George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin

Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959) {4CD Box Set Verve 539 759-2 rel 1998}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.40 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 604 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 325 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1959, 1998 Verve / PolyGram | 539 759-2 | Verve Master Edition | 20bit remaster
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards

During the late '50s, Ella Fitzgerald continued her Song Book records with Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, releasing a series of albums featuring 59 songs written by George and Ira Gershwin. Those songs, plus alternate takes, were combined on a four-disc box set, Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, in 1998. These performances are easily among Fitzgerald's very best, and for any serious fan, this is the ideal place to acquire the recordings, since the sound and presentation are equally classy and impressive.

Joe Pass recorded so many solo sets for Pablo during the 1970s and '80s that hearing him in a quartet format almost seemed unusual. For this CD reissue, he is joined by his old friend rhythm guitarist John Pisano, bassist Jim Hughart and drummer Shelly Manne for 11 songs by the team of George and Ira Gershwin. The melodies are quite familiar ("Bidin' My Time" is the closest one to an obscurity), and few surprises occur, but the music swings and the results are quite enjoyable. No matter how times one hears "Lady Be Good," "A Foggy Day," "'S Wonderful" and "Embraceable You," there is always room for another superior version.

Sarah Vaughan - The Mercury Recordings 1954-1960 (2014) {3CD Set, Not Now Music NOT3CD144}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 1.17 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 533 Mb | Artwork | 5% repair rar
© 1954-60, 2014 Mercury / Not Now Music | NOT3CD144
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Standards / Traditional Pop

Legend has it that, on a Wednesday night in 1942, the 18-year-old Sarah Vaughan went to the Apollo Theatre in Harlem to compete in an amateur talent contest for the chance to win $10 and a week-long engagement. Although the events leading up to this are uncertain, there is no doubt that Vaughan sang ‘Body And Soul’ and won. Vaughan was contracted by the Apollo in spring 1943 to open for Ella Fitzgerald.

Frank Sinatra - Sinatra-Basie + Sinatra And Swinging Brass (2013) {Essential Jazz Classics EJC55596 rec 1962}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 477 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 182 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 37 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 2013 Essential Jazz Classics | EJC55596
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Big Band

The long-awaited first collaboration between two icons, Count Basie and Frank Sinatra, did something unique for the reputations of both. For Basie, the Sinatra connection inaugurated a period in the '60s where his band was more popular and better-known than it ever was, even in the big-band era. For Sinatra, Basie meant liberation, producing perhaps the loosest, rhythmically free singing of his career. Propelled by the irresistible drums of Sonny Payne, Sinatra careens up to and around the tunes, reacting jauntily to the beat and encouraging Payne to swing even harder, which was exactly the way to interact with the Basie rhythm machine – using his exquisite timing flawlessly.