Fine and Mellow (song)

Fine and Mellow is a jazz song that Billie Holiday in 1939 wrote and recorded.

The song

" Fine and Mellow " is a blues in the 12 taktigen AAB form. In the text, Holiday laments the treatment of a woman at the hands of her lover, possibly a pimp or rogue. The song starts with the stanza:

Recording and performance history

The singer Billie Holiday took her composition " Fine and Mellow " for the first time on April 20, 1939 this was accompanied by Frankie Newton orchestra in which, inter alia, Tab Smith, Sonny White and Eddie Dougherty played. On April 20, 1939 Holiday could import four titles. At the suggestion of producer Milt Gabler, the song was; , according to Gabler, this was " the first truly modern blues session. "

The song appeared coupled with their legendary title " Strange Fruit " ( B-side ) on the small label Commodore. While Strange Fruit, the dramatic indictment of the system Lynch reached the Top 20 on the Billboard charts, the B-side to the music boxes proved successful. A cover version of Alberta Hunter, which was released in August 1939, on the other hand had no chance.

The song was since to Billie Holiday's repertoire, including on her tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic; He was born on December 8, 1957 re- interpreted by her as she participated in the CBS television show, The Sound of Jazz. She was accompanied by famous jazz musicians, the one after their solos played: Ben Webster first, followed by Lester Young, Vic Dickenson, Gerry Mulligan, Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Doc Cheatham; the rhythm section formed thereby Danny Barker, Milt Hinton, Osie Johnson and Mal Waldron.

" Fine and Mellow " experienced numerous cover versions, so in December 1939 by the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra with singer Dolores Brown; he was then interpreted, inter alia, by Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Carrie Smith, Jeanie Bryson, Diana Ross, Etta Jones, Ruth Brown, Lou Rawls, Jimmy Rushing, Champion Jack Dupree, Nina Simone and Miriam Klein. Ella Fitzgerald in 1979 with the Count Basie Orchestra at the Montreux Jazz Festival Recorded version won the Grammy Award in 1980.

Bertold Klostermann suggests that there are of this song almost no instrumental versions; the song is, for example, does not interpret the Holiday Tribute albums by Lee Konitz and Herbert Joos: "Without text it is just a blues in F. " However, there is an instrumental version of the cornetist Ruby Braff.

Billie Holiday's versions

  • April 20, 1939 - The first recording of the song with Frankie Newton Orchestra for Commodore Records
  • June 25, 1944 - Billie Holiday Jam Session with Roy Eldridge, Charlie Shavers, Ben Webster, Art Tatum, Slam Stewart, among others
  • December 15, 1945 - appearance in Apollo Theatre with the orchestra of Hot Lips Page
  • May 27, 1946 - Jazz at the Philharmonic ( Carnegie Hall ) with Buck Clayton, Trummy Young, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young, Tiny Grimes, Curly Russell
  • September 3, 1949 - appearance on the Eddie Condon Floor Show on TV channel NBC with Wild Bill Davison, Cutty Cutshall, Peanuts Hucko, George Wettling
  • November 14, 1952 - performance at Carnegie Hall with the Duke Ellington Orchestra
  • January 24, 1954 - tour appearance in Brussels in the framework of Jazz Club USA with Carl Drinkard, Red Mitchell, Elaine Leighton ( Verve )
  • November 10, 1956 - appearance with Chico Hamilton, Kenny Burrell, Al Cohn, Tony Scott and Buck Clayton at Carnegie Hall ( Verve )
  • December 5, 1957 - trial recording for The Sound of Jazz program with Mal Waldron and All-Stars
  • December 8, 1957. The Sound of Jazz Recording ( CBS)
  • October 5, 1958 - appearance at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Buddy DeFranco, Benny Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Mal Waldron, Eddie Khan, Dick Berk ( Black Hawk )
22nd Annual Grammy Awards Apollo Theater Tony Scott (musician)
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