Billie Holiday With Teddy Wilson And His Orchestra Review

07/13/2005 5:26 AM, AMG


While this Classics disc of Billie Holiday's 1937-1939 sides beats out Columbia's Quintessential titles for sound quality, it does pale a bit as far as top-notch material goes. That said, the 24 tracks here still boast fine performances, like "Trav'lin' All Alone," "You Go to My Head," and "I Can't Get Started." And the likes of Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Buck Clayton, and Dicky Wells provide stellar backing. So, with the knowledge that this is part of a chronological run through Holiday's catalog -- bad songs and all -- one can still enjoy the disc with its more than merely adequate store of memorable cuts. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide