Fine Ella Fitzgerald companion CD for the tribute album "We
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 10/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The immortal Ella Fitzgerald could never be forgotten--and this awesome retrospective CD gives us just some of her greatest hits! Sure, it's not the most comprehensive Ella CD out there, but it works well as a companion disc to the CD entitled "We All Love Ella." Awesome!
The CD starts with Ella singing an early hit entitled "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." Ella never sounded better and the melody gets a good deal of strength from the horns. Ella's excellent diction helps bolster her performance. "Lullaby Of Birdland" gets a very elegant arrangement as Ella and a backup choir bat this number straight out of the ballpark for a grand slam home run! I predict that you will enjoy "Lullaby Of Birdland" very, very much.
"The Lady Is A Tramp" starts at a comparatively slow tempo; and when the band starts and Ella goes into full force this number takes flight! Ella never misses a note and the big band arrangement features great use of the horns. "Dream A Little Dream Of Me," with its gorgeous trumpet accompaniment for Ella's sublime vocals, is easily another highlight of this fine album.
"You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini), Parts 1 & 2" starts off slow and sweet as Ella swings gently; when this number speeds up to a much faster tempo Ella swings brightly with energy, warmth and panache. Listen for the great brass on this number, too.
"Blues In The Night" is delivered nice and slow by Ella who makes this all her own with her stunning interpretation of the lyrics; and again we get a musical arrangement using the horns to great advantage. "Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today)" features a beautiful piano arrangement as Ella sings this with great sensitivity. Ella never misses a note on "Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today);"--it's THAT good.
The CD ends with Ella scatting her best on "Airmail Special." Excellent! It's hard to believe that Ella improvised all that; but her scatting was always improvised--that's natural genius at work.
Overall, this companion CD to We All Love Ella features Ella doing marvelous vocal gymnastics, singing sweetly, and swinging brightly all at one time or another. There can never be another Ella Fitzgerald; she remains a national treasure to this day. They don't call her The First Lady Of Song for nothing!
Thank you, Ella! We will always remember you!
"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1