The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters is a 3CD box set of recordings by Billie Holiday, released by Hip-O Records in 2009, compiling all the master takes released as 78 rpm singles by Commodore and Decca Records. It includes an essay by Ashley Kahn.The Complete Commodore & Decca Masters, Discogs.com, accessed March 22, 2016
Background In 1939, Columbia Records refused to let Billie Holiday record the anti-lynching protest song "Strange Fruit". Milt Gabler invited her to record it for his small specialty label Commodore Records, and Columbia granted her a one-time exemption from her contract to do so, in which she recorded four songs (material for two 78 rpm records). "Strange Fruit", backed with "Fine and Mellow", turned out to be the biggest selling record of her career. Although she continued to record for Columbia, in 1944, following the 1942–44 musicians' strike, Holiday permanently left Columbia for Commodore. Small labels like Commodore had been quicker to settle with the musician's union than large labels like Columbia, thus Holiday was able to return to recording quicker by switching to the smaller label. The Commodore tracks were more dominated by torch songs and dramatic ballads than her swing oriented Columbia material had been, although her later Columbia sides (e.g. "God Bless the Child") show she had already been evolving in this direction.
Later the same year, Holiday then followed Gabler to Decca Records, to record "Lover Man". Decca had allowed Gabler to keep his own label, while also being employed by them, so long as he directed all potential hits to Decca. Both Holiday and Gabler suspected "Lover Man" had the potential to be a hit, thus it became her first Decca single, and indeed another of her biggest hits. "Lover Man" was notable for featuring a string section, and all her Decca tracks typically featured string arrangements and even choral backing, rather than jazz combos. This was Holiday's choice, as strings were often used in the white pop records of the day, and when she recorded "Lover Man" she wanted the same sound offered to artists like Bing Crosby, and specifically her friend Frank Sinatra. During this same period, Holiday began performing in concert halls rather than nightclubs, and her live performances became more theatrical than jazz, with many of these dramatic songs becoming centrepieces of her set. Holiday continued to record for Decca throughout the 1940s, before again switching to Norman Granz's Clef label (later Verve) in the next decade.
The orchestras Holiday recorded with while at Commodore and Decca were variously led by Toots Camarata, Bob Haggart, Bill Stegmeyer, John Simmons, Buster Harding, Sy Oliver, and Gordon Jenkins.
"Big Stuff" was a Leonard Bernstein single, with Billie doing a new vocal to a song Bernstein had written as the prologue to his 1944 ballet Fancy Free. The B-side was another Bernstein song from the ballet, without Holiday – "Fancy Free (Galop Variation and Finale)" performed by the Ballet Theatre Orchestra Under Direction of Leonard Bernstein.
"You Can't Lose a Broken Heart" and "My Sweet Hunk o' Trash" were collaborations with Louis Armstrong.
"Guilty" was the only track not originally released as a 78 rpm record, first appearing on the much later compilation LP The Blues Are Brewin' (Decca – DL 8701) in 1958.The Blues Are Brewin', Discogs.com, accessed March 22, 2016
Track listing
Disc one: The Commodore Recordings Track Title Writer(s) Date recorded Catalog number Release date Length 1. "Strange Fruit" Abel Meeropol April 20, 1939 Commodore 526-a 1939 3:12 2. "Yesterdays" Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach April 20, 1939 Commodore 527-a 1939 3:24 3. "Fine and Mellow" Billie Holiday April 20, 1939 Commodore 526-b 1939 3:16 4. "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler April 20, 1939 Commodore 527-b 1939 2:49 5. "How Am I to Know" Jack King, Dorothy Parker March 25, 1944 Commodore 569-b 1944 2:43 6. "My Old Flame" Sam Coslow, Arthur Johnston March 25, 1944 Commodore 585-b 1944 3:01 7. "I'll Get By" Fred E. Ahlert and Roy Turk March 25, 1944 Commodore 553-b 1944 2:58 8. "I Cover the Waterfront" Johnny Green, Edward Heyman March 25, 1944 Commodore 559-a 1944 3:29 9. "I'll Be Seeing You" Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal April 1, 1944 Commodore 553-a 1944 3:30 10. "I'm Yours" Johnny Green and Yip Harburg April 1, 1944 Commodore 585-a 1944 3:16 11. "Embraceable You" George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin April 1, 1944 Commodore 7520-a 1944 3:15 12. "As Time Goes By" Herman Hupfeld April 1, 1944 Commodore 7520-b 1944 3:10 13. "He's Funny That Way" Richard Whiting, Neil Moret April 8, 1944 Commodore 569-a 1944 3:15 14. "Lover Come Back To Me" Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II April 8, 1944 Commodore 559-b 1944 3:19 15. "I Love My Man (Billie's Blues)" Billie Holiday April 8, 1944 Commodore 7519-a 1944 3:07 16. "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields April 8, 1944 Commodore 7519-b 1944 3:01 Disc two: The Decca Recordings Track Title Writer(s) Date recorded Catalog number Release date Length 1. "Lover Man" Jimmy Davis, Roger ("Ram") Ramirez, and James Sherman October 4, 1944 Decca – 23391a 1945 3:15 2. "No More" Toots Camarata and Bob Russell October 4, 1944 Decca – 23483a 1946 2:45 3. "That Ole Devil Called Love" Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher November 8, 1944 Decca – 23391b 1945 2:52 4. "Don't Explain" Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. August 14, 1945 Decca – 23565a 1946 3:20 5. "You Better Go Now" Bickley Reichner and Robert Graham August 14, 1945 Decca – 23483b 1946 2:29 6. "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Cole Porter August 14, 1945 Decca – 23565b 1946 3:09 7. "Good Morning Heartache" Irene Higginbotham, Ervin Drake, and Dan Fisher January 22, 1946 Decca – 23673a 1946 3:05 8. "No Good Man" Irene Higginbotham, Dan Fisher, Sammy Gallop January 22, 1946 Decca – 23673b 1946 3:04 9. "Big Stuff" Leonard Bernstein March 13, 1946 Decca – 23463a 1946 2:29 10. "Baby, I Don't Cry Over You" Morton Krouse April 9, 1946 Decca – 23957a 1946 3:09 11. "I'll Look Around" George Cory and Douglass Cross April 9, 1946 Decca – 23957b 1946 3:12 12. "The Blues Are Brewin'" Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter December 27, 1946 Decca – 48259a 1951 3:02 13. "Guilty" Richard Whiting, Harry Akst, and Gus Kahn December 27, 1946 (unreleased on 78?) 1958 3:11 14. "Deep Song" George Cory and Douglass Cross February 13, 1947 Decca – 24138a 1947 3:10 15. "There Is No Greater Love" Isham Jones, Marty Symes February 13, 1947 Decca – 23853a 1947 2:56 16. "Easy Living" Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin February 13, 1947 Decca – 24138b 1947 3:10 17. "Solitude" Duke Ellington, Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills February 13, 1947 Decca – 23853b 1947 3:07 18. "Weep No More" Gordon Jenkins and Tom Adair December 10, 1948 Decca – 24551a 1949 3:19 19. "Girls Were Made to Take Care of Boys" Ralph Blane December 10, 1948 Decca – 24551b 1949 3:11
Disc three: The Decca Recordings Continued Track Title Writer(s) Date recorded Catalog number Release date Length 1. "Porgy (I Love You)" George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin December 10, 1948 Decca – 24638a 1949 2:54 2. "My Man" Jacques Charles, Channing Pollock, Albert Willemetz, and Maurice Yvain December 10, 1948 Decca – 24638b 1949 2:55 3. "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do" Porter Grainger and Everett Robbins August 17, 1949 Decca – 24726a 1949 3:19 4. "Baby Get Lost" Leonard Feather and Billy Moore, Jr August 17, 1949 Decca – 24726b 1949 3:13 5. "Keeps On A-Rainin'" Spencer Williams and Max Kortlander August 29, 1949 Decca – 27145a 1950 3:14 6. "Them There Eyes" Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber and William Tracey August 29, 1949 Decca – 27145b 1950 2:49 7. "Do Your Duty" Wesley 'Sox' Wilson September 8, 1949 Decca – 48259b 1951 3:14 8. "Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer)" Wesley 'Sox' Wilson September 8, 1949 Decca – 24947a 1950 2:43 9. "You Can't Lose a Broken Heart" James P. Johnson and Flournoy E. Miller September 30, 1949 Decca – 24758a 1949 3:13 10. "My Sweet Hunk o' Trash" James P. Johnson and Flournoy E. Miller September 30, 1949 Decca – 24758b 1949 3:18 11. "Now or Never" Billie Holiday and Curtis Reginald Lewis September 30, 1949 Decca – 24947b 1950 3:15 12. "You're My Thrill" Jay Gorney and Sidney Clare October 19, 1949 Decca – 24796a 1949 3:22 13. "Crazy He Calls Me" Carl Sigman and Bob Russell October 19, 1949 Decca – 24796b 1949 3:02 14. "Please Tell Me Now" Arnold Clawson and Toussaint Pope October 19, 1949 Decca – 24857a 1950 3:12 15. "Somebody's on My Mind" Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. October 19, 1949 Decca – 24857b 1950 2:55 16. "God Bless the Child" Billie Holiday March 8, 1950 Decca – 24972a 1950 3:08 17. "This Is Heaven to Me" Ernest Schweikert and Frank Reardon March 8, 1950 Decca – 24972b 1950 2:51
Billie Holiday's Commodore and Decca recordings have been compiled many times, beginning with 78rpm albums in the 1940s and then 10 inch vinyl LPs. Some compilations also include many alternate takes of the songs, but only the master takes originally released as 78 rpm singles are included in this set.
Personnel
April 20, 1939 (tracks 1-1 to 1-4) Source:Billie Holiday sessionography, at the Jazz Discography Project, accessed Feb 20, 2016 Billie Holiday – vocals Frank Newton – trumpet Tab Smith – soprano saxophone, alto saxophone Kenneth Hollon, Stanley Payne – tenor saxophone Jimmy McLin – guitar Sonny White – piano John Williams – bass Eddie Dougherty – drums
March 25, 1944 (tracks 1-5 to 1-8), April 1, 1944 (tracks 1-9 to 1-12) & April 8, 1944 (tracks 1-13 to 1-16) Billie Holiday – vocals Doc Cheatham – trumpet (except April 8, 1944) Vic Dickenson – trombone (except April 8, 1944) Lem Davis – alto saxophone (except April 8, 1944) Teddy Walters – guitar (March 25, 1944) Eddie Heywood – piano, arranger John Simmons – bass Sid Catlett – drums
October 4, 1944 (tracks 2-1 & 2-2) & November 8, 1944 (track 2-3) Billie Holiday – vocals Toots Camarata – conductor Russ Case – trumpet Jack Cressey, Hymie Schertzer Paul Ricci (October 4, 1944), Dave Harris (November 8, 1944), Larry Binyon – tenor saxophone Carl Kress – guitar Dave Bowman – piano Haig Stephens – bass Johnny Blowers (October 4, 1944), George Wettling (November 8, 1944) – drums
August 14, 1945 (tracks 2-4 to 2-6) Billie Holiday – vocals Bob Haggart – conductor, bass Joe Guy – trumpet Bill Stegmeyer – alto saxophone Armand Camgros, Hank Ross – tenor saxophone Stan Webb – baritone saxophone Tiny Grimes – guitar Sammy Benskin – piano Specs Powell – drums
January 22, 1946 (tracks 2-7 & 2-8) Billie Holiday – vocals Bill Stegmeyer – conductor, alto saxophone Joe Guy, Chris Griffin – trumpet Armand Camgros, Hank Ross, Bernard Kaufman – tenor saxophone Tiny Grimes – guitar Joe Springer – piano John Simmons – bass Sid Catlett – drums
March 13, 1946 (track 2-9) Billie Holiday – vocals Joe Guy – trumpet Tiny Grimes – guitar Joe Springer – piano Billy Taylor – bass Kelly Martin – drums
April 9, 1946 (tracks 2-10 & 2-11) Billie Holiday – vocals Joe Guy – trumpet Jimmy Shirley – guitar Billy Kyle – piano Thomas Barney – bass Kenny Clarke – drums
December 27, 1946 (tracks 2-12 & 2-13) Billie Holiday – vocals John Simmons – conductor, bass Rostelle Reese – trumpet Lem Davis – alto saxophone Bob Dorsey – tenor saxophone Bobby Tucker – piano Denzil Best – drums
February 13, 1947 (tracks 2-14 to 2-17) Billie Holiday – vocals Bob Haggart – conductor, bass Billy Butterfield – trumpet Bill Stegmeyer – alto saxophone, clarinet Al Klink, Toots Mondello – alto saxophone Hank Ross, Art Drellinger – tenor saxophone Dan Perry – guitar Bobby Tucker – piano Bunny Shawker – drums
December 10, 1948 (tracks 2-18 & 2-19) & December 10, 1948 (tracks 3-1 & 3-2) Billie Holiday – vocals Mundell Lowe – guitar (December 10, 1948) Bobby Tucker – piano John Levy – bass Denzil Best – drums
August 17, 1949 (tracks 3-3 & 3-4)