This limited edition 8CD set presents an outstanding anthology of 15 complete original albums by some of the best-loved female vocalists in jazz. The enormous variety of settings includes Shirley Horn's intimate trio album Embers and Ashes (the first under her own name), Ella Fitzgerald's Grammy-winning Ella in Berlin with the acclaimed version of ‘Mack the Knife’ in which the singer extemporises half the lyrics, plus Billie Holiday's Norman Granzproduced Music for Torching, in which Holiday is backed by an all-star sextet featuring trumpeter Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison and sax player Benny Carter. Other small group settings include Carmen McRae's After Glow featuring the great Ray Bryant in the piano chair, and Blossom Dearie's Once Upon a Summertime in which the singer and pianist is joined by guitarist Mundell Lowe, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. Sarah Vaughan's outstanding 1958 album No Count Sarah, recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra (minus Basie himself, hence the title) includes luxuriant takes on ‘Smoke Gets in Your Eyes’ and ‘Doodlin’, while Anita O'Day Sings the Winners, another 1950s album produced by Norman Granz, features charts by Marty Paich and Russell Garcia and O'Day's scintillating scat version of Jimmy Giuffre's ‘Four Brothers’. Also including Abbey Lincoln's debut album Abbey Lincoln's Affair: A Story of a Girl in Love, Betty Carter (The Modern Sound of Betty Carter), Nina Simone (Nina Simone Sings Ellington!) and more, this is a treasure trove of vocal jazz.