BILLIE HOLIDAY, ELLA & ANITA...

(Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald)
I was asked the other day on a radio show who my favourite singers were - I said Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Kurt Elling, Diana Krall, Karyn Alison, Sheila Jordan and on the contemporary scene Amy Winehouse (so sadly died) and a few others (not that many!) - after the show I realised that although I have worked over the years with many of today's top names like Beyonce, Shakira, Elton, Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, Mariah Carey and host of others - I aways come back to those great jazz singers like Billie and Ella when I am listening to music.

Here is a blog that I wrote last year explaining my passion for these artists - I hope you enjoy reading:

I was extraordinarily fortunate to be in New York a year or so ago on a cold wintery evening to find out that Kurt Elling was performing with a big band at New York's famous jazz club "Birdland". Of course, not the original Birdland Club but a damned good modern day substitute.

I hadn't heard Kurt Elling live before but knew him from his CD's and considered him to be the finest jazz singer on the scene today - certainly the best male singer but in my humble opinion, the best of either sex. That's not to dismiss the raft of truly excellent singers performing out there today - the list grows and grows - from the established singers such as Dee Dee Bridgewater, Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Elaine Elias, Jane Mondheit, Cassandra Wilson, Madeline Peyroux, Karrin Allyson, Tierney Sutton, Melody Gardot, Diane Reeves… and of course, not forgetting the guys like Jamie Cullum, Peter Cincotti, Matt Dusk, Mark Murphy, Andy Bey and so forth to some wonderful new talent (more on this later). Kurt was sensational that night in New York - what a singer - wow - knocked me out and performing with a fine swinging big band from Denmark (not sure what a Danish band was doing in New York but they were truly superb). 

(Kurt Elling) This Blog started because I realised how many new singers were out there making names for themselves, recording fine albums and performing on the global festival and club markets. For some reason female singers proliferate - Roberta Ganbarini, Sara Jones, Susana Raye, Sasha Dobson, Melissa Stylanou, Rebecca Martin, Rachelle Ferrell, Becca Stevens, Cecille Melorin Selvant - I could probably fill half this page with names of excellent young aspiring jazz singers (sorry if I missed your name from the list…).This is obviously giving jazz and music lovers much pleasure and a cause for celebration that the flame is being carried forward by a vibrant, energetic and exciting new generation.

(Billie Holiday and Lester Young - a match made in Heaven) All of this is inspiring and comforting to know that the art of the jazz singer is being expanded and developed across international borders and into the homes of jazz lovers of all descriptions. However, despite this, why is that when I get home and put my feet up with a glass of excellent red wine and reach out for the CD or vinyl collection, I gravitate almost subconsciously to those timeless tracks by the three ladies that I consider to be the greatest jazz singers of all time - a sweeping statement - yes, I agree, but who is to challenge my taste in my own living room? 

Billie Holiday will always for me remain the very finest jazz singer of all time. Many others had better technique, better range, better this and that - but none of them were like Billie.

Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young - Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo.

Critic John Bush wrote that Holiday "changed the art of American pop vocals forever." She co-wrote only a few songs, but several of them have become jazz standards notably "God Bless the Child", "Don't Explain", "Fine and Mellow", and "Lady Sings the Blues". She also became famous for singing "Strange Fruit", an incredibly influential protest song, which became one of her standards and was made famous with her 1939 recording. Music critic Robert Christgau called her possibly "the greatest singer of the century".

For me the album "Lady in Satin" is the ultimate Billie album - of course there are many to choose from such as "Songs for Distingue Lovers", "All or Nothing at All", Lady Sings the Blues", Music for Torching" and many more - but "Lady in Satin" says it all - this was the penultimate album released in 1958 - Billie died in July 1959. Critics have been divided as to whether this was the best Billie Album - some have said "her range had gone" - others said "where was the high register?" - But as Buck Clayton (fine trumpeter) said this was Billie at her greatest. A voice torn by heroin addiction and alcoholic abuse comes across with such emotion, feeling and compassion. Ray Ellis who wrote the orchestra arrangements and conducted the session said of the album in 1997: "I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of "I'm a Fool to Want You". There were tears in her eyes...After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realised how great her performance really was"

I don't really care what anyone says about this album - I love it and I will always love it - but you must judge for yourself - but please listen with your ears and heart open - and enjoy and experience one of the great recordings of all time by my Queen of Jazz Singing… 

After Billie Holiday - who comes next? 

This is where it gets difficult for me - technically I suppose (and I think most critics would agree) Sarah Vaughan had one of the finest voices in Jazz, but for some reason her voice rarely touched my soul. Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown Album is one of the all time great records and Sarah's favourite - this is a must for all collectors and a core album for any jazz lover. However, for me this is where it stops - if you have this album in your collection you don't need any more Sarah CD's (only my personal opinion, but I believe I am right)!

(Sarah Vaughan and Ella)

(Miss Peggy Lee)
None of us can ignore other fine singers such as Peggy Lee (I had the great pleasure and honour of touring Peggy Lee in the UK and Europe), Irene Krall, Nina Simone (undoubtedly one the the greatest), the superb Helen Merrill, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Rosemary Clooney, Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Tony Bennett, Bobby Troup, Matt Dennis, Jackie Paris, Blossom Dearie, maybe even Frank Sinatra ("The Wee Small Hours" is a superb album and a must for all lovers of Sinatra and the art of song) - so many fine singers - where do you stop? But for this Blog I am discussing my top three:

Ella Fitzgerald and Anita O'Day. In that order? Well maybe for me Anita just comes out tops.

However, despite that brave statement, lets begin by discussing that great songstress Ella Fitzgerald : I was fortunate to work with Ella in 1980 and again a couple of years later - she was a wonder to work with and I am truly honoured that I was able to meet and work with this beautiful lady of song. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was undoubtedly the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums.

Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Chick Webb, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella.)

She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common - they all loved her. Humble but happy beginnings Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born in Newport News, Va. on April 25, 1917 but sadly passed away on June 15, 1996.

Ella continued to work as hard as she had early on in her career, despite the ill effects later in life on her health. She toured all over the world, sometimes performing two shows a day in cities hundreds of miles apart. In 1974, Ella spent a legendary two weeks performing in New York with Frank Sinatra and Count Basie. Still going strong five years later, she was inducted into the Down Beat magazine Hall of Fame, and received Kennedy Center Honors for her continuing contributions to the arts.

(Ella relaxing)

Outside of the arts, Ella had a deep concern for child welfare. Though this aspect of her life was rarely publicized, she frequently made generous donations to organizations for disadvantaged youths, and the continuation of these contributions was part of the driving force that prevented her from slowing down.

My favourite album by Ella is undoubtedly the album recorded in 1950 with pianist Ellis Larkins "Pure Ella", also released as "Ella and Ellis" - also from the albums "Songs in a Mellow Mood" and from "Ella sings "George Gershwin" - please get hold of "Pure Ella" its available today on Amazon.com - Ella at her finest - none of the over the top scat singing that (for me spoiled so many of her later recordings and live shows) - pure unadorned song with a voice of the Angels. Songs such as "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "Makin' Whoopee", "Nice Work if you can get It", "Stardust", "people will say we're in Love"…

Go buy it - its sublime and must form part  of any music lovers collection. What else should you listen to by Ella - well the recorded catalogue on the Verve and Pablo labels (all owned and recorded by Ella's long time manager Norman Granz) is vast - but the song books are incredibly important records of the classic American Song Book: "Rogers & Hart Songbook", "Jerome Kern Songbook", "Irving Berlin Songbook", "Johnny Mercer Songbook", "Harold Arlen Songbook"… probably the greatest collection of popular American songs ever recorded. However, if you only want one CD or Vinyl recording go get "Pure Ella" you won't regret it.

  

Despite my love of Ella Fitzgerald's voice and the incredible cannon of recordings, why have I stated that Anita O'Day probably is my number two choice after Billie Holiday.

To compare Anita and Ella is almost impossible and anyhow pointless - they are both too superb for words and comparisons are truly unnecessary - enjoy both of them and thank the Gods that they gave us so much recorded material to enjoy now that they have both sadly passed onto that great jazz club in the sky.

At the end of the day any list of favourites is down to personal taste and for me Anita just pips the post but its a close run thing.

O'Day, along with Mel Torme, is often grouped with what is known as the West Coast school of jazz. Like Tormé, Anita O'Day had some training in jazz drums (courtesy of her first husband Don Carter); her longest musical collaboration was with jazz drummer John Poole - although her also long time association was with the great drummer Gene Krupa had rounded off her passion for working with drummers. While maintaining a central core of hard swing, O'Day's skills in improvisation of rhythm and melody put her squarely among the pioneers of BeBop.

(A young Anita O'Day playing Gene Krupa's snare drum) The call from Gene Krupa came in early 1941. Of the 34 sides she recorded with Krupa, it was "Let Me Off Uptown", a novelty duet with the great trumpeter Roy Eldridge, that became her first big hit. That same year, Down Beat named O'Day "New Star of the Year". In 1942, she appeared with the Krupa band in two "soundies" (short musical films originally made for jukeboxes), singing "Thanks for the Boogie Ride" and "Let Me Off Uptown". Anita subsequently worked with the Woody Herman and Stan Kenton Bands  - She joined Stan Kenton in April 1944 recorded 21 sides, both transcription and commercial, and appeared in a Universal Music short Artistry in Rhythm (1944). "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" became a huge seller and put Kenton's band on the map. 

As a live performer Anita O'Day also began performing in festivals and concerts with such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Thelonius Monk, Cal Tjader, George Shearing and Oscar Peterson. She appeared in the documentary "Jazz on a Summer's Day" filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, which massively increased her popularity. She admitted later that she was probably high on heroin during the concert. She also said that it was the best day of her life in that hers was the star performance of the festival and she made the cover of national magazines for it.

I love Anita and her singing - the albums also on Norman Granz's Verve label are very different to those of Ella - in a sense she was more of a jazz singer if that's even possible.

Like Ella the recorded collection is large with albums such as, "Anita Swings Cole Porter", "Trav'lin Light", "All the Sad Young Men", "Cool Heat", "Anita and Billy May swing Rogers & Hart", "Anita Sings the Winners" are all superb but if you can get hold of a Verve compilation called "Anita Sings the Ballads" - it is a marvel and one of my favourite albums of all time. 

Just listen on YouTube to "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and I think you'll get it and see what I am saying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CMxMyCY1c4

Enjoy the new singers - support them by seeing them live and buying their albums - that is what music and our passion for jazz is all about - carrying the flame forward for future generations - but to achieve this it is also important to look backwards and enjoy the incredible library of music available to us by the greatest song masters of all time.

Go discover these gems but please never forget BILLIE, ELLA and ANITA and the gifts they gave us for ever.

Thanks for reading 
Peter