Billie Holiday—All Or Nothing At All/Acoustic Sounds Verve Series Vinyl (2025)

It’s no secret to viewers of my YouTube channel “The Pressing Matters”  that I am a big Billie Holiday fan. In particular, the Verve years. The group of albums released during this period moved me in a way that earlier ones did not quite match. Records like Body And Soul and Songs For Distingué Lovers are among my top picks, and All Or Nothing At All fits right into this group.

Recorded in separate sessions between 1956 and 1957, the album was released in 1958. The mono sound is remarkably consistent for an album recorded in this way. The recording features an ensemble of jazz luminaries including Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Barney Kessell on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Joe Mondragon and Red Mitchell on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. They provide a sympathetic backdrop for Holiday’s voice, and the engineers have recorded this in a way that feels like you are sitting up front in a small, intimate jazz club.

The material is all familiar tunes from the American Songbook, featuring standards such as “Speak Low,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “April in Paris,” and, of course, the title track, “All or Nothing at All.”

There is something particularly affecting hearing Holiday sing a tune like “All Or Nothing At All”. Her voice at this point had evidence of some of the ravages of time and personal challenges. Yet I consider this an asset, and she used it to great effect. The stark contrast in how Holiday interprets this, to Diana Krall, for example, is like night and day. While Krall spins it into an upbeat, somewhat sexy number, Holiday digs deeper into the lyrics and gives us a definitive interpretation.

And so it is throughout this album. You haven't lived until you hear Holiday sing “I Wished on the Moon.” With each track, you have the feeling that no one else can hold a candle to Holiday’s version.

The Acoustic Sounds Verve Series release is all analog, cut from the master tape at 33 rpm by Matt Luthans at The Mastering Lab. Long-time audiophiles know that this was the setup Doug Sax cut some of the best-sounding records of his era on. Chad Kassem, owner of Analogue Productions and Quality Record Pressing, bought this setup and had it installed on his compound in Salina, Kansas, at Blue Heaven Studios. Having the mastering setup on the premises has a great advantage in that the newly cut lacquer can be plated immediately. It minimizes the chance of degradation that can happen when shipping a fragile lacquer to another location. Let’s hope that Luthans takes up permanent residence at The Mastering Lab because what he achieved here is remarkable.

I had on hand an earlier cut of this album from 2012. The Analogue Productions Verve 45 Series releases set the standard at the time. This series of 25 albums was all analog cuts done by George Marino. In my original video review of the 45, I marvelled over its big, deep sound and incredible presence and detail. It was my only copy of the album, however, and it brings up an interesting point. Listening to an oft-reissued album in isolation can't give you the full picture. There is no reference point on which to make judgments about the sound.

With the arrival of the new reissue, I now have a reference point, and the differences in presentation are significant. While both are truly excellent, I had a distinct preference for Luthan’s cut. The earlier 45 emphasizes presence and detail. It gives the record an immersive quality, but at the expense of sounding a bit too forward for my taste. I detected a slight edge on Holiday’s voice, which is something I had noticed before but had chalked it up to the recording itself or perhaps the microphones used to capture the voice.

This quality is absent in Luthan’s cut, which comes across as more refined. The detail and spatial characteristics are all there, but presented in a more relaxed way. When going back and forth, I could physically feel my reaction to the new cut. Where the 45 had me a bit on edge with its startling presence, the 33 had me sinking deep into the performances. The tonality and image placement are superior as well. I think Luthans took the right approach here, giving us the feel of a great vintage pressing, but brought it up to modern-day standards.

The pressing quality was excellent - flat, centred, and quiet. The iconic artwork looks especially striking on the high-gloss, tip-on gatefold jacket from Stoughton.

This series is a boon to jazz collectors, giving previous editions, even 45s, a run for their money. Superb mastering, great pressing quality, and beautiful jackets for a very reasonable price. Congratulations to the team at QRP and to Matt Luthans for presenting this timeless masterpiece in the most flattering light.