Songs for Distingue Lovers Review
Down Beat's West Coast editor John Tynan gave this a four star review, remarking that it is, '...loose, utterly relaxed, a top flight solo work.' The great Lady Day is backed by Harry Edison's trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Jimmy Rowles on Piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass and Alvin Stoller on drums. Read more...
Songs for Distingue Lovers Specifications
This 1957 recording is a performance of heightened expression, with Billie Holiday able to shift the mood and meaning of these very familiar songs with the slightest inflection of pitch and time, her phrasing the equal of any great jazz instrumentalist. Her slight alterations to the melody of "Stars Fell on Alabama" suggest more complex texts of song swimming just below the lyric. The tunes feature solos by Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, and Barney Kessel. Throughout are highlights of shared creativity, while "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a masterpiece of late swing. --Stuart Broomer
