Best Ever Albums

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

PurpleHazel — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 04:22:23 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 09/23/2020 08:22

RoundTheBend wrote:

Thanks for the reminder on Ella's scat singing - that is something she excels in over Billie.

Ella probably the greatest scat singer of all time and deserves credit for that, but to be fair, Billie never tried to scat, at least on record (she started singing professionally a few years earlier than Ella).

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

RoundTheBend — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 20:25:02 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 09/23/2020 00:25

Thanks for the reminder on Ella's scat singing - that is something she excels in over Billie.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

PurpleHazel — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 18:04:49 GMT

Author: PurpleHazel

Posted: 09/22/2020 22:04

Billie, hands down.

I'm one of the bigger jazz fans on here, but I don't care for scat (except for Louie). Billie's one of the most influential singers of all time, on pop/R&B as well as jazz. Fitzgerald's influential too, but less so outside the jazz world.

craola wrote:

Billie Holiday performing Strange Fruit was possibly the bravest and boldest moment in music history and gets a pretty easy vote from me.

Agree. It makes me cry or at least gives me chills every time I hear it (both versions).

Yann wrote:

God that was close. I went for life affirming Ella rather than beautiful despair Billie (although in a sense life-affirming too, I know). I love both.

Billie's very closely associated with "Strange Fruit," her last album, Lady for Satin, and her work for Verve, when her voice was already in decline. But in the 1930s, when she was young, she recorded just as much for Columbia and a lot of those songs are upbeat, if not outright joyful.

To be fair to Ella, Billie recorded a lot of fluff too, she's just not as closely associated with it.

No matter how down I am, this always makes me happy:

Link

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

CharlieBarley — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 16:12:48 GMT

Author: CharlieBarley

Posted: 09/22/2020 20:12

Ella all the way for me

She is like pure sunshine, and just one of the most sublime voices.

I am a lifelong fan.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Fischman — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 08:53:49 GMT

Author: Fischman

Posted: 09/22/2020 12:53

Two astonishingly talented artists. Even though they worked in similar realms, still kind of apples and oranges. Max respect for both, but I definitely find myself listening to Billie more.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

RoundTheBend — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 20:45:05 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 09/21/2020 00:45

Spyglass wrote:

I'm still not seeing it. :P

🤣

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Spyglass — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 20:04:02 GMT

Author: Spyglass

Posted: 09/21/2020 00:04

RoundTheBend wrote:

Ok, BEA does have a soul. :lol:

I'm still not seeing it. 😜

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

RoundTheBend — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 19:56:29 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 09/20/2020 23:56

Ok, BEA does have a soul. 🤣

EDIT: fantastic analysis.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 05:31:52 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 09/20/2020 09:31

God that was closed. I went for life affirming Ella rather than beautiful despair Billie (although in a sense life-affirming too, I know). I love both.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Jameth — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 01:55:26 GMT

Author: Jameth

Posted: 09/20/2020 05:55

When Billie recorded “Strange Fruit”, Ella was recording junk like “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” and “The Muffin Man” with Chick Webb. Ella was a gifted singer, but Billie was a flat out genius improviser. Billie, no contest.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

craola — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 01:17:05 GMT

Author: craola

Posted: 09/20/2020 05:17

Billie Holiday performing Strange Fruit was possibly the bravest and boldest moment in music history and gets a pretty easy vote from me.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

ChadMiles — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 23:51:45 GMT

Author: ChadMiles

Posted: 09/20/2020 03:51

This was a difficult vote but went with Ella. Her Cole Porter songbook recordings alone give her the edge, and I was just listening to some of her Duke Ellington recordings last night. But Billie Holiday is amazing too.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Hayden — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 23:09:54 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 09/20/2020 03:09

Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

baystateoftheart — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 22:59:57 GMT

Author: baystateoftheart

Posted: 09/20/2020 02:59

Billie Holiday had a better voice and sang better material. One of the GOAT singers. I don't dislike Ella Fitzgerald though. Need to check out more from her.

Re: Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

Spyglass — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 22:56:08 GMT

Author: Spyglass

Posted: 09/20/2020 02:56

I'm not a big fan of either but I respect them well enough. I remember loving Ella's work with Louis Armstrong so Ell gets my vote. But in that vain (although she made her mark a little bit later), my pic is Nina Simone followed by Ette James.

Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald

RoundTheBend — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 22:44:22 GMT

Author: RoundTheBend

Posted: 09/20/2020 02:44

Ok once and for all, I want to see who has a soul on this site or not (of course this is hyperbole).

Vote accordingly and then post your vote please.

Bonus points for some kind of reason why.