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Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook
by David Adler
It’s impossible to rank the records in Ella Fitzgerald’s songbook series, but the 1958 Irving Berlin collection is surely essential in any music library. This Verve reissue packages the two CDs beautifully and includes the original liner notes by Nat Hentoff, as well as a new essay by James Gavin. But more than any essay could, Ella captures the essence of Berlin’s contribution to American popular music, backed by Paul Weston’s marvelous orchestra. Some of the players include Harry “Sweets" ...
Continue ReadingElla Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book
by C. Andrew Hovan
Between the years 1956 and 1964, Ella Fitzgerald recorded a number of song books. These full sets of music, featuring the work of such major composers as Cole Porter and the Gershwin Brothers, form a major cornerstone of her recorded legacy. Made available on a two-disc set for the first time, The Irving Berlin Song Book features 32 chestnuts performed by the great lady of song and backed discreetly by the Paul Weston Orchestra. This sleeper might be the least ...
Continue ReadingElla Fitzgerald: In The Groove
by Derek Taylor
There’s no scarcity of Ella Fitzgerald on record. From her precocious work with Chick Webb’s Orchestra to her twilight albums on Norman Granz’s Pablo imprint her discography numbers easily into the triple digits. So why the need for this recent Buddah compilation? The answer lies in the nature of the selections themselves. Culled from three shows at the Savoy and Roseland Ballrooms in New York and the Grand Terrace in Chicago they represent Ella’s earliest concert recordings and thanks to ...
Continue ReadingElla Fitzgerald: Something To Live For
by David Adler
Created as an aural companion to a recent PBS documentary, this marvelous compilation features some of Ella Fitzgerald’s best work for Decca and Verve from 1937 to 1966. Her sheer versatility is what comes through first and foremost, making one question critics who lament Fitzgerald’s alleged stylistic limitations. She’s a small-group bebop juggernaut on scat masterpieces like “How High the Moon," “Perdido," “Oh, Lady Be Good," and “Airmail Special." She’s a reflective and moving balladeer on “Body and Soul," “Yesterdays," ...
Continue ReadingElla Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald in Budapest
by AAJ Staff
The year is 1970, and Ella is changing. The girlish voice is beginning to fray, and at times a faint rasp sneaks in. It becomes another weapon, giving some words urgency and other words charm. Her repertoire is mostly “modern”, with three tunes from Burt Bacharach. Her brief stay at Reprise Records had stressed such material, and here it works – mostly. And some things never change: the frantic scatting, the swift imagination, and ferocious interplay with her trio. She ...
Continue ReadingElla Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong: The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong on Verve
by AAJ Staff
The craft of producing a top quality compact disc box set has steadily developed over the last dozen or so years. From their humble beginnings as enticements to fans to “come over" to this new format, box sets have evolved over time into multi-dimensional tributes to the artists they feature. Today's best box sets include not only extensive or complete catalogs of music, but also include extensive liner notes, dazzling combination of original artwork and modern graphics, and slick packaging, ...
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