Search - :: 1950-52-ENCHANTING LIVE AT BIR

Rare But Disappointing

Geoffrey Mark Fidelman | Sherman Oaks, CA United States | 09/13/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While it is always a treat for diehard Ella fans to get new live material on CD, this one just misses the mark. The producer reveals in his album notes that he feels this is some of Ella's best work. While these are indeed rareties, both the sound quality and the song selection are sub-par. I must admit to a prejudice: he also speaks poorly of the biographies written about Ella, and I am one of the authors in question. However, Ella's live repertoire at this point in her career was varied, and there are some wonderful recordings available of her work from this time. But with the scratchyness of acetate recordings from middle-of-the night radio shows where Ella is tired and hoarse, there could easily have been a better collection than this. A must for the die-hard; the rest of you should get any of her legendary live albums."