Customer Reviews

Mildred Bailey: 1939

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The run of bluesy, rootsy sides that Mildred Bailey cut with Mary Lou Williams in 1939 are priceless, from her joyously defiant rendition of "There'll Be Some Changes Made" to her very convincing take on the rural southern blues in tunes like "Arkansas Blues" and "Barrelhouse Blues". You hear these, and it's hard to believe that Mildred was a Native American girl from Spokane, Washington! Anyone coming to Mildred for the first time might be put off initially by the small, trilling quality of her voice, but listen closer and you'll hear an astonishing range of emotional shading and an incredible sense of swing. Bailey was really an equal to Billie Holiday, and she actually came earlier in time, so it's really a lowdown dirty shame that few people now even know who she is. (Bailey never lived long enough to get the Norman Granz legend-in-her-own-time career makeover that Ella and Billie got.) A newcomer to the music of Mildred Bailey could well start here and work backwards and forwards in time; anthologies aren't really recommended because her music is highly addictive. You'll want it all.