This album IS Fantastic!! It's a fitting tribute to MY Queen of Jazz~! I Love Billie Holiday!

This is Billie Holiday's last recording, made in March 1959, a little over a year after "Lady in Satin" was completed. This final studio date with Ray Ellis, who had earlier written the charts for "Lady in Satin," seems to rise out of the doldrums conveyed previously in "...Satin." Indeed, the first six tracks are sung and played in an optimistic, bright tempo. Even the bittersweet sentiment of "You Took Advantage of Me" and "Sometimes I'm Happy" is masked by a swinging horn section. The solos by Gene Quill (alto sax), Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet), and Jimmy Cleveland (trombone) complement Holiday's impeccable timing and phrasing. The string arrangements are less lush than in "Lady in Satin" and thus, do not pull you into an emotional spin. Billie's bright rendition of "'Deed I Do" seems to wash out the gloom in the previous album. That's where the optimism ends.

"Don't Worry 'Bout Me" brings back the Billie Holiday that fans know very well: a great singer with a sad story to tell. Listen to her sing; you could peek into her soul and see the anguish there. Only Frank Sinatra and The Four Freshmen can do an equally great job on this song. As if that wasn't enough, she goes on with "All The Way" [one of Sinatra's signature songs], "Just One More Chance" and "I'll Never Smile Again."

The album ends with a jaunty arrangement of "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" as if to lift you out of your own doldrums. You will find yourself snapping your fingers and then before you know it, the song ends. So does the album. Then you realize this is Billie Holiday's last recording: a beautiful, poignant ending to her great but tragic career.

This is a poignant and at times terrifying album.Billie,reunited with Ray Ellis of "Lady in Satin" lays down her soul and offers a multi-dimentional glimpse into the private anguish of a transcendental artist. At the time of these recordings(March,1959), Billie had less than 5 months to live and her voice reflects years of physical and emotional abuse(some self-inficted). It doesn't matter. Her ability to transcend lyrics and infuse songs with feeling are never more apparent. At times her voice wavers and she struggles for breath, but her soul shines through. These are some extremely moving tracks.Ray Ellis' orchestration is less cloying than in "Lady In Satin" and have more of a jazz feeling. Particularly moving are "Don't Worry About Me","I'll Never Smile Again" and "All The Way". This is not the Billie of Columbia or Decca days. The voice has deteriorated to an ember of what it was. But Billie was always known as an artist with an uncanny ability of wearing her soul on her sleeve and the deterioration of her voice only crystalizes how effective she was in conveying feeling. This is one of the most indispensable albums in my collection. A moving and at times heartbreaking glimpse into the soul of one of the 20th Century's greatest interpreters of song. Don't miss it!