Billie Holiday - I Loves You Porgy

The birth certificate issued by the Philadelphia General Hospital documents that Elinore Harris was born on the 7th of April, 1915 @2:30 a.m. —She would lead a rich, rewarding, though tragic existence and yet, when all was said and done, in spite of an instrument of limited vocal range, she would become the most profoundly felt jazz singer of all-time. The singers she aspired to, stylistically, were Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith —In so doing, she expressed a uniqueness of monumental proportion —Firstly, let us make one thing perfectly clear. She was not a blues singer —Oh sure, she most certainly could sing and write blues songs. However, she was, in fact, a singer of popular songs in a manner that of an improvisational instrumentalist —Born with an excellent sense of pitch and timing, her vocal expression carried with it an exquisite gift for phrasing, approaching many vocal lines from the back edge of the beat. For myself, it is impossible to pick one song as a favorite —Instead, I have chosen to post the first vocal performance of hers, wherein, I had an epiphanic moment of understanding of what it was about this most engaging of all singers that, like no other, could be the closer on every musical arrangement she touched —that could envelop a musical moment in enthralling ambiance; shooting straight to the core of one's being. As songwriters and musicians, we have one core covenant we hold above all others —"To make it memorable" —Billie Holiday always did —In All ways. Please enjoy the finest interpretation of the feeling behind Bess' yearning plea in Ms. Billie Holiday's splendid performance of The Gershwins' and Du Bose Heyward's "I Loves You Porgy" —recorded December 10, 1948 in New York City with Bobby Tucker -piano, Mundell Lowe -guitar, John Levy -bass and Denzil Best on traps.

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Music

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• Billy Holiday
• I Loves You Porgy

[karlasona]

Happy Birthday Billy!

[AwaTu]

@karlasona Goodonya, karlasona —Yep, Billie's 96th —Cheers...

[mockingbirdarmada]

The most soulful and best version of this song. No ifs ands or buts. Others come close but nothing can touch this. You can argue the point, but you'd be wrong. God bless Billie.

[vilellamanda]

God bless Billie, forever !!!!!!!

[svendiamond]

didn't rza sample the part at 0:36 - 0:45 for A Day To God Is 1,000 Years, hiphop heads please reply

[drpreatorius]

@notleonard Billie is handling this song!

[drpreatorius]

I don't know much about technical instruments. I only know soul, and this woman has got it. There are tons of technical singers who I wouldn't give a plug nickel.

All I can say is, this woman has me convinced that she loves Porgy!

[MrWarbells]

Happy Birthday Miss Billie..a few days late..so glad I found this

[notleonard]

This song breaks my heart.

[tombythesea]

This song brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it... between Billie, Nina, and the original production versions...I bawl like a baby because this is one song you have the pleasure of feeling everything in the lyrics.