Personnel: Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Russell Garcia, Nelson Riddle (conductor); Sonny Stitt (alto saxophone); Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Flip Phillips, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet (tenor saxophone); Roy Eldridge (trumpet); J.J. Johnson (trombone); Oscar Peterson (piano); Herb Ellis (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Louie Bellson, Jo Jones, Buddy Rich (drums); The Russell Garcia Orchestra; The Nelson Riddle Orchestra.Recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California on August 16, 1956, between August 18 and October 14, 1957 and between January 5 and July 17, 1959; Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California on July 23, 1957; The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, California on October 7, 1957. Includes liner notes by Jim Macnie.
Label: VerveCD Issue Date: January 27, 1998Recording Time: 58:33Review:When Ella and Louis recorded a series of albums together for Verve in 1956 and 1957, George Gershwin's songs were a constant theme, including a double LP of Porgy and Bess that delighted Ira Gershwin. This 1998 compilation pulls together material from those recordings to celebrate a union of jazz's greatest singers with a songwriter who had been an essential resource for jazz since the 1920s. The chemistry is consistently inspired, with Armstrong's gravelly voice, perfect rhythmic sense, and still-eloquent trumpet providing a fine complement to Fitzgerald's consummately smooth delivery and extraordinary range. Also included are Ella and Louis's own takes on Gershwin from contemporary sessions, including Fitzgerald's Jazz at the Philharmonic version of "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" (from At the Opera House) that includes Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Stan Getz among the tenor saxophonists. Collectors will want the CD reissues of the original albums to get a complete picture of the Fitzgerald and Armstrong partnership, or Fitzgerald's own extended encounter with Gershwin in the Songbook series; nevertheless, this is a delightful introduction to an inspired collaboration.
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