Since September 2010, this blog has recorded the journey of this music junkie as I attempt to listen to all the music in my CD collection. CDs revisited in their entirety from start to finish - no skipping tracks, no shuffle. Compact Discs only - no vinyl, no tapes, no files.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Terence Blanchard - The Billie Holiday Songbook (1994)


Great material + great arrangements + great performances = one great album, perfect for late night listening/dancing/nightcap/all of the above with the one you love. If you want to class up your collection, locate this album of standards. Biggest surprise: Dizzy Gillespie's daughter, vocalist Jeanie Bryson, comes strong and holds her own (she's no Holiday, but who is?). Many argue this is Blanchard's best work; I'm going to put it second to The Heart Speaks in a close race. I should listen to this disc more often than I do.

Album chart peaks:
  • US Billboard 200: Did not chart
  • Billboard Jazz: #4

Tracks: My favorites are Nice Work If You Can Get It, Good Morning Heartache, Fine And Mellow, and I Cover The Waterfront. The only misstep is Strange Fruit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Let's Get Lost (2001)
The Heart Speaks (1996)
Music From Mo' Better Blues (1990)


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