Billie Holiday – Fine and Mellow
March 1st, 2010
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Of all the singers I grew up with Billie Holiday was my favorite. She didn’t have the range or dexterity of Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald, but when I heard her on my dad’s recordings it was like she sang for me. It wasn’t the words, because most lyrics didn’t make sense to me, as a boy I was entranced by music. It was the sound and feeling. Her voice resonated through me. I wished she was my aunt, or someone in my family that would occasionally come over for Sunday dinner. Then, after she might sing a song or two. Maybe I’d play guitar.
This video has a lot of great players on it playing a 12-bar blues in Eb.