by Cub Koda Australian sound engineer Robert Parker has developed a unique way of making simulated stereo recordings out of old 78s, extracting far more sonic detail from these ancient recordings than one would have ever thought possible. On this disc he turns his expertise to 20 old 78s by Billie Holiday recorded between 1935 and 1949. Working with both big bands (conducted by Sy Oliver, Gordon Jenkins, and Toots Camarata) and smaller groups (most of them led by Teddy Wilson), Holiday simply comes alive on these tracks; the imaging brings the music more alive than it's been probably since the day it was recorded. Obviously, some discs fare better than others on this set, but you simply haven't heard these sides until you hear what Robert Parker has done with them here.