Jazz Articles about Ella Fitzgerald

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Ella Fitzgerald: Love Letters From Ella

by David Rickert
August 13, 2007

People were up in arms when saxophonist Kenny G played with the great Louis Armstrong posthumously through the wonders of technology. Today people are using the same ability to resurrect old recordings for much more noble purposes such as this, which features Ella backed by the London Symphony Orchestra on several tracks. They never recorded together; rather, the music on this CD features Ella stripped of previous backing tracks with the orchestra dubbed in. So seamless is the end result ...

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Ella Fitzgerald Live in '57 and '63

by Tom Pierce
September 28, 2006

Ella Fitzgerald LIVE in '57 and '63 Jazz Icons 2006

Ella Fitzgerald--Live in '57 and '63 is one of nine initial DVDs in record company Jazz Icons' series of previously unreleased concerts. All are primarily from the 1950s and '60s and feature, in addition to Fitzgerald, legends such as Louis Armstrong, Art Blakey, Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Thelonious Monk, Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Chet Baker.

Overall, the two concerts ...

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Ella Fitzgerald, The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

by Bob Jacobson
March 8, 2004

Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa Andrea Davis Pinkney Brian Pinkney (Ill) Hyperion Press ISBN 0786805684

Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney, who previously collaborated on the children's picture book “Duke Ellington", have now brought us Ella's story, from teenage street-corner dancing to international fame. It's all narrated, over four “tracks", by Scat Cat Monroe, the world's coolest feline, complete with sharp suits and spats. Scat Cat's got the bona fides, ...

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Ella Fitzgerald: Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers

by David Rickert
December 22, 2003

Ella’s Songbook series was so popular both critically and commercially that it cast a very long shadow over her other fine work for Norman Granz and Verve. Slowly these sessions are beginning to see the light of day, and Sings Songs for Sweet Swingers is one such example of Ella at her best. It’s difficult to find a bad Ella album, and this 1958 session, recorded around the same time as the Gershwin songbooks, features the singer’s regular potion of ...

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Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: Ella and Louis Again

by David Rickert
May 8, 2003

It should come as no surprise that the first collaboration between Ella and Louis was so successful that it was quickly followed by a sequel--and a double album, no less. Even the dumbest A&R man could anticipate the potential magic in the pairing; both singers were at the peak of their popularity in 1957, straying from their jazz roots yet becoming influential and noteworthy interpreters of popular song in the process. Both share a penchant for mirthful clowning and light ...

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Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

by C. Michael Bailey
December 9, 2002

...The First Lady of Jazz... I

Listening to scores of vocal jazz records, all contemporary, it is easy to lose the trees for the forest, particularly the redwoods. Ella Fitzgerald was one of those rarified talents one took for grated, as she was so damn good that her talent became transparent. Rated with Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday as one of the most important female jazz vocalists, Fitzgerald can reasonably be deemed the most important because of her flawless execution ...

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Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

by David Rickert
December 3, 2002

Most people don’t expect much from Christmas albums, other than a host of familiar songs with a hint of nostalgia to play while decorating the tree. What a treat it is, then, to discover one that raises the bar and doesn’t seem like a half-hearted effort to make a quick buck for the holidays. One could argue that the late fifties and early sixties was the heyday of Christmas albums (everyone from Sinatra to the Chipmunks had one out), and ...