Ella+fitzgerald

Digitally remastered collection containing a never before heard live performance by the great Ella Fitzgerald, recorded live in Amsterdam in 1961. She is backed here by her usual group of that period, featuring pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks, and drummer Gus Johnson. As a bonus, the only two surviving songs from a 1953 Carnegie Hall set by Ella, both of which appear here on CD for the first time ever.

This 1966 concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles features sets by Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, with the source evidently being a soundboard tape. His star soloists consistently shine, especially tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves in the flag-waver "Soul Call" and the ballad "In a Sentimental Mood" (the latter usually a feature for Johnny Hodges). Cootie Williams' brash trumpet is showcased in "Take the 'A' Train," while high-note specialist Cat Anderson squeals in his "Prowling Cat." The drums are a bit too prominent in the mix, the sound is a bit muddy in places, and the microphone does not always pick up the leader's spoken…

Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb & His Orchestra: feat. Taft Jordan, Mario Bauza, sandy Williams, Claude Jones, Edgar Sampson, Louis Jordan, Hilton Jefferson, Ted McRae and others… 1936/1939.

The TV show presented here, which opens with Pass playing alone on six wonderful tunes, was made during a European tour that took place some months before the recording of their second album as a duet, titled precisely Fitzgerald & Pass… Again, taped on february 8, 1976. Thus, it presents some tunes that would be part of that lp, making this program (and probably the whole tour) a kind of rehearsal for the songs to be included on the studio album. That's the case of "One Note Samba", "Nature Boy", "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)". However, we have also here the only known versions by Ella and Joe as a duet of no less than six songs. That's the case of "You turned the tables on me", "Cry Me a River", "You Are the Sunshine of My Life", "Avalon", "Stormy Weather" and the classic "How High the Moon", with which Ella closes the show inserting quotations of, among others, "Mack the Knife", "Desafinado" and "Summertime".

Although Ella Fitzgerald worked in many different settings, from big bands to guitar-and-voice duets to sets with nearly every piano player in the business (from Duke Ellington on down), one could make a case that her best recordings were made with Oscar Peterson and his small bands. Released in 1976, Ella and Oscar is one of those classic recordings, an album that's as spare and intimate as any that the pair ever issued. In fact, the only other performer featured on this set is Peterson's longtime bassist Ray Brown, whose contributions are minimal. These songs, from the mellifluous "Mean to Me" to a languid "April in Paris," are simple and beautiful.

The Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong edition of Verve's long-running Compact Jazz series of reissues condenses three remarkable albums - 1955's Ella and Louis, 1956's Ella and Louis Again, and 1958's Porgy and Bess - into a fantastic 12-track collection. Of course, you could pick and random assortment of 12 tracks from these three discs and have a collection of fantastic merit, but these specific performances are particularly outstanding. Opening with a swinging "They Can't Take That Away From Me," Compact Jazz emphasizes the more playful side of the Fitzgerald/Armstrong collaborations, downplaying the more serious Porgy and Bess material - a lovely take of "Summertime" an exception - in favor of giddy versions of standards like "I Won't Dance" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off." There's an exuberant joy in this music that won't fail to charm even the most hard-hearted listener.