Ella Fitzgerald

[Happs]

I am a beginner listener to Jazz Music having gotten into the casual listening of it through the Pure Jazz and Pure Jazz encore CD's. I am looking for a good introductory CD of
Ella Fitzgerald's music. After visiting my local independent record
store I came across a plethora of Greatest Hits type Ella CD's and was
wondering your opinion of one that peaked my interest at this point
based on looks and advertising. It's called Platinum Legends: The Very
Best of Ella Fitzgerald. by Universal Music Special Markets. Digitally
Remastered. Released in 2001. I wrote down the songs it had. They are
1) It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2) The Lady is a Tramp
3) Blue Skies
4) The Very Thought of You
5) Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
6) Begin the Beguine
7) You'll have to Swing It (Mr. Pagnini) Parts 1 and II)
8) I Won't Dance
9) Baby, It's Cold Outside
10) I Only Have Eyes For You
11) Oh, Lady Be Good
12) Love You Madly
13) Night and Day
14) Too Darn Hot
15) Lullaby of Birdland

Any thoughts would be appreciated on this CD for a beginner.

[champjams]

Well any Ella is great for a beginning listener! You basically can't go wrong with her records...no matter what you end up with. That one certainly does look like it has good cuts on it. One of my favorite compilations is the Ella does the Duke songbook. It's a yellow CD and I actually have forgotten the exact name of it...but it's great. All Ella is great. Hope you enjoy! :)

[Saundra Hummer]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Happs
I am a beginner listener to Jazz Music having gotten into the casual listening of it through the Pure Jazz and Pure Jazz encore CD's. I am looking for a good introductory CD of
Ella Fitzgerald's music. After visiting my local independent record
store I came across a plethora of Greatest Hits type Ella CD's and was
wondering your opinion of one that peaked my interest at this point
based on looks and advertising. It's called Platinum Legends: The Very
Best of Ella Fitzgerald. by Universal Music Special Markets. Digitally
Remastered. Released in 2001. I wrote down the songs it had. They are
1) It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
2) The Lady is a Tramp
3) Blue Skies
4) The Very Thought of You
5) Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
6) Begin the Beguine


7) You'll have to Swing It (Mr. Pagnini) Parts 1 and II)
8) I Won't Dance
9) Baby, It's Cold Outside
10) I Only Have Eyes For You
11) Oh, Lady Be Good
12) Love You Madly
13) Night and Day
14) Too Darn Hot
15) Lullaby of Birdland

Any thoughts would be appreciated on this CD for a beginner. [/QUOTE


All of these are great! You can't possibly go wrong.

Don't leave out her recordings with Louis Armstrong. These are excellent, They become like old friends who you want to visit over and over.

The Cole Porter Songbook is also a favorite double album.

I was never able to get her other song book, Gershwin I believe, anyway, it received much higher reviews than the Cole Porter set.

[BeRiGaN]

Happs,
those look to be very good recordings from Ella! Should wet your appetite, no doubt! you really cannot go wrong with any of the Verve Songbooks, and it looks like a fair sampling of tracks from them....also, if you really end up liking her ballad style, Check out "Pure Ella" with Ellis Larkins on Piano....keep in mind, if you go back to her early Decca Chick Webb days, her voice is quite different than the later late Decca/Verve days. I like her early days just a different sound to voice.....you only have to watch out for her very last recordings before her voice went downhill....

[Saundra Hummer]

Originally posted by BeRiGaN
Happs,
those look to be very good recordings from Ella! Should wet your appetite, no doubt! you really cannot go wrong with any of the Verve Songbooks, and it looks like a fair sampling of tracks from them....also, if you really end up liking her ballad style, Check out "Pure Ella" with Ellis Larkins on Piano....keep in mind, if you go back to her early Decca Chick Webb days, her voice is quite different than the later late Decca/Verve days. I like her early days just a different sound to voice.....you only have to watch out for her very last recordings before her voice went downhill....

Hi Happs and BeRiGaN!

I only got to see Ella once and that was at the Shrine in 1959, or 1960, not sure which, and she sang and danced, and sang and danced for what seemed like hours. I was so afraid she would slip and fall on those slick black mirror like floors as she was wearing the highest high heels, but she never missed a lick with her dancing or her singing!

The longer she sang, the sweeter her voice became. I don't know if this was always the case, as like I said I only got to see her one time. There was no raspiness as could sometimes be there, just pure Ella, and it was great. A really big thrill for me as I thought I would never get to see her, much less be there to see her put on the show stopper that she did.

[EKE BBB]

Originally posted by BeRiGaN
Happs,
those look to be very good recordings from Ella! Should wet your appetite, no doubt! you really cannot go wrong with any of the Verve Songbooks, and it looks like a fair sampling of tracks from them....also, if you really end up liking her ballad style, Check out "Pure Ella" with Ellis Larkins on Piano....keep in mind, if you go back to her early Decca Chick Webb days, her voice is quite different than the later late Decca/Verve days. I like her early days just a different sound to voice.....you only have to watch out for her very last recordings before her voice went downhill....


One more vote for "Pure Ella"... and, of course, for the Verve Songbooks. My favorites are the Ellington and the Cole Porter

[orroonie]

Check out the Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Harold Arlen Songbook. He was one of our greatest songwriters. The great Billy Mays band was backing her up.

Two great cuts are the not to often done, "Lets Take A Walk Around The Block" and my all time favorite Arlen "It Was Written In The Stars."

[victor]

you would also like the recordings she did with louis armstrong....."cant we be friends" is one that i really like

[Saundra Hummer]

you would also like the recordings she did with louis armstrong....."cant we be friends" is one that i really like

I left my Louis and Ella recording in a car while we were at the beach volley ball tournaments in Santa Monica, back in the late 50's, probably 1959, the car was a Volkswagon bug, a little black oven, and so the album warped. It was ruined. That just really bothered me as I couldn't find one again. Then a few years back I was thumbing through a cd rack at a shop in Bend and there it was! I was floored, and thrilled, so I grabbed it up and headed for the counter, it had been released once again, thank goodness for CD's. It is such a favorite, and I love how Louis and Ella sing "You Can't Take That Away From Me." That song just brings back so many memories, it just is great to hear once again. Still feel the same about that album as I did way back when.

[trane fan]

I would recommend getting a collection that includes "Mack the Knife". It was recorded in Berlin during a concert and was a watershed moment. Ella had never sung MTK before and had only recently learned the words (or so she thought). By the third verse she is totally lost and begins to improvise brilliantly. At the end she does a spot on Louis Armstrong (he and Bobby Darrin both had version of MTK on the charts at that time). She can be heard laughing by the end of the song as the audience goes nuts. One of today's artist, such as little Brittney Spears, would have run off stage in tears. However, Ms. Ella stuck it out, let her talent rise to the occasion and ended up winning a Grammy for the song. It's a must for any true Ella fan.

[jazzneophyte1]

Hi all! I'm new to this site. I have a question. How many versions of "No Regrets" did Ella record? Thanks much.

[Fran]

Hi Happs and BeRiGaN!

I only got to see Ella once and that was at the Shrine in 1959, or 1960, not sure which, and she sang and danced, and sang and danced for what seemed like hours. I was so afraid she would slip and fall on those slick black mirror like floors as she was wearing the highest high heels, but she never missed a lick with her dancing or her singing!

The longer she sang, the sweeter her voice became. I don't know if this was always the case, as like I said I only got to see her one time. There was no raspiness as could sometimes be there, just pure Ella, and it was great. A really big thrill for me as I thought I would never get to see her, much less be there to see her put on the show stopper that she did.


I saw Ella the first time in the early '40s. I was at Lincoln Army Air Base a 2nd Lt and heard Ella was appearing at a theater in Omaha with Cootie Williams and his orchestra. I took the CB&Q to Omaha and caught the show. Ella was terrific and after the show Ella and I had coffee together..... Well what really happened was I went next door and while sitting at the counter in walked Ella who sat next to me. I said something about the show - about music - but to tell you the truth I don't recall what Ella had to say - guess I was awed by sitting with celebrity.
But Sandra, Ella Dance? I never saw that. She stood so cool and sedate.

[victor]

the first ella i ever heard was when my dad would play chick webb on the stereo and i heard that distinctive voice singing "a tisket a tasket"and from that time i wanted to add ella to my favorites list of recordings that i wanted

[victor]

there was a 4 cd box set that was issued for ellas 75th birthday that is absolutely wonderful.....if you havent got it yet make sure you do cause there are some awesome songs on these discs and the booklet that comes with it is packed full of useful information

[justHerb]

A third vote for Pure Ella, absolutely beautiful.

I also agree that there's no such thing as 'bad' Ella. Everything she sang was gorgeous.

[victor]

One more vote for "Pure Ella"... and, of course, for the Verve Songbooks. My favorites are the Ellington and the Cole Porter

i just got the ellington song book that ella did and have been playing it constantly....that is one of my favorites of the ella recordings

[Monk1957]

Happs

Defnitely get the Duke Ellington songbook and the Complete Ella & Louis on Verve