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Killer female vocal recordings-show me the light..

Hi guy. Threads, earlier, have turned me on to some great female vocals. Here's my dilemma: While I can appreciate a killer voice, a poor recording wrecks the whole thing for me. Take Billy Holiday, for instance. Her absolutely best (sonically) recording, Body and Soul, comes 10 years too late. Her voice is over. Way over. If I could only find stuff of hers from the '30s and '40s that was of similar quality. Given the time, I know this is tough, but maybe you guys have some pet recordings that are as sweet as they could be. Remasters? The following are singers that I absolutely adore and would like to know your experience with great to killer recordings. I know there are other vocalists (and I have plently of them) but these gals do it, most:
Sara Vaughn
Dinah Washington
Ella
Dee Dee Bridwater
Billy Holiday
Betty Carter
I have never heard Sheila Jordan, Morgana King and Ernestine Anderson. If you can turn me on to a killer title/recording, I'll definitely check it out. Please keep to my humble list. thanks in advance, my fellow audiophools. peace, warren
128x128warrenh

Showing 1 response by onhwy61

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onhwy61
5,276 posts
 
With all due respect I believe your original premise is misguided. Billie Holiday's best recorded performances are all pre-1945 (the same with Louis Armstrong and a good deal of Duke Ellington) and they are masterpieces of 20th century music. The fact that they are not SOTA recordings is besides the point. You're letting your audiophile tendencies control your listening preferences and I think that's wrong. Please don't take offence, it's just my opinion.

With that said, check out Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands". A top flight performance and a very fine recording.
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