Three Divas: Round Midnight

Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Jazz 'Round Midnight (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 1995)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 1995
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000470A
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,707 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Flower Is a Lovesome Thing

2. Easy to Love

3. Embraceable You

4. Midnight Sun

5. Misty

6. I Get a Kick Out of You

See all 16 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. These Foolish Things

2. What's New?

3. Darn That Dream

4. Come Rain or Come Shine

5. Ill Wind

6. He's Funny That Way

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. You Don't Know What Love Is

2. Since I Fell for You

3. Willow Weep for Me

4. Don't Go to Strangers

5. If It's the Last Thing I Do

6. Ask a Woman Who Knows

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May Midnight Never End...., May 6, 2001

By 

Peter (East of Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Three Divas: Round Midnight (Audio CD)

This is a great collection of 3 CD's that can also be purchased separately. What other great way to wind down a long day and relax by listening to these three great ladies of jazz----Billie, Ella and Dinah. It's wonderful to see Dinah included here with Holiday and Fitzgerald; jazz fans bemoan the fact Washington often gets the short shrift dominated by the legacy of Ella, Billie and Sarah.

The music is so wonderful and exhilarating to listen to, each of the three ladies gives a slightly different approach to their definition of "Midnight". Ella's set is culled mostly from her "Songbook" albums of the '50s and '60s, expertly sung and well enunciated, qualities usually associated with Ella. Normally, I would say Ella's singing is great, but only alongside Billie's and Dinah's CDs does she pale somewhat by comparison. Because this is a ballad collection, Fitzgerald's strongest trait of swing is not put into use here so she doesn't have that advantage. I have a hard time deciding whether Billie or Dinah's CD takes the cake....it'll probably take forever to make up your mind, that's how close it is between them.

Billie's CD is dominated by tender, fragile interpretations of standard after standard accompanied by a first class jazz backup. They play sympathetically beside Lady Day, giving her ample room to improvise and find her rhythm to these somber songs. I wouldn't exactly recommend listening to Billie after the breakup with a boyfriend/girlfriend, you're liable to spiral into a depression, that's how hard her singing hits you in the gut, it really reaches down into your soul and stays there for days. Billie really sinks her teeth into each song, extracting every drop of pain, heartbreak and pathos for its worth.

Dinah's CD probably shows the most versatility. She's full of vigor and soul, whether singing with an orchestra, piano or a simple trio---she simply shines. Her biting, edgy phrasing always adding spice and clarity to her interpretations, she's a maestro with the way she shapes words. The ringing of her saucy singing still sticks out in your head well after the song has ended. She simply grabs your attention whether you like it or not. It's hard to declare the clear victor in this trio of "Jazz Round Midnight" CDs. Normally, I would say Dinah but there's something about Billie's fragile voice that never lets go.