With all due respect I believe your original premise is misguided. Billie Holiday's best recorded performances are all pre-1945 (the same with Louis Armstrong and a good deal of Duke Ellington) and they are masterpieces of 20th century music. The fact that they are not SOTA recordings is besides the point. You're letting your audiophile tendencies control your listening preferences and I think that's wrong. Please don't take offence, it's just my opinion.
With that said, check out Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands". A top flight performance and a very fine recording.
With that said, check out Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands". A top flight performance and a very fine recording.