A Musical Romance

Billie Holiday & Lester Young | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: July 30, 2002
• Label: Columbia/Legacy
• Copyright: Originally Released 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1958, (P) 2002 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
• Total Length: 49:55
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00138HCL8
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,133 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last rendevous..., September 5, 2002

By 

Topanga Rose (California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Musical Romance (Audio CD)

There has been much talk about Billie Holiday's voice. There's the sweet early voice, the mature voice of the later years, drug and whiskey-soaked, with the impeccable timing, and then there is this. Billie Holiday CDs flood my collection, but this remarkable collaboration stands alone as absolutely the finest. Cut after cut, it just keeps coming.
I've been anticipating it since I heard the praises of someone who was at the session, and raved about the melding, emotion and artistry generated between Billie Holiday and Lester Young. This session was a musical pinacle for two legends who were also lovers at their last rendevous. Everyone present knew it was the last, and became transfixed by the magic going down. Billie dug deep and came up with her finest. Buy this now, and be transported by the best of two giants of jazz...

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Disc at a Good Price..., January 5, 2005

By 

Sébastien Melmoth (Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Musical Romance (Audio CD)

Yeah, this is a really nice disc: it's about the best compilation of the tracks of Billie singing with Pres backing her up. Now, Billie sang with lots of fine musicians, and I'm not sure it's necessary to overemphasize the particular relationship between Billie and the Pres. In any case--as I've said--this is a really nice disc and a great compilation: the sound is absolutely excellent--plus, it seems to me that the producers have cannily increased the volume track ever so slightly, to give the Pres' solos that extra touch: if so, they've done an outstanding job!

A final note on this question of the "Fine and Mellow" track: the track featured here is a studio track recorded on 7 Dec. 1957 as a rehearsal for the following day's live telecast "The Sound of Jazz" (8 Dec. 1957).

The studio track (7 Dec. 1957) featured here is 6:19.

The live telecast track (8 Dec. 1957) is 8:46. (It can be found on Vol. 3, Billie Holiday Broadcast Performances [1956-58] on ZYX Music [Esp label] from Germany.)

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Musical Romance is musical magic, July 7, 2003

By 

Richard E. Hourula (Berkeley, CA. United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Musical Romance (Audio CD)

Holiday and Young are an absolutely inspired duo for a CD. Two musical legends performing together at arguably both their peaks (late '30's). From "The Man I Love" through "Fine and Mellow" each song showcases the great saxophone sounds of Lester Young with the perfect voice of Billie Holiday. This is a perfect blend, as if they were meant to perform together. The songs create a mellow yet heady atmosphere that it's easy to drift into.
(Warning: don't try to play this CD as background music. You'll just stop whatever else you're doing and listen.)
Such wonderful music is difficult to write about because written adjectives don't suffice to convey the beauty of the sounds.
Suffice it to say that if you are a fan of either artist or want a good introduction to them, this CD is a must.
Also features such luminaries as Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Johnny Hodges.