1946 · Album
Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic Vol.5
Recorded February 12, 1945; June 3, 1946; October 3, 1946 · Clef Records · Produced by Norman Granz
Live at the Shrine, Caught in Time
A document of Billie Holiday in her element, surrounded by strong players and nowhere to hide.
When this album arrived in 1954, it landed as archival material — concert recordings from the previous decade, pressed into wax after the fact. It was neither a splash nor a quiet success; it was simply available, a way to own these performances that had circulated as bootlegs and memory. AllMusic gave it 4.5 stars, recognizing what was there: Holiday doing the work she did best, interpreting standards and blues-based originals with complete command of phrasing and timing.
The sessions themselves spanned three years and three locations, recorded between 1945 and 1946 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and Carnegie Hall. The band included Johnny Miller on bass, Nat King Cole on piano, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor saxophone, Les Paul on guitar, Shorty Sherock on trumpet, J.J. Johnson on trombone, and Lee Young on drums. It was a strong pickup group, skilled enough to stay out of Holiday's way and responsive enough to follow her lead through the songs. The piano and saxophone combinations give these performances warmth; there's no tightness or strain here, just players listening to each other.
This is not her essential record — Lady Sings the Blues (1956) or her Verve sessions hold stronger claims. But it captures her live, in real time, without studio polish, and that matters. The audience is there in the recording, present but not intrusive. If you want to hear what a great singer actually sounded like in concert during this period, this delivers that straightforwardly.
Who's playing
Johnny Millerdouble bass
Nat King Colepiano
Les Paulguitar
Illinois Jacquettenor saxophone
Jack McVeatenor saxophone
Shorty Sherocktrumpet
J.J. Johnsontrombone
Lee Youngdrums
Where next?
The musicians on this record
After Midnight 1956
Nat King Cole
plays piano here
plays piano here
Swing's the Thing 1957
Illinois Jacquet
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
