Gershwin Very Best

This two-disc Porgy and Bess records not an entirely new version of the Gershwin opera, but a claimed improvement on the "complete" version that surfaced in the 1970s and changed the opera from a series of set pieces to a living work of drama.

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.

One of the acid tests to evaluate jazz musicians is to put them into a duo setting. This all-Gershwin program, pairing veteran pianist Renato Sellani and a rising young star, Fabrizio Bosso, who doubles on trumpet and flugelhorn, succeeds with flying colors. Since most (if not all) of this music is already very well known to jazz fans, the duo has their work cut out for them to find new approaches to each song. "The Man I Love" combines Bosso's virtuoso flügelhorn (including an incredible unaccompanied coda) and Sellani's spacious, understated accompaniment to produce a masterful interpretation. "Oh, Lady be Good!" is one of the most familiar pieces in the jazz canon, but their marvelous, playful, and subtle introduction builds up the tension before they finally switch to a more typical tempo…

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…

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…