The musicians: Billie’s companions and friends

This section is devoted to the musicians who accompanied Billie throughout her career. It’s a personal selection that include her closest friends, those who participated in more recording sessions, and some of the most respected musicians of the time. I’m sure that they all shared her passion for music. As you can hear in the recordings or see in the few videos available, Bille has always shown great respect for their talent, allowing time for their solos were they could exhibit their extraordinary talent.

The stars try to represent the artistic evaluation found in the common jazz literature. ‘Tk’ column shows the number of tracks they took part.

Roy Eldridge was a long time partner to Billie, having recorded 44 tracks in 22 years.

Selected tracks:

MT 5 Miss Brown To You (1935)

MT 108 What Shall I Say? (1939)

MT 136 Time On My Hands (1940)

LR 162 Lady Sings The Blues (1956)

Sweets Edison recorded most of his tracks with Billie in the later years, including her last studio session. An exception was a sole session where he shared the trumpets with Buck Clayton (see) still in the Vocalion years. He was at the time with Count Basie Orchestra (see), where Lester Young (see) that nicknamed him “Sweets”.

Selected tracks:

MT 126 The Man I Love (1939) together with Buck Clayton

MT 243 Love Me Or Leave Me (1954)

MT 281 Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (1956)

MT 330 Baby Won’t You Please Come Home (1959)

Charlie Shavers recorded most of the tracks in the 50s, and only exceptionally in live sessions.

Selected Tracks:

MT 106 That’s All I Ask Of You (1939)

MT 219 East Of The Sun (1952)

MT 230 Tenderly (1952)

MT 252 I Wished On The Moon (1955)

Buck Clayton followed Billie along her career, with few intervals. From 1955 on, only in live sessions. He was a close friend to Billie and she always referred to Buck as one of the most handsome men she knew, although, it seems, they never had an affair.

Selected Tracks

MT 43 Why Was I Born (1937)

LR 2 They Can’t Take That From Me (1937)

MT 93 I Can´t Get Started (1938) in a duet with Lester

LR 203 When Your Lover Has Gone (1958)

Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges (see below) were considered the best sax players by the time they were playing with Billie in the early 30s. By the end of his long career he was composing scores for the movies and for television series.

Selected tracks:

MT 141 St. Louis Blues (1940) listen to the clarinet solo in the bridge

MT 268 A Fine Romance (1955) listen to the obbligati

MT 272 Isn’t It A Lovely Day (1955)

Johnny spent almost 40 years of his glorious career playing with Duke Ellington.

Selected tracks

MT 14 These ‘n’ That ‘n’ Those (1935)

MT 19 These Foolish Things (1935)

Lester is generally considered to be one of the greatest masters in saxophone. He worked with Count Basie from 1936 to 1940. Im 1934 he came to New York and lived some time by Sadie, Billie’s mother. At the time, all the musicians got a nickname, like for instance Duke (Ellington) and Count (Basie). Billie, celebrating their friendship, would soon call him Pres (from president) and he, in turn , would call her Lady Day. They were great friends for life and he passed away a couple of weeks before her. Sixty-seven tracks with Billie is a record.

Selected tracks

MT 44 I Must Have That Man (1937) an historical session, where a wonderful team of musicians were gathered together.

MT 92 I The Very Thought Of You (1938) an opportunity to hear Lester playing clarinet.

MT 126 The Man I Love (1939)

MT 147 All Of Me (1941) this track is generally considered an alternate take because it was too long for a 78rpm and then not selected as the master take at the time. However, due to this particularity, I chose it as an master take – an opportunity to hear two Lester solos.

LR 192 Fine And Mellow (1957) once again, this fine tune is selected in this work. This time, to commemorate Lester solos. This was actually a rehearsal for the TV presentation that took place a couple of days later – his last track with Billie.

Ben Webster was close to Billie from the very beginning. He was considered the first tenor soloist of Duke Ellington Orchestra in early fourties.In 1964 he moved to Europe.

Selected tracks

MT 281 Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (1956)

MT 285 We’ll Be Together Again (1956)

MT 289 I Wished On The Moon (1956)

LR 192 Fine And Mellow (1957)

MT 294 Comes Love (1957)

MT 299 Stars Fell On Alabama (1957)

Paul Quinichette was known as “vice-prez” due to his style, similar to Lester Young, who he replaced in the Count Basie band.

Selected Tracks

MT 235 Lover Come Back To Me (1952)

MT 279 Good Morning Heartache (1956)

Getz was undoubtely one of the greatest tenor saxophone players of all time. Unfortunately, this genious had just a sole session with Billie, live. What a pitty.

Selected Track

LR 74 Lover Come Back To Me (1951)

Mulligan was one of the world’s most famous sax players. Unfortunately, he took part in only two sessions with Billie, but one of them was memorable, a special live TV presentation with many other stars. The session was also videotaped (see discography).

Selected track:

LR 193 Fine And Mellow (1957)

Harry Carney was an essential element in Duke Ellington Orchestra. He first recorded with Billie in a very early stage, in 1935, when they appear in the film “Symphony in Black”, shot in Paramount Studios, Long Island. The last was in LA at the Esquire Magazine’s Second Annual Jazz Concert. Other two studio sessions were with Teddy Wilson band.

Selected track:

MT 19 These Foolish Things (1936)

Benny Goodman was the son of a Jewish immigrant from Hungary. He deserves an special place in this hall of fame. He formed his own band in 1932 and, in the next year, it was with his band that Billie performed her first two recording sessions (see selected tracks). He also joined Teddy Wilson Band as a clarinet player for other 10 tracks in early thirties.

Selected tracks

MT 1 Your Mother´s Son-in-law (1933) this was Billie’s first recording session. The record was issued under the Columbia label, having in the other side a Goodman’s instrumental track, Tappin’ The Barrel (see discography)

MT 3 I Wished On The Moon (1935) an historical session, the first one with Teedy Wilson under Brunswick label. This seven-men band has several componentes mentioned in this work: Eldridge, Webster, Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole, besides Goodman.

MT 43 Why Was I Born (1937) Goodman plays with the great rhythm section: Walter Page, Freddie Green and Jo Jones.

MT 44 I Must Have That Man (1937) with a memorable solo shared with Buck and Lester Young.

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Shaw did a sole session with Billie, in the beginning of her career. This was the first session under the Vocalion label and four tracks have been recorded. He loved Billie, though, and in 1938 he was the first white bandleader to hire a black vocalist. However, the audiences and the record executives rejected such arrangement and that was probably the reason why only one track has been recorded.

Selected tracks

MT 25 Billie’s Blues (1936) an all-white band, except Cozy Cole, was the only Shaw’s collaboration with Billie. A curiosity about this song was that Billie wrote it on the spot, as nobody liked the song previously chosen as the fourth track

MT 91 Any Old Time (1938) as mentioned above, this was her only recording with Shaw’s band.

Scott played with Billie in her late years, and the two sessions where he conducted his own Orchestra are specially memorable. He was also a composer, but unfortunately we only have fragments of one of his tunes in a rehearsal session (where he actually played piano).

Selected tracks

MT 250 Say It Isn’t So (1955) where we can hear his obbligatos in the first part

MT 255 Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me (1955) a delicious recording where we can hear Tony in the bridge

 

Benny Morton worked in his early times with Clarence Holiday, Billie’s father.

Selected Tracks

MT 76 When You’re Smiling (1938)

MT 141 St Louis Blues (1940)

Teddy Wilson made history by playing in 95 tracks in her classical period, that some people consider her best. He was married for some time to Irene Wilson, a close friend from Billie.

Selected tracks

MT 5 Miss Brown To You (1935) one of the songs of his first session with Billie; in 1935, they recorded 14 songs together!

MT 19 These Foolish Things (1936)

MT 51 Moanin’ Low (1937)

MT 58 I’ll Get By (1938)

Jimmy Rowles met Billie in 1942, when they first recorded together. They got close for life, one of her few white friends. Most of their collaboration took place in late fifties, and all tracks have been recorded in Los Angeles.

Selected Tracks:

LR 59 Maybe You’ll Be There (1949) this song, with a classical jazz trio, was part of a broadcast presentation. Billie rendering is unforgettable.

MT 268 A Fine Romance (1955)

MT 270 I Get A Kick Out Of You (1955)

MT 284 Speak Low (1956)

MT 293 Just One Of Those Things (1957)

Count Basie is one of the greatest musicians in jazz history, leading his famous Count Basie Orchestra from 1934 and based in New York from 1936 on. Billie participated in very few recordings with Basie, all of them in four live sessions. The most curious as partners in a short film in Hollywood (see live recordings).

Selected tracks

LR 2 They Can’t Take That Away From Me (1937)

LR 144 Stormy Weather (1955) where he plays organ

Another jazz icon, Peterson is one of the few contemporaries of Billie still alive. They had precious moments together, later in her career.

Selected tracks

MT 219 East Of The Sun (1952)

MT 222 You Turned The Tables On Me (1952)

MT 228 Love For Sale (1952)

MT 235 Lover Come Back To Me (1952)

Always with his band, Eddie recorded 23 tracks with Billie, in 5 studio sessions.

Selected Tracks:

MT 146 All Of Me (1941) in his first session with Billie.

MT 170 Lover Come Back To Me (1944) with a classic jazz trio.

Kessel was the most frequent guitar man in Billie recordings, although he has played only in the fifties.

Selected tracks

MT 223 Easy To Love (1952)

MT 266 I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (1955)

MT 282 Cheek To Cheek (1956)

Freddie Green worked with Count Basie for 45 years; he was one of Billie’s many lovers – for a short time – that Billie said was one of the three men she loved; a member of the greatest rhythm section, together with Walter Page on bass and Jo Jones on drums.

Selected tracks

MT 80 On The Sentimental Side (1938) listen to his solos

MT 238 He’s Funny That Way (1952)

Milt was raised in Chicago where, in 1936 he joined the Cab Calloway band, where he worked with some of his colleagues in these first recordings with Billie, like Ben Webester and Chu Berry.

Selected tracks

MT 32 Easy To Love (1936)

MT 152 What Shall I Say (1939)

LR 193 Fine And Mellow (1957) apres. Na TV

LR 720 Lover Man (1958) Wallingford, Connecticut

MT 316 You’ve Changed (1958) this song is in the album “Lady In Satin” that Milt referred as a “commercial album”.

Ray Brown showed up in Billie recordings at a late stage. Nevertheless, he recorded 23 studio tracks with her. He was married to Ella Fitzgerald from 1947 to 1952, same period he joined Dizzy Gillespie band.

Selected tracks

MT 224 These Foolish Things (1952)

MT 240 How Deep is the Ocean (1954)

Walter Page was in that period a member of the Count Basie’s band, where he formed the amazing rhythm section with the Freddie Green’s guitar (see) and Jo Jones’ drums (see). Almost all the 48 tracks he recorded with Billie were studio takes.

Selected tracks

MT 44 I Must Have That Man (1937) a good opportunity to hear that famous rhythm section.

MT 73 My Man (1937)

Jo Jones took part in Count Basie band where he formed one of the most famous rhythm section in jazz, together with Walter Page and Freddie Green (see).

Selected tracks

MT 76 When You’re Smiling (1938)

LR 182 My Man (1957) Newport Jazz Festival

LR 192 Fine And Mellow (1957) rehearsal for TV presentation

Cole was one of the most constant musicians in Billie’s sessions: altogether, 72 tracks along her career, most of them between 1935 and 1939. All of them studio recordings!

Selected tracks

MT 18 It’s Like Reaching For The Moon (1936)

MT 89 I Wish I Had You ( 1938)

Kenny Clarke was a member of the famous Modern Jazz Quartet.

Selected tracks

MT 139 It’s The Same Old Story (1940)

MT 147 All Of Me (1941)

JC started in 1939 with Teddy Wilson. Most of JC recordings with Billie were in his band.

Selected tracks

MT 133 I’m Pulling Through (1940)

LR 32 All Of Me (1946) at JATP in Carnegie Hall

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