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320

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

Read "Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas" reviewed by David Rickert

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 ...

425

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae

by Craig Jolley
September 1, 2001

For those who look back on the 50's as the glory days of singing never again to be equalled this music will serve either as reinforcement or as a wake-up call. Fitzgerald, Holiday, and McRae all at the same festival! (Sarah Vaughan also sang at Newport in 1957.) Career-wise all three were at the top of their profession. Pipes-wise Fitzgerald and McRae were at their peaks, but Holiday only had a semblance of her voice left. Artistically McRae and Fitzgerald ...

384

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: The Enchanting Ella Fitzgerald,Live at Birdland 1950-1952

by Dave Nathan
January 1, 2001

Baldwin Street Music has come out with another set of previously unavailable material by a top jazz vocalist. This album caputures Ella Fitzgerald's broadcasts from New York City jazz venues, mostly from Birdland. During this period, Fitzgerald was recording for Decca usually backed by a big orchestra headed by such stalwarts as Sy Oliver and Gordon Jenkins as well as an occasional side trip with Louis Jordan. The last recording on this album in August of 1955 was just before ...

408

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook

by David Adler
January 1, 2001

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" ...

185

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book

by C. Andrew Hovan
January 1, 2001

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 ...

327

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: In The Groove

by Derek Taylor
August 1, 2000

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 ...

312

Album Review

Ella Fitzgerald: Something To Live For

by David Adler
February 1, 2000

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," ...