Lady in Satin
Encyclopedia
Lady in Satin is an album
by jazz singer
Billie Holiday
released in 1958
on Columbia Records
, catalogue CL 1157 in mono
and CS 8048 in stereo
. It is the next to final album completed by the singer and released in her lifetime (her final album, Billie Holiday, being recorded in March 1959 and released just after her death). The original album was produced
by Irving Townsend
, and engineered
by Fred Plaut
.
of classic pop. Unlike the bulk of Holiday's recordings, rather than in the setting of a jazz combo
Holiday returns to the backdrop of full orchestral arrangements
as done during her Decca
years, this time in the contemporary vein of Frank Sinatra
or Ella Fitzgerald
on her Songbooks series. The album consists of songs Holiday had never recorded before.
The arrangements were by bandleader Ray Ellis
, Holiday familiar with his Ellis in Wonderland album. Soloists on the album included Mel Davis
, Urbie Green
, and bebop
trombone
pioneer J.J. Johnson
. The song "The End of a Love Affair" did not appear on the stereo release, CS 8048, the final track of side two being "I'll Be Around
."
gave the album a three-star rating of a possible four stars, but expressed a basic reservation about the album, describing it as "a voyeuristic look at a beaten woman." Trumpeter Buck Clayton
preferred the work of the later Holiday to that of the younger woman that he had often worked with in the 1930s
. Ray Ellis said of the album in 1997:
Lady in Satin was reissued by Legacy Records on September 23, 1997, remaster
ing using 20-bit technology with four bonus tracks. Reissue producer Phil Schaap
located the unused master tape for the stereo version of "The End of A Love Affair," and included a stereo mix
of the "I'm a Fool to Want You" take
which had been used on the mono LP. Lady in Satin was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by jazz singer
Vocal jazz
Jazz singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through scat singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of...
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
released in 1958
1958 in music
-Events:*February - 45,000 peoplein one week watch performances of "rokabirī" music by Japanese singers at the first Nichigeki Western Carnival....
on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, catalogue CL 1157 in mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
and CS 8048 in stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
. It is the next to final album completed by the singer and released in her lifetime (her final album, Billie Holiday, being recorded in March 1959 and released just after her death). The original album was produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Irving Townsend
Irving Townsend
Irving Townsend was an American record producer and author. He is most famous for having produced, in March 1959, the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue, which at #12, is the highest-ranked jazz album on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and according to the RIAA, is the best-selling...
, and engineered
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
by Fred Plaut
Fred Plaut
Frederick "Fred" Plaut was a recording engineer and amateur photographer. He was employed by Columbia Records during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, eventually becoming the label's chief engineer...
.
Content
The song material for Lady in Satin derived from the usual sources for Holiday in her three decade career, that of the Great American SongbookGreat American Songbook
The Great American Songbook is a hypothetical construct that seeks to represent the best American songs of the 20th century principally from Broadway theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musicals, from the 1920s to 1960, including dozens of songs of enduring popularity...
of classic pop. Unlike the bulk of Holiday's recordings, rather than in the setting of a jazz combo
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
Holiday returns to the backdrop of full orchestral arrangements
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
as done during her Decca
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
years, this time in the contemporary vein of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
or Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
on her Songbooks series. The album consists of songs Holiday had never recorded before.
The arrangements were by bandleader Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis
Ray Ellis was an American record producer, arranger and conductor. The orchestration for Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin is probably his best known work in the jazz vein.-Biography:...
, Holiday familiar with his Ellis in Wonderland album. Soloists on the album included Mel Davis
Mel Davis (musician)
Mel Davis was a multi-talented musician and arranger, best known for his trumpet playing. As well trumpet, he played piano, violin, drums, tuba, bass, accordion and ocarina. He was also known as a vocalist. He was born in Philadelphia in 1955 and died in Florida on Dec...
, Urbie Green
Urbie Green
Urban Clifford "Urbie" Green is an American jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle....
, and bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
pioneer J.J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....
. The song "The End of a Love Affair" did not appear on the stereo release, CS 8048, the final track of side two being "I'll Be Around
I'll Be Around (1942 song)
I'll Be Around" is a popular song written by Alec Wilder and published in 1942. The song has become a well-known standard, recorded by many artists....
."
Reception
Reaction to the album has been mixed. Holiday's voice had lost much of its upper range in her 40s, although she still retained her rhythmic phrasing. The Penguin Guide to JazzThe Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...
gave the album a three-star rating of a possible four stars, but expressed a basic reservation about the album, describing it as "a voyeuristic look at a beaten woman." Trumpeter Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton
Buck Clayton was an American jazz trumpet player who was a leading member of Count Basie’s "Old Testament" orchestra and a leader of mainstream-oriented jam session recordings in the 1950s. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong...
preferred the work of the later Holiday to that of the younger woman that he had often worked with in the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
. Ray Ellis said of the album in 1997:
I would say that the most emotional moment was her listening to the playback of "I'm a Fool to Want You". There were tears in her eyes...After we finished the album I went into the control room and listened to all the takes. I must admit I was unhappy with her performance, but I was just listening musically instead of emotionally. It wasn't until I heard the final mix a few weeks later that I realized how great her performance really was.
Lady in Satin was reissued by Legacy Records on September 23, 1997, remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ing using 20-bit technology with four bonus tracks. Reissue producer Phil Schaap
Phil Schaap
Phil Schaap is an American jazz disc jockey, historian, archivist and producer. He hosts a daily morning radio program on 89.9 FM New York, WKCR, the radio station of Columbia University, his alma mater, in New York City. The show, called Bird Flight, is broadcast from 8:20 am–9:30 am on weekdays...
located the unused master tape for the stereo version of "The End of A Love Affair," and included a stereo mix
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
of the "I'm a Fool to Want You" take
Take
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.-Film:In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup"...
which had been used on the mono LP. Lady in Satin was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2000.
Known personnel
- Billie HolidayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, vocal - Ray EllisRay EllisRay Ellis was an American record producer, arranger and conductor. The orchestration for Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin is probably his best known work in the jazz vein.-Biography:...
, arranger and conductor - George Ockner, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
and concertmasterConcertmasterThe concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader... - David SoyerDavid SoyerDavid Soyer was an American cellist.He was born in Philadelphia and began playing the piano at the age of nine. At 11, he started the cello. One of his first teachers was Diran Alexanian. Later on he studied with Emanuel Feuermann and Pablo Casals...
, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Janet Putnam, harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
- Danny BankDanny BankDaniel Bernard "Danny" Bank was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and flautist. He is credited on some releases as Danny Banks....
, fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... - Phil Bodner, flute
- Romeo Penque, flute
- Mel DavisMel Davis (musician)Mel Davis was a multi-talented musician and arranger, best known for his trumpet playing. As well trumpet, he played piano, violin, drums, tuba, bass, accordion and ocarina. He was also known as a vocalist. He was born in Philadelphia in 1955 and died in Florida on Dec...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - J.J. JohnsonJ.J. JohnsonJ. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....
, tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Urbie GreenUrbie GreenUrban Clifford "Urbie" Green is an American jazz trombonist who toured with Woody Herman, Gene Krupa, Jan Savitt, and Frankie Carle....
, trombone - Tom MitchellTom MitchellThomas James Mitchell is an Irish republican. He was active in the IRA and took part in a raid on Omagh barracks in 1954, being captured and imprisoned...
, trombone - Mal WaldronMal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Barry GalbraithBarry GalbraithJoseph Barry Galbraith was an American jazz guitarist.Galbraith moved to New York City from Vermont early in the 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal McIntyre, and Teddy Powell...
, guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker... - Milt HintonMilt HintonMilton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
, bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Osie JohnsonOsie JohnsonJames "Osie" Johnson was a jazz drummer.He first worked with Sabby Lewis and then, after service in the United States Navy freelanced for a time in Chicago...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Elise Bretton, backing vocals
- Miriam Workman, backing vocals
Side one
- "I'm a Fool to Want You" (Joel Herron, Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Jack Wolf) – 3:23 - "For Heaven's Sake" (Elise Bretton, Sherman EdwardsSherman EdwardsSherman Edwards was an American songwriter.-Biography:Edwards was born in New York City and was raised in Weequahic, New Jersey, where he attended Weequahic High School. He attended Columbia University, where he majored in history. Throughout college, Edwards moonlighted, playing jazz piano for...
, Donald Meyer) – 3:26 - "You Don't Know What Love IsYou Don't Know What Love Is"You Don't Know What Love Is," a popular song of the Great American Songbook, has one the craziest histories of any song. It was written by Don Raye and Gene de Paul for the Abbott and Costello 1941 Universal picture Keep 'Em Flying, in which it was sung by Carol Bruce...
" (Gene DePaul, Don RayeDon RayeDon Raye , born Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr., in Washington, D.C., was an American vaudevillian and songwriter, best known for his songs for the Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", "The House of Blue Lights", "Just For A Thrill" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy."While known for...
) – 3:48 - "I Get Along Without You Very Well" (Hoagy CarmichaelHoagy CarmichaelHoward Hoagland "Hoagy" Carmichael was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. He is best known for writing "Stardust", "Georgia On My Mind", "The Nearness of You", and "Heart and Soul", four of the most-recorded American songs of all time.Alec Wilder, in his study of the...
) – 2:59 - "For All We KnowFor All We Know (1934 song)"For All We Know" is a popular song published in 1934. The music was written by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Sam M. Lewis.The first charting versions in 1934 were by Hal Kemp and Isham Jones . A version by Dinah Washington reached #88 on the chart in 1962...
" (J. Fred CootsJ. Fred CootsJohn Frederick Coots was an American songwriter. He wrote over 700 songs.He is most famous for the song "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", a song that became one of the biggest best sellers in American music history....
, Sam M. LewisSam M. LewisSam M. Lewis was a Jewish-American singer and lyricist, born in New York City, New York as Samuel Levine-Biography:...
) – 2:53 - "Violets for Your FursViolets for Your FursViolets for Your Furs is a 1941 song written by Tom Adair and Matt Dennis.The song describes the wearing of Violets with Furs on an evening in Manhattan.-Selected recordings:* Frank Sinatra — Swing Easy! * John Coltrane — Coltrane...
" (Tom AdairTom AdairThomas "Tom" Montgomery Adair was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter.-Biography:Born in Newton, Kansas, worked at a power company and the Saturday Evening Post, writing numerous poems, while penning the songs in his spare time. In 1941, Adair met Matt Dennis in a club and the duo...
, Matt DennisMatt DennisMatt Dennis was a singer, pianist, bandleader, arranger, and writer of music for popular music songs.He was born in Seattle, Washington. His mother was a violinist and his father a singer, and the family was in vaudeville, so he was early exposed to music. In 1933 he joined Horace Heidt's...
) – 3:24
Side two
- "You've ChangedYou've Changed"You've Changed" is a popular song originally written by Bill Carey and Carl Fischer in 1941. It has been covered by many singers, including:*Harry James's band with vocals by Dick Haymes *Nat King Cole *Connie Russell...
" (Bill Carey, Carl T. FischerCarl T. FischerCarl T. Fischer was a Native American jazz pianist and composer. He worked with Frankie Lane, and composed Laine's 1945 hit song, "We'll Be Together Again"....
) – 3:17 - "It's Easy to Remember" (Lorenz HartLorenz HartLorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
, Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
) – 4:01 - "But BeautifulBut Beautiful (song)"But Beautiful" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen, the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was published in 1947.One of five songs written by Burke and Van Heusen featured in the Paramount Pictures movie Road to Rio , it was introduced by Bing Crosby and is also associated with...
" (w. Johnny BurkeJohnny Burke (lyricist)Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
, m. Jimmy Van Heusen) – 4:29 - "Glad to Be UnhappyGlad to Be Unhappy"Glad to Be Unhappy" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was introduced in their 1936 musical On Your Toes by Doris Carson and David Morris, although it was not popular at the time, as there was only one 1936 recording of the tune. In the 1937 London...
" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 4:07 - "I'll Be AroundI'll Be Around (1942 song)I'll Be Around" is a popular song written by Alec Wilder and published in 1942. The song has become a well-known standard, recorded by many artists....
" (Alec WilderAlec WilderAlec Wilder was an American composer.-Biography:...
) – 3:23 - "The End of a Love Affair" (Edward Redding) – 4:46 [mono CL 1157 only]
Bonus tracks 1997 reissue
- "I'm a Fool to Want You" [take 3 stereo] – 3:24
- "I'm a Fool to Want You" [take 2] – 3:23
- "The End of a Love Affair" The Audio Story – 9:49
- "The End of a Love Affair" [stereo] – 4:46