"Left Alone" is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

song written by singer

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

and pianist/composer Mal Waldron, and published by E.B. Marks.

Background

This is one of seven songs written by or co-written by Holiday that she never recorded. Mal Waldron began working as pianist for Holiday in mid-1953. Holiday had intended to record the song a number of times but "always forget the damned sheet music." However, Waldron himself recorded the song on his 1959 album '' Left Alone'', and near the end of the LP discusses the origin of the song.

Recordings

Waldron frequently performed the song for albums, often with tenor saxophonist

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

(who also played on the ''Left Alone'' album). Version are included in '' Mal: Live 4 to 1'' (1971), ''Like Old Times'' (1976), '' Left Alone '86'' (1986), ''Into the Light'' (1989), '' My Dear Family'' (1993), and ''Left Alone Revisited'' (2002). Other jazz performers who've recorded the song include: *

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

– '' Straight Ahead'' (with Waldron on piano, 1961) *

– '' White Gardenia'' (1961). *

Jeanne Lee Jeanne Lee (January 29, 1939 – October 25, 2000) was an American jazz singer, poet and composer. Best known for a wide range of vocal styles she mastered, Lee collaborated with numerous distinguished composers and performers who included Gunte ...

and

Ran Blake Ran Blake (born April 20, 1935) is an American pianist, composer, and educator. He is known for his unique style that combines blues, gospel, classical, and film noir influences into an innovative and dark jazz sound. His career spans over 40 rec ...

– ''

The Newest Sound Around ''The Newest Sound Around'' is an album by singer Jeanne Lee and pianist Ran Blake. It was recorded in November and December, 1961, at RCA Victor Studio in New York City, and was released by RCA Victor in 1962. The album, which was the debut record ...

'' (1962) * Eric Dolphy and

Booker Little Booker Little Jr. (April 2, 1938 – October 5, 1961)
– accessed June 2010 was an American

– ''

Far Cry ''Far Cry'' is an anthology franchise of first-person shooter games, all of which have been published by Ubisoft. The first game, '' Far Cry'', was developed by Crytek to premiere their CryEngine software, and released in March 2004. Subsequen ...

'' (1962) *

Kimiko Kasai (born December 15, 1945 in Kyoto, Japan) is a retired Japanese jazz singer. Biography Kimiko was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1945. She first became interested in jazz at the age of 13 after hearing Chris Connor's song "All About Ronnie" on the radio ...

– ''One For Lady'' (with Waldron on piano, 1971) *

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

and Dollar Brand – '' Duet'' (1978) * Abraham Burton – ''Closest to the Sun'' (1994) *

Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...

and Junko Onishi – '' Hat Trick'' (1996) * Steve Kuhn – ''Plays Standards'' (2009) *

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto is a Japanese jazz pianist and composer. Life and career Yamamoto was largely self-taught as a pianist, although he did have piano lessons as a child. He attended Nihon University. As a student there, he played professionally, first as an accom ...

– ''Gentle Blues'' (2013) *

Jane Ira Bloom Jane Ira Bloom (born January 12, 1955) is an American jazz soprano saxophonist and composer. Early years Bloom was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Joel and Evelyn Bloom. She began as a pianist and drummer, later switching to the alto saxopho ...

- ''

Sixteen Sunsets ''Sixteen Sunsets'' is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom. The album was released on December 15, 2013 by Outline Records label. This is her 15th album as a band leader. ''Sixteen Sunsets'' received a Grammy nomination for ...

'' (2013) An instrumental version of the song appeared on

Joe Satriani Joseph Satriani (born July 15, 1956)Prato, Greg"Joe Satriani – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". '' AllMusic''. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2014. is an American guitarist, composer, songwriter, and guitar teacher. Early in his ...

's ''

Time Machine Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

'' in 1993. The Satriani version, titled "All Alone", was released as a single, reached No. 21 on ''Billboards

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart"Time Machine – Joe Satriani , Awards"

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

. All Media Network. Retrieved May 13, 2016. and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards."37th Grammy Awards – 1995"
Rock on the Net. Retrieved May 13, 2016.

Notes

References

*Stuart Nicholson, ''Billie Holiday'', *Billie Holiday, THE BEST OF BILLIE HOLIDAY: Songs Recorded and Made Famous By Lady Day. Hal Leonard Corporation. . *Donald Clarke, Wishing On the Moon. Viking. . *John Chilton, Billie's Blues. Da Capo Preess. *John White, Billie Holiday: Her Life and Times *Mal Waldron, Left Alone LP Liner Notes ASIN: B00004YR36 *Amazon.com Editorial Review for Mal Waldron CD Left Alone *Ken Vail, Lady Day's Diary. Sanctuary Publishing. {{authority control Compositions by Mal Waldron Songs written by Billie Holiday 1953 songs