★爵士乐坛永远的女伶比莉‧哈乐黛生涯经典之作,爵士乐迷绝不可错过的珍藏!
★企鹅爵士指南四颗星尊荣无上评价,美国 Down Beat 杂志四颗星祟高推荐!
★发烧名厂 Analogue Productions 2012 年底最新后製压片版本,保留最浓郁的类比韵味!
Lady Day 是乐迷对比莉哈乐黛的暱称,虽然一生充满令人不堪的苦痛,但她却用独一无二的嗓音,改变了爵士乐演唱与表达的方式,也以绝美动人的歌声唱出撼人心弦的力量。这张「献给高贵的爱人」是她在 1956 年成功登上卡内基厅表演之后,于隔年所录製的专辑,唱片公司特别邀请到当时最顶尖的乐手为 Lady Day 伴奏,包括了小号手 Harry " Sweets " Edison、萨克斯风手 Ben Webster、钢琴手 Jimmie Rowles、吉他手 Barney Kessel、贝斯手 Red Mitchell,以及 Alvin Stoller 与 Larry Bunker 两位鼓手。比莉‧哈乐黛深情的吟唱着这些为恋爱中的情人所写的情歌,在众乐手的全力烘托下,爱情的酸甜苦辣都让人点滴在心头。
by Scott Yanow
During the six days and four sessions covered by this 1997 CD (which in its original form consisted of six songs), Billie Holiday recorded 18 titles; a dozen of the best are here, although "Comes Love" is unaccountably missing. This were the last series of extensive small-group recordings that Lady Day would make in the studios. Although her voice was largely shot at this point, she puts so much feeling into some of the lyrics that one can often overlook her dark sound. The all-star band (trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, pianist Jimmie Rowles, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Red Mitchell, and Alvin Stoller or Larry Bunker on drums) is a major asset, and there are plenty of short solos for Edison, Webster and Kessel. Holiday does her best on such numbers as "A Foggy Day," "One for My Baby," "Just One of Those Things" and "I Wished on the Moon," and there are plenty of haunting moments, even if one could tell (even at the time) that the end was probably drawing near for the singer. The music is still well worth having, although completists will prefer a collection with all 18 songs, while beginners should sample Holiday's Columbia and Decca output first.