Well, it’s music on Christmas, and infinitely better than carols. Not much of this kind of jazz is on video, but here’s one masterpiece made in 1957. Billie Holiday singing “Fine and Mellow,” backed by a jazz pantheon: Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young (the second sax to play), her perennial and finest accompanist, Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan, Vic Dickinson (trombone), and Roy Eldredge (trumpet). Two years later, Holiday died from drug abuse, Lester Young from alcohol.
Update: the video won’t play on this page, but you can go directly to the YouTube video by clicking on the “Watch on YouTube” link in the frame.
That is one heck of a band.
Fantastic musical moment. One of my favorites. Billie Holiday was already in my mind today for some reason today and this just clinches it. She’ll be next up on the stereo.
Happy Chupacabramas!
Thanks for mentioning Coleman Hawkins twice, as he should be. Now to go dig out all my tenor sax albums of 30s, 40s, and 50s jazz.
Gee, thanks, Sony Music Entertainment: I can’t see the video embedded in the post. At least, there’s YouTube…
By strange coincidence, I was listening to Lester Young circa 1938 as I navigated here. Classy.
Although I knew the name of Billie Holiday, it was just a few weeks ago that I first heard her music.
When I was in the car on my way back home, they played ‘Strange Fruit’ on the radio. One word: WOW!
We have Satellite Radio and Billie is a regular on 40’s on 04. I grew up to that music and Billie’s scrachy voice was and still is a pleasure to hear. My wife is Colombian and loves the 40’s stuff. Yes, Billie et al were victoms of the “one night stands” and gin mills. Sat radio only has “Spanish Regae” and other trash, pero mi esposa quiere escuche Augustin Lara,Lecuona et al., esp. Billy More a thorn in Castro’s gut. Xmas songs are for the believers in fowl, esp Gene Autry my hero, singing Rodolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. In the words of Hawkeye Pierce “Are we going to stand for this drach?” Let’s go back to the Inquisition ‘off with their unmentionalbles!’