Over the course of a multifaceted career that has spanned four decades, Dee Dee Bridgewater has risen to the top tier of today's jazz vocalists, putting her own unique spin on standards as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. For her latest recording, 'Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee', Bridgewater honors an iconic jazz figure, Billie Holiday, who died tragically at the age of 44 a half-century ago.

Ms. Bridgewater states that Eleanora Fagan goes far deeper than being a tribute album of retreaded Holiday tunes. "Billie deserves to have her music heard in another light," she says, "and I definitely didn't set out to imitate her." Key to the fresh approach is pianist Edsel Gomez, Bridgewater's longtime band mate who wrote new arrangements for the 12 songs on the album, including the African polyrhythmic-charged interpretation of "Lady Sings the Blues, " a reharmonized version of "All of Me" and the gospel-tinged "God Bless the Child."

Says Bridgewater: "Edsel is an extremely gifted, talented arranger with very modern ideas. Edsel has the ability to be modern and work in a tasteful fashion." Gomez took on the daunting challenge of bringing new life to the music with enthusiasm. "I listened to everything Billie Holiday ever recorded," he says. "I let her music speak to me." He also kept in mind the personalities of the all-star band Bridgewater had assembled for the recording: dynamic reeds player James Carter, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash.

"This was my dream band," says Bridgewater. "I got to work with these musicians who I'd been dying to play with. I thought, I can't miss. With this band I can have a hard-swinging, touching celebration of Billie's music."

So, if you would like to win one of these new CDs, and you think you know all there is to know about the lady herself, just answer this easy question: Her 1997 tribute album won her the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, but who was it a tribute to?!

Send us your answers and if you're correct you'll be in the running to win one of these CDs! Just send us an e:mail here before April 15th with your answer and the subject title CONTEST: DEE DEE CDs to: exclusivemagazine@flash.net

CD Purchase Link

"Strange Fruit" - Streaming Audio