Nowadays, the majority of those with two ears and a heart recognise her magnitude, whatever their usual musical preferences may be. This unanimity undoubtedly stems from the fact that Billie's voice reaches our greatest depths. Nobody has been troubled by her range, or by limited technical means the singer was offered, although she never needed anything other than her voice to shake the entire planet. Perhaps because Billie sang simply of love and love's desillusions, and the listeners are moved even without particularly grasping the textes. However, what we may hear is the result of a double paradow: vocal mastery, the placing of each syllabe, the perfect expression of each word confirms a tremendous virtuosity, the fruit of long experience; the emphasis put on the songs' lyrics, not often despairing all considered, come more from the despair of the interpreter than their actual contents…
A compilation of important recordings by clarinettist Fud Livingston, a neglected jazzman of the 1920s and 1930s who recorded with Bix Beiderbecke, Red Nichols, Ben Pollack, Jimmy Dorsey and other luminaries. Extensive liner notes by Brad Kay tell the tragic but, at the same time, joyful story of Fud's life and music. Includes a previously-unreleased recording by Ben Pollack from 1924.