The Essential Brunswick Recordings

The music showcased here dates from 1935 to 1939, the period immediately following her signing to Brunswick Records, and is still regarded by many as representing the peak of her output. Discovered by noted record producer John Hammond, who'd go on to unearth such disparate talents as Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, Holiday was teamed with some of the best jazz musicians around, and her use of rhythm and the emotion she put into her performances immediately turned heads.