Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday & Carmen McRae - At Newport (1957)

"Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday at Newport" presents the naturally intriguing results when Verve paired two sets recorded two days apart (over the 4th of July weekend, 1957) by the two best female singers of the 20th century. Unfortunately, circumstances weren't in their favor, as the combined factors of an unsympathetic band (for Fitzgerald) and shaky health (for Holiday) make these sets just a step below the expected level of greatness.

It's unclear how much time Fitzgerald had spent with her trio, though she makes her unhappiness known while trying to jump-start them to a quicker tempo on "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" and "April in Paris." Finally, she gets the band in line, delivering crowd-pleasing renditions of "Lullaby of Birdland" and the terrific scat piece "Air Mail Special," which must have set the park on fire.

Holiday, though she would live for two more years, sounds as though she's on death's doorstep, croaking her standards "Willow Weep for Me," "My Man," "Lady Sings the Blues," and "What a Little Moonlight Can Do." Of course, any Billie Holiday appearance is worth hearing, and she brings her world-weary voice to task on the showpiece "Lady Sings the Blues." Though it's far from a perfect set for both singers, "At Newport" says more about their respective careers than any great show could.

For a special 2000 reissue of "Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday at Newport", Verve added six songs from Carmen McRae's set at Newport. As with Fitzgerald and Holiday, McRae also had problems with her set -- the absence of her usual backing trio forced her to begin her performance with an unfamiliar band. Still, it's an excellent, powerful showcase for McRae's voice on highlights like "I'll Remember April" and "Love Is Here to Stay."


Tracklist:

"This Can't Be Love" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 1:44
"I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) – 4:27
"Body and Soul" (Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 4:28
"Too Close for Comfort" (Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss) – 2:30
"Lullaby of Birdland" (George Shearing, Weiss) – 2:23
"I've Got a Crush on You" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:26
"I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (Fred E. Ahlert, Joe Young) – 2:26
"April in Paris" (Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg) – 4:02
"Air Mail Special" (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy) – 4:34
"I Can't Give You Anything But Love" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 7:00
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:39
"Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) – 3:10
"My Man" (Jacques Charles, Channing Pollack, Albert Willemetz, Maurice Yvain) – 3:32
"Lover, Come Back to Me" (Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 2:07
"Lady Sings the Blues" (Billie Holiday, Herbie Nichols) – 3:02
"What a Little Moonlight Can Do" (Harry M. Woods) – 3:19
"I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 2:44
"Body and Soul" – 3:34
Carmen McRae introduces "Skyliner" – 0:18
"Skyliner" (Charlie Barnet) – 2:13
Carmen McRae Introduces the Band and "Midnight Sun" – 1:03
"Midnight Sun" (Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Mercer) – 4:12
"Our Love is Here to Stay" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 3:14
"Perdido" (Ervin Drake, Hans J. Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol) – 2:47

Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday & Carmen McRae - At Newport (1957)

(320 kbps, cover art included)