Search - Ella Fitzgerald :: The Best of Ella Fitzgerald - 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

Wonderful Ella!

Johnny Boy | Hockessin, DE | 02/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is yet another fine example of the folks at 20th Century Masters getting it right. My personal favorite tracks are "Undecided" and "But Not For Me", but the entire collection is perfect! This girl can sing and scat, both talents featured prominently on this CD. Are there more complete collections of Ella's music? Sure, but this the best place to start. This is the only Ella CD I own, so I treasure it. I have sampled others and am convinced this is the best one. Not only because of the sound and the 24.bit remastering, but also because a nice cross section of the classic songs from the day can be found on here. This is the best place to start for those who are just getting to know Ella. Love this CD, highly recommended!



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Ladies and Gentlemen: The First Lady of American Song!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ella Fitzgerald truly deserves the title of The First Lady Of American Song. Ella always sang passionately and her ability to scat never ceases to amaze me. She enjoyed an excellent rapport with her adoring audiences wherever she went and she possessed an internal charisma that shines through on all her recordings. This CD proves it.



The CD opens with an early recording of Ella singing "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Chick Webb and His orchestra. Ella and Chick worked well as a team and you experience the magic even though Ella was only 21 when this was recorded. The song is somewhat sad but the melody turns the loss of a basket into a playful song; the male chorus helps to make this number even more enjoyable. "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" follows this number; this is a fine example of Ella's work with the immortal Louis Armstrong. Ella always stated that together she and Louis were "a lesson in love;" and when you listen to this track you will agree. Ella and Louis harmonize beautifully with a sublime musical arrangement. Excellent!



"Undecided" offers Ella the opportunity to deliver another playful performance with an upbeat, big band swing flavor that stands in sharp contrast to the much more serious lyrics. Ella sings of a man who can't decide if he wants to be Ella's partner; but the melody makes you forget that the song is actually full of frustration and angst. Chick Webb and His Orchestra do a great job with the musical accompaniment; Chick bangs out those drums so strongly that you would never guess he was rapidly approaching the end of his days.



Other incredible numbers on this CD include the beautiful "Lullaby Of Birdland" written by George Shearing and George Weiss; "Hard Hearted Hannah" which is about a woman who certainly could never be called a kind lady and Cole Porter's "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)."



There are two versions of "You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini), Parts One & Two." The number opens soulfully but after a couple of minutes Ella lets loose with a jazzy rendition that will amaze you with its beauty.



The CD closes with two more memorable numbers entitled "A Fine Romance" by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields and "Blues In The Night" by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Ella delivers these two songs with a type of panache that very, very few artists ever could.



The liner notes include beautiful black and white photos of Ella and Joseph F. Laredo contributes an essay about Ella's career. 20th Century Masters does the right thing on this CD: Instead of limiting the CD to a mere ten songs that clock in at barely 30 minutes, they add two more songs and this CD weighs in at over 41 minutes. That's much more to my liking!



I highly recommend this CD for Ella fans; and people who enjoy classic jazz vocals will cherish this album. May you get this and enjoy it as much as I have!

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