Ella Fitzgerald Ella

One of the benchmark records in jazz and in the Ella Fitzgerald catalog. "The Duke Ellington Songbook" features a wonderful selection interpreted splendidly by one of the all time great voices in music. It was the first of a series of recordings by the prolific pair. Ellington's performances both at piano and directing orchestra are outstanding. This is beautifully balanced by the sweet and luscious delivery of Fitzgerald on the classics "Take The A Train", "Solitude", "I'm Just A Lucky So and So", and "Caravan". The album featured a number of legendary performers including Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster, Ray Nance, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Billy Strayhorn, Barney Kessel, Dizzy Gillespie, Sam Woodyard and many more. The Duke Ellington Songbook is a true must have for any jazz fan.

Ella recorded some incredible live albums-and this one, taped at a jazz festival on the French Riviera in '64, is among the best. Ella, Tommy Flanagan, Roy Eldridge and the rest of her band thrill the crowd with Hello, Dolly!; Day In, Day Out; The Lady Is a Tramp; Them There Eyes; A-Tisket, A-Tasket; Blues in the Night; Summertime , and 42 more. The first time all the music from both nights has been available; more than half the cuts are unissued!

"Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook" is a collection of songs by George and Ira Gerswhin and recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Recorded in 1959 when Ella was 41, the collection contains 59 compositions by Gershwin, which were arranged by Nelson Riddle. One notable performance from this recording is Fitzgerald's rendition of "But Not for Me", which won her the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance (Female). Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook was also listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear before You Die.

A completely unreleased live album by the peerless Ella Fitzgerald, Ella At Zardi’s: Verve Records will close out their year-long celebration of jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald's centennial with the ultimate present for her 100th birthday. Rescued from the vaults: "Live At Zardi's" is the Verve Records' first live recording, and is being heard for the first time anywhere. The two sets from the evening, in front of a lively crowd, was captured February 2, 1956, a few days before Ella began recording Verve’s first album, "Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book".

For the seventh album in her celebrated Song Book series, Ella Fitzgerald tackled classic melodies written for Broadway and Hollywood by Jerome Kern, the grandfather of the modern musical comedy, with backing by the orchestra of Nelson Riddle, the dean of Hollywood pop-jazz arrangers. The album was recorded on January 5-7, 1963 at Radio Recorders Studio 10H in Los Angeles and features some of the best studio musicians of the time, including Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone), and Wilbur Schwartz (clarinet). For lovers of good songs and good singing, "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book" is a triple treat.

For the seventh album in her celebrated Song Book series, Ella Fitzgerald tackled classic melodies written for Broadway and Hollywood by Jerome Kern, the grandfather of the modern musical comedy, with backing by the orchestra of Nelson Riddle, the dean of Hollywood pop-jazz arrangers. The album was recorded on January 5-7, 1963 at Radio Recorders Studio 10H in Los Angeles and features some of the best studio musicians of the time, including Don Fagerquist (trumpet), Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone), and Wilbur Schwartz (clarinet). For lovers of good songs and good singing, "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book" is a triple treat.

Recorded in 1964, "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book" was recorded at Radio Recorders Studio 10-H in Los Angeles, California with Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra. The album was the only songbook collection Ella recorded that concentrates on the work of a lyricist instead of a composer. Riddle created wonderfully lush arrangements, and the album was Ella's fifth and final collaboration with the conductor and arranger during her years on the Verve label.

A live album from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, this album combines individual performances recorded at separate shows two days apart from two of the most popular female singers of the era. Billie Holiday is backed by Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on double bass and drummer Jo Jones; Ella Fitzgerald's band includes Don Abney on piano, Wendell Marshall on double bass and Jones again on drums.

Long considered a jewel in Verve Records' very impressive crown, Fitzgerald's songbook collections of various composers–a series that was started by the success of this set–are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect with Cole Porter's erudite, urbane songs. While not as scat-oriented as her small group outings, these Porter sets offer her most realized pop performances. Also, the gold remastering does a fine job of bringing out the nuances in the arrangements, making this a treasure for the serious collector and the casual listener alike. A true American music gem.