first old LP'S I bought were Lester Young,Gerry Mulligan,and my ALL TIME musical hero Bird Parker,I enjoyed that. DYKBC.

ebb · Post by **ebb** » 27 Jan 2009 5:25 pm

incredible. thanks for the link

Mike Shefrin · Post by **Mike Shefrin** » 28 Jan 2009 5:54 am

Billie Holiday used to babysit once and a while for my oldest and best friend and his sister. I get goosebumps whenever I listen to Billie Holiday. That lady can scare you!

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 28 Jan 2009 8:13 am

Not all, but a big part of Bird is Lester taken at faster tempos. When Bird went into the woodshed, he took the Basie records.

John Steele (deceased) · Post by **John Steele (deceased)** » 28 Jan 2009 12:53 pm

I think this clip could be exhibit A in claiming that Lester Young is truly the guy who fired the first shot in "Cool Jazz". I love Charlie Parker too, but here's a guy who can kill you with a minimal number of notes, and pure soul.
Robert Kramer, I've read the same things. Lester lived his last days, and died, in the Alvin Hotel on Broadway, which was right across the street from the original Birdland. I believe the Birdland building is still there, although the Alvin Hotel is long gone.
-John

Mike Shefrin · Post by **Mike Shefrin** » 28 Jan 2009 4:18 pm

Poor sick Prez lived in that old hotel drinking wine, not eating, knowing his death was imminent. Meanwhile his wife was somewhere else pregnant with his child. When a friend dropped by and asked Prez how his wife was coming along in her pregnancy he replied "Oh, those people should be here in several months". He had a real dry sense of humor. The circumstances of the end of his life were quite tragic though. Personally I hear absolutely nothing in common with his style and Parker's. Both were innovators with their own completely original approach to the horn. Both were two who truly deserved that most misused word of today- "greatness". I'll end this somewhat sad post with a redeeming humorous anecdote- One time Prez was playing with a particularly bad drummer who came up to Prez after the gig was finished and said to him "Yeah Prez, that was great...say, when was the last time you and I played together?" Prez replied "Tonight!".

robert kramer · Post by **robert kramer** » 29 Jan 2009 8:45 am

Mike Shefrin, Thanks for the correction. Prez and Bird did have their own distinct styles. My statement mistakenly read like Bird was Prez speeded up. Not true. Bird did learn all of Lester solos but went forward create a new music. This is akin to Wes Montgomery learning Charlie Christan solos and then going forward to create his new style. I find the study of who influenced who in jazz a very useful template when listening for the exchange of ideas in steel guitar music.

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 29 Jan 2009 10:24 am

First saw this in Ken Burns' "Jazz" series on PBS and it floored me.

I love watching Billie respond to each of the soloists.

You can almost feel that there's a shared history between Billie & Lester when he takes that solo.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 30 Jan 2009 5:31 pm

So many different takes on simple 'Stormy Monday' style chords
it's scary, in a great way.