At Carnegie Hall: The Billie Holiday Story Vol. 6 CD

Interspersed among Billie Holiday's performances in AT CARNEGIE HALL: THE BILLIE HOLIDAY STORY, VOLUME 6 are four sections of her autobiography "Lady Sings The Blues" read by Gilbert Millstein.
Personnel: Billie Holiday (vocals); Gilbert Millstein (spoken vocals); Coleman Hawkins, Al Cohn (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton (trumpet); Tony Scott (clarinet, piano); Carl Drinkard (piano); Kenny Burrell (guitar); Carson Smith (bass); Chico Hamilton (drums).
Producer: Norman Granz.
Reissue producer: Michael Lang.
Recorded live at Carnegie Hall, New York, New York on November 10, 1956. Originally released on Verve (8410). Includes an interview of Gilbert Millstein by Anita Gravine and liner notes by Nat Hentoff and Gilbert Millstein.
Digitally remastered by Steven Fallone (Polygram Studios).
Like a modern day rock star, Holiday's troubles with drugs, the law, and abusive men were almost considered part of what made her art work so well. It's an insulting idea, of course--and one that puts the audience in the position of voyeurs, or worse. The inclusion of Holiday's own tunes like "Don't Explain" and signature pieces like "Ain't Nobody's Business," combined with readings from her recent autobiography during the course of this concert, play to the more maudlin aspects of the singer's life. Holiday is painted as a woman who put up with hard times and abuse for sake of the shreds of love her men would hand her.
Yet her exuberance on the uptempo, swinging material is full of attitude and charm. The life and vitality she brings to those tunes is just as real as her much remarked-upon gloomy side. Ultimately, it's up to the listener to decide what to hear as journalism and what to take as artistic interpretation. Musically, it's all Billie's show, and to hear her cook under less peculiar circumstances, with a band that really lets loose and blows, too, check out ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL, the next volume in this series.JazzTimes (5/96, pp.75-76) - "It is impossible to hear Billie Holiday's 1956 Carnegie Hall concert without absorbing some of her pain. Lady Day's life and the message of her songs--heedless love brings bitter rewards--had become indistinguishable....one of the best performances of her decline."