Billie Holiday: Complete Billie Holiday On Verve (10 CDs)

Of the 10 CDs contained in the set, 8 are comprised of studio and concert recordings, including the debut Carnegie Hall concert, the Jazz At The Philharmonic recordings, Lady Day's last recording session, and 2 unissued alternate takes. The other 2 CDs contain rehearsal sessions. Very few contemporary artists are worthy of exhaustive, multiple-CD retrospectives, but the jazz legend Billie Holiday certainly makes the cut.

This 10-CD set, with a hard-bound, lavishly photographed accompanying book, is a must for serious fans of Lady Day and those with a deep interest in the history of classic jazz. While some buffs contend that it was Holiday's earlier recordings for Columbia and Decca that were her best, many aficionados find her final recordings during the Verve years to be her richest, most mature and most poignant work.

At this point, the heartache in her voice was nearly palpable. The collection - with its multiple takes, rehearsal recordings, transcripts of conversations, interviews with collaborators, live recordings and more--has enough music and history to keep Holiday fans engrossed for years to come. By the mid-1940s, Holiday's many vices had culminated into full-blown heroin addiction, and her voice--the unique instrument that made her a legend - was beginning to suffer along with her weakened body. But Verve's fine roster of legendary jazzmen - both up-and-comers like Barney Kessel and Oscar Peterson, and aging masters like Ben Webster - bolstered her singing with their sympathetic and masterly accompaniment.