Ella in Hollywood

An appearance in Hollywood for a first-rate jazz vocalist was not necessarily an opportunity to broadcast the singer's visage and pander to everyone from Tacoma to Tallahassee. It could also include a date at the Crescendo. The Sunset Strip's best chance to find premier jazz, Gene Norman's nightclub hosted dozens of jazz legends (and a comic or two), and produced more than its share of excellent LPs recorded on location. Better even than Mel Tormé's 1954 classic, the Ella Fitzgerald LP that resulted from her May 1961 appearances generated one of the best (and certainly most underrated) live records in her discography. All of her hallmarks - technical wizardry, breakneck scatting, irrepressible humor and warmth - are on full display, with a small but expressive quartet backing her performance (including pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, drummer Gus Johnson, and bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks)…

Avid Jazz presents three classic Ella Fitzgerald albums plus including original LP liner notes on a finely re-mastered double CD.
A live set kicks off our Ella Fitzgerald tribute, “Mack The Knife” was recorded in 1960 in Berlin as part of the Jazz at the Philharmonic International tour. It features Paul Smith on piano, Jim Hall on guitar, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass and Gus Johnson on drums. A rather portentious title greets our next selection “Let No Man Write My Epitaph” featuring Paul Smith again on piano recorded in L.A. in 1960.This album features the music from a film of the same name Ella had appeared in plus numbers that Ella just felt were right to complete the record. A year on from “Mack the Knife” featuring Ella in Berlin, we have “Ella in Hollywood”…

Ella Fitzgerald - Twelve Nights In Hollywood (2009) {4CD Verve-Hip-O Select B0012920-02 rec 1961-1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.43 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 595 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 36 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1961-62, 2009 Verve / Hip-O Select / Universal | B0012920-02
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards

An appearance in Hollywood for a first-rate jazz vocalist was not necessarily an opportunity to broadcast your visage and pander to everyone from Tacoma to Tallahassee. It could also include a date at the Crescendo, the Sunset Strip's best chance to find premier jazz. Gene Norman's nightclub hosted dozens of jazz legends (and a comic or two), and produced more than its share of excellent LPs recorded on location. Better even than Mel Tormé's 1954 classic, the Ella Fitzgerald LP that resulted from her May 1961 appearances generated one of the best (and certainly most underrated) live records in her discography – and almost 50 years later, it became a four-CD set compiling ten days' worth of performances.

Ella Fitzgerald - The Complete 1960-1961 Ella In Berlin (2017) {Essential Jazz Classics EJC55719}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 509 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 318 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 83 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960-61, 2017 Verve / Essential Jazz Classics | EJC55719
Jazz / Classical Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards

Its Ella Fitzgerald so it is going to be a delight to listen to, The original album called Mack The Knife : Ella In Berlin is a live album recorded, well you guess where! It includes the wonderful improvised version of Mack The Knife where Ella forgets the words and improvises a whole new song and this song contains what is great about this album also what is great about Ella Fitzgerald and that is the sheer unalloyed joy in singing it comes across in the giggling thank yous between songs and her rapport with band and audience, also included is a wonderful version of How High The Moon and Too Darn Hot. This expanded version also incudes another concert from Berlin with another version of Mack The Knife as well as tracks from a concert in Cannes and the Hollywood Bowl. So what's not to like it's Ella at her height doing what she enjoyed doing, it is a joy.