RIP, Billie Holiday (1915-1949)

Jazz singer Billie Holiday died from pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by cirrhosis of the liver on July 17, 1959, in New York City.  Her funeral mass was held at Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, and she was buried in Saint Raymonds Cemetery in the Bronx.

According to critic John Bush, Holiday was the "first popular jazz singer to move audiences with the intense, personal feeling of classic blues, [and she] changed the art of American pop vocals forever." Len Lyons said that Holiday "could transform the most banal pop ballad into a painfully intense, subtle work of art." In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Lyons recommends the album, The Billie Holiday Story, Vol. 2 (Columbia). Unfortunately, this album is not available in CD or MP3 format.

Instead, Jim Determan recommends several alternatives, including the 10-CD set and the 2-CD set listed below:

• Billie Holiday: Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia, 1933-1944 (Sony, 10 CDs)
• Billie Holiday: Lady Day: The Best of Billie Holiday (Sony, 2 CDs)

Holiday sings "The Man I Love" here:

Robert
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