“Lady in Satin” is the penultimate album (recorded in 1958) completed by Billie Holiday and last released in her lifetime. Ray Ellis made his arrangements of the songs to match Holiday’s voice. By the mid to late 1950s, Holiday’s voice changed drastically due to years of alcohol and drug abuse, altering its texture and gave it a fragile, raspy sound. Despite her voice’s setback, she never lost the edge that had always made it so distinctive and was able to still use her style of phrasing that made her a popular jazz singer.

Unable to find an edition of the original arrangements of that session, we asked me to make an exact transcription of the disc, with the aim to perform all this charts in a public concert.

The premiere was on June 17th in Almeria at ClasiJazz with Fima Symphonic Orchestra and under my conduction. The singer who tried to reproduce the great Billie Holiday was the spanish singer Susana Sheiman.

The transcription I realize was for the album instrumentation, that included woodwinds, trombones, harp, soprano choir, strings and jazz rhythm session.