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Jazz Articles | Future
Ella Fitzgerald: 100 Songs For A Centennial
Blessed with an instantly recognizable voice full of youthful exuberance and a three-octave range, noted for its pristine and pure tone, the legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald is, along with singer Billie Holiday, the most important singer of the 20th century. She has been called “The Undisputed Queen of Jazz Singing" or “The First Lady of Song" and these nicknames simply reflect the remarkable and inimitable vocal abilities she possessed. While her incredible technical abilities were pretty much evident, when ...
read moreJazz Quanta April – Five Women IV: Ella Fitzgerald, Bonnie Eisele, Stacy Sullivan, Eileen Howard, Lauren White
We are enjoying a rich period of jazz vocals creation; the story continues... Ella Fitzgerald Jazz at the Philharmonic: The Ella Fitzgerald Set Verve 2016 Ella Fitzgerald is certainly the vocalist to include first in this review as hers is one of the few voices that are the jazz vocals gold standard. The Universal Music Group, owner of the Verve Records catalog, have discovered yet one more way to repackage ...
read moreElla Fitzgerald: Live at Chautauqua: Volume 1
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 ...
read moreElla Fitzgerald
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 ...
read moreVocal Jazz: 1951-1968
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 ...
read moreElla Fitzgerald and Count Basie: Ella and Basie!
Ella Fitzgerald and Count BasieElla and Basie!Verve1963 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.
read moreElla Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: The Complete Studio Recorded Duets
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 ...
read moreElla Fitzgerald: Twelve Nights in Hollywood
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 ...
read moreElla Fitzgerald / Mildred Bailey: Ella Fitzgerald Mildred Bailey Legendary Radio Broadcasts
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 ...
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