Jazz Articles about Ella Fitzgerald

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Ella Fitzgerald: Live at Chautauqua: Volume 1

by James Doherty
November 20, 2015

Live at Chautauqua, Volume 1 (Dot Time Records) captures Ella Fitzgerald in concert in July 1968. Accompanied by the Tee Carson trio, the eclectic programme ranges from her 1938 breakthrough hit “A-Tisket A-Tasket" through to contemporary pop and Broadway tunes, taking in some selections from her famed songbook series along the way. As Ella explains on her introduction to “Sunny," her intention is “to do something for everyone." While her forays into contemporary pop would sometimes prove unwise, the blend ...

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Ella Fitzgerald

by Mathew Bahl
October 15, 2015

This article was first published in June 2004. Considered by many to be the 20th century's greatest female singer of jazz and American popular song, Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) is one of the few singers whose work transcends generations and musical genres. Fortunately, over the course of a career that spanned six decades, “The First Lady of Song" amassed a nearly unrivaled discography. It is a testament to Fitzgerald's art and her place in popular culture that the vast ...

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Vocal Jazz: 1951-1968

by Mathew Bahl
April 20, 2015

These 17 years play out like the vocal jazz equivalent of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. Much of the core body of work that makes up vocal jazz was recorded during this relatively short time span. These were the years that saw some of the greatest jazz singers working at the peak of their powers. In the late 1940s, American record companies stumbled upon two ideas that have since become the cornerstone of the ...

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Ella and Basie!

by Thomas Carroll
February 19, 2012

In July 1963, singer Ella Fitzgerald and pianist Count Basie's orchestra entered the studio for their first full-length recording session as a collective. They produced a gem for both veteran jazz fans and novices. The album features both artists in top swinging form and it is concise enough to serve as an introduction to those just beginning to explore the Basie or Fitzgerald catalogs. Ella and Basie! presents the band in the role of accompanist and the group ...

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Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: The Complete Studio Recorded Duets

by David Rickert
January 23, 2011

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis ArmstrongThe Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong Studio Recorded DuetsAvid Records UK2011 Was there ever a match made in heaven like singer Ella Fitzgerald and singer/trumpeter Louis Armstrong? When Norman Granz had them together on the Verve label, the impulse to put them together in the studio had to be irresistible. And it was a terrific move, resulting in three terrific albums: Ella and Louis, Ella and ...

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Ella Fitzgerald: Twelve Nights in Hollywood

by Ken Dryden
January 17, 2010

Ella Fitzgerald Twelve Nights in Hollywood Verve Music Group 2009

Ella Fitzgerald needs no introduction to most jazz fans because the “First Lady of Swing" had a remarkably productive recording and performing career that spanned from the mid '30s until around 1990, when multiple health problems forced her into retirement. Ella was 44 in 1961, recording several albums a year for Verve and managed by impresario Norman Granz, who was very interested ...

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Ella Fitzgerald / Mildred Bailey: Ella Fitzgerald Mildred Bailey Legendary Radio Broadcasts

by Andrew Velez
August 2, 2009

Two vocalists supreme, Ella Fitzgerald and Mildred Bailey, can be heard in some rare sides on Legendary Radio Broadcasts. The former's broadcasts are from January 1940, only months after she had taken over leadership of her mentor Chick Webb's band. The intro is from her early signature novelty hit, “A Tisket A Tasket," and she is introduced in time capsule style as “Ella Fitzgerald and her famous orchestra, broadcasting from the home of happy feet, the Savoy Ballroom up here ...