Long out-of-print, Billie Holiday’s brilliant 1956 LP, Velvet Mood, released on Clef (soon-to-be Verve) Records, captures the 41-year-old Holiday backed by a sextet that featured Benny Carter on alto sax and Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet. Although hard living had already begun to take its toll on Holiday (who died just three years later), she was still a huge international star at this time, giving sold out concerts at Carnegie hall and touring Europe. 1956 also marked the year that her legendary biography, Lady Sings the Blues was released.
– elusivedisc.com