BILLIE HOLIDAY: BODY AND SOUL (MONO)

Performer: Billie Holiday, vocals; Ben Webster, tenor saxophone; Harry "Sweets" Edison, trumpet; and others
Composer: Billie Holiday
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Analogue Productions
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2024

Mono recording

A new outstanding release from the Verve / Universal Music Enterprises reissue series curated by Acoustic Sounds

At least one new reissue each month featuring some of the most iconic albums in jazz history

Remastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog master tapes

Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings

Old-style tip-on gatefold jacket produced by Stoughton Printing

Series supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds

If anyone ever had the right to sing these songs, it was surely Billie Holiday. Who else had felt so deeply the physical and emotional toll of suffering?

Whether she was an innocent victim or a partly complicit participant in her own tragedies, Billie Holiday managed to convey raw and vivid emotion in every note she sang. Near the end of her intense career—ravaged by alcohol, drugs, and a string of unhappy relationships—Holiday recorded eight deeply moving tracks at Verve’s studios. The session, held in January 1957, featured a mix of beloved musical theatre numbers and timeless swing-era standards.

Some believe Holiday was inspired by the exceptional caliber of the musicians backing her, others credit the relaxed atmosphere of the West Coast, while others still think she sensed this might be her last chance to showcase her immense talent. It's hard to say which is true—and maybe it doesn’t matter. What is certain is that Body and Soul stands as a heartbreaking testament to a wounded soul and a worn-out body—the lasting image we have today of this extraordinary artist.

Billie Holiday, vocals; Ben Webster, tenor saxophone; Harry "Sweets" Edison, trumpet; Barney Kessel, guitar; Red Mitchell, bass

Body and Soul
They Can’t Take That Away From Me
Darn That Dream
Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off
Comes Love
Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You
Embraceable You
Moonlight in Vermont