Tag: Ella Fitzgerald
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella at the Shrine, 2018 on Verve
Previously unreleased live appearance by Ella at the Shrine auditorium in LA January 21st, 1956 – making it two weeks earlier than Ella at Zardi’s: Verve Records, celebrating Ella Fitzgerald’s 100th birthday in 2017, released at the end of that year Ella At Zardi’s – a vibrant, previously unreleased album recorded during a two-week stint…
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Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, Ella & Louis: Complete Studio Small Group Recordings, 2015 on Waxtime
Waxtime is sometimes a controversial label. Based on some differences between US and EU copyright law, they’re releasing classic jazz recordings without explicit access o the source material. This means they might be working from a CD, or even a needle-drop on a good vinyl copy- but the source material is more or less unofficial.…
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Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, Ella at Duke’s Place, 1966 on Verve
The album is divided between “The Pretty, The Lovely, The Tender, The Hold-Me-Close Side” and “The Finger-Snapping, Head-Shaking, Toe-Tapping, Go-For-Yourself Side.” Recorded by Val Valentin and produced by Norman Granz (those are his black & white photos), this is Verve at its mid-60s best. In addition to Ellington and Fitzgerald, personnel included Louis Bellson on…
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Ella Fitzgerald, The Harold Arlen Songbook, (originally) 1961 on Verve
I miss this trend from the 50s and 60s where great singers like Ella (as well as folks like Oscar Peterson) did “song books” of great composers. My copy of this one, with Ella doing the songs of Harold Arlen, is an 80s reissue of what originally came out in 1961, with 2 additional tracks…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Misty Blue, 1968 on Capitol
My copy is a pressing on Pickwick/33, “by arrangement with Capitol Records” – not sure what year. (45 Worlds says 1971). These reissues only have 9 tracks where the original Capitol release had 11 – omitted are “I Taught Him Everything He Knows” and “Turn The World Around (The Other Way).” As the liner notes…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella at the Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook, 2022 on Verve
Recorded in August 1958, but not released until 2022, this concert followed the release of the Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Irving Berlin Songbook LP. The concert was conducted and arranged by Paul Weston, who had played the same role in the LP. There’s an animated video for Puttin’ on the Ritz, one of the songs…
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Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Ella and Louis, 1956 on Verve
As though Ella and Louis weren’t enough, the backing band is Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown – (aka the Oscar Peterson Trio) – and Buddy Rich. There’s a followup Ella and Louis Again from 1957, and then a later CD release that combines both also called Ella & Louis. Love the two of them…
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Ella Fitzgerald and Nelson Riddle, Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson, 1962 on Verve.
Ella Fitzgerald and Nelson Riddle, Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson, 1962 on Verve. Classic big band / swing and wonderful renditions – found via a vinyl bazaar at Mill No. 5
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Ella Fitzgerald, 30 By Ella, 1968 on Capitol.
Ella Fitzgerald, 30 By Ella, 1968 on Capitol. Thirty songs in ~53 minutes, across six medleys. Music by Benny Carter’s “Magnificent Seven” – Capitol reissue from the 70s or early 80s
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella, 1959 on Verve.
Ella Fitzgerald, Ella, 1959 on Verve. This is a mid-seventies reissue of what was originally released in 1959 as “Ella Fitzgerald Sings Sweet Songs for Swingers” in a UK Verve pressing (Did “swingers” have the wrong connotation by the mid seventies, or did they just want a less tongue twisting title?) Part of the “Polydor…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Like Someone In Love, 1957 on Verve
Ella Fitzgerald, Like Someone In Love, 1957 on Verve. Black and silver Verve labels without mention of MGM Ella with Frank DeVol and his Orchestra – classic Via Everything But The House
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Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and Sarah Vaughan; Billie, Ella, Lena, Sarah; 1958 compilation on Harmony.
Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and Sarah Vaughan; Billie, Ella, Lena, Sarah; 1958 compilation on Harmony. Harmony was a “budget” sub-label of Columbia, revived in 1957,selling LPs for $1.98, often reissuing material from other Columbia LPs I picked this one up in a lot of LPs from Everything But The House – a great…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Get Happy!, 1959 on Verve.
Ella Fitzgerald, Get Happy!, 1959 on Verve. Part of a whole lot of jazz vinyl I got via an @ebth auction. Verve Records black and silver labels with the T but before the MGM rim text Great pressing, great album.
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book Volume 2, 1959 on Verve.
Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book Volume 2, 1959 on Verve. Came out in 1957 on “His Master’s Voice” in the UK. There are a ton of great Ella Song Book releases: Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Harold Arellano, Gershwin, etc. I love the My Funny Valentine…
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Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Gershwin Song Book, 1959 on Verve
Ella sings Gershwin – Verve MGV-4013 from 1959. Still sounds fantastic 60 years later.