CARMEN McRAE - For Lady Day, Vol. 2 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The second volume of Carmen McRae's heartfelt tribute to Billie Holiday, like the first, comes from a broadcast taped by WBGO-FM at the Blue Note in New York City on New Year's Eve, 1983. McRae takes a few minutes to explain the evolution of her tribute and she hardly attempts to sing Holiday's material in the same way, but utilizing her own powerful, emotional approach, often lagging behind the beat. McRae also delves into songs that Holiday performed but are not as readily associated with her, such as "Laughing at Life" and "You Ain't Gonna Bother Me No More." Her rhythm section, including pianist Marshall Otwell, bassist John Leftwich, and drummer Donald Bailey, provides strong support, with the occasional appearance of tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims (especially on "My Old Flame" and "Mean to Me") providing an added bonus. Like the first volume, this Novus CD was not released until after McRae's death, while this outstanding set makes jazz fans wonder why record labels don't mine public radio live broadcasts for similar performances more often. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1     Intro 3'27
2     Laughing at Life 2'06
3     You Ain't Gonna Bother Me No More 3'48
4     Easy Livin' 2'53
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
5     Yesterdays 4'41
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
6     My Old Flame 6'18
Sam Coslow / Arthur Johnston
7     Nice Work If You Can Get It 2'50
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
8     Billie's Blues 4'48
Billie Holiday
9     Travelin' Light 3'26
Jimmy Mundy / James Young
10     If You Were Mine 5'46
11     It's Like Reaching for the Moon 5'46
Al Sherman
12     I'm Painting the Town Red 1'36
Charles Newman / Charles Tobias
13     You've Changed 5'31
14     Mean to Me 3'19
Credits :
Bass – John Leftwich
Drums – Donald Bailey
Music Director [Series Director] – Brian Bacchus
Piano – Marshall Otwell
Tenor Saxophone – Zoot Sims
Vocals – Carmen McRae