CD1
1. Let's Face the Music and Dance
2. You're Laughing at Me
3. Let Yourself Go
4. You Can Have Him
5. Russian Lullaby
6. Puttin’ on the Ritz
7. Get Thee Behind Me, Satan
8. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
9. Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
10. How About Me?
11. Cheek to Cheek
12. I Used to be Colour Blind
13. Lazy
14. How Deep is the Ocean?
15. All By Myself
16. Remember
17. Isn’t This a Lovely Day (with Louis Armstrong)
18. I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket (with Louis Armstrong)
19. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (with Louis Armstrong)
CD2
1. Suppertime
2. How’s Chances
3. Heat Wave
4. Isn’t This a Lovely Day?
5. You Keep Coming Back like a Song
6. Reaching for the Moon
7. Slumming on Park Avenue
8. The Song is Ended
9. I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket
10. Now it Can be Told
11. Always
12. It’s a Lovely Day Today
13. Change Partners
14. No Strings (I’m Fancy Free)
15. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
16. I Never Had a Chance (with Louis Armstrong)
17. Pack Your Sins and go to the Devil (with Chick Webb)
18. Everybody Step (with
Chick Webb)
These are some of the most famous recordings ever made
at the behest of Norman Granz, jazz promoter extraordinaire. Most
of those of us who love this kind of music will have bought the LPs
when they were originally released. The backings were arranged by
Paul Weston and they are played by his orchestra. Listening made me
wonder if any of our readers has the personnel lists for this music;
some of the instrumental solos are superb, but I can only guess who
was involved. I would be pleased to hear from anyone who has the information.
The combination of Ella and Berlin is stunning. The
vast majority of the songs are superb, and even those which are not
of the very best sound wonderful with the combination of Ella and
this great Big Band. It is not really surprising that no singer has
come along to take Ella’s place; I assume the possible contenders
are chasing the million-dollar pay-off which jazz has never provided.
Perhaps it could be that that there will only ever be one Ella. The
sleeve-note says that she lacked the intensity of Billie Holiday,
but I would take issue with that. Bing Crosby got it right when he
said “Man, woman or child, Ella is the greatest!”
The last three tracks on each CD are of Irving Berlin
songs, sung with either Louis Armstrong, from the Ella & Louis
album, or from 1938 with the Chick Webb Band.
There is little else to say about this album, except
that if you like good songs beautifully sung, accompanied by an excellent
orchestra - and you don’t have them already - then you must buy this
album. It is a classic!
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Jazz
Manifesto 38292
