CD1
Like Someone In Love
1. There’s A Lull In My Life
2. More Than You Know
3. What Will I Tell My Heart?
4. I Never Had A Chance
5. Close Your Eyes
6. We’ll Be Together Again
7. Then I’ll Be Tired Of You
8. Like Someone In Love
9. Midnight Sun
10. I Thought About You
11. You’re Blasé
12. Night Wind
13. What’s New?
14. Hurry Home
15. How Long Has This Been Going On?
Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
Frank DeVol – Arranger, conductor
Stan Getz – Tenor sax (tracks 1, 3, 9, 11)
Hello Love
16. You Go To My Head
17. Willow Weep For Me
18. I’m Thru’ With Love
19. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
20. Everything Happens To Me
21. Lost In A Fog
22. Tenderly
CD2
Hello Love
(continued)
1. I’ve Grown Accustomed To His Face
2. I’ll Never Be The Same
3. So Rare
4. Stairway To The Stars
5. Moonlight In Vermont
Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
Frank DeVol – Conductor
Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson
6. When Your Lover Has Gone
7. Don’t Be That Way
8. Love Me Or Leave Me
9. I Hear Music
10. What Am I Here For
11. I’m Gonna Go Fishin’
12. I Won’t Dance
13. I Only Have Eyes For You
14. The Gentleman Is A Dope
15. Mean To Me
16. Alone Together
17. Pick Yourself Up
Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
Nelson Riddle – Arranger, conductor
Ella Swings Gently With Nelson
18. It’s A Pity To Say Goodnight
19. My One And Only Love
20. Body And Soul
Ella Fitzgerald – Vocals
Nelson Riddle – Arranger, conductor
At The Opera House
21. It’s All Right With Me
22. Don’cha Go ‘way Mad
23. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered
24. These Foolish Things
25. Ill Wind
Oscar Peterson – Piano
Herb Ellis – Guitar
Ray Brown – Bass
Jo Jones – Drums
Another Ella Fitzgerald collection from the Avid label – but who’s complaining? Ella hardly ever made a dud recording and I can’t hear any among the
generous 47 tracks here. This double album contains three LPs: two from the late 1950s with backings by Frank DeVol and the third from 1962, with Oliver
Nelson’s orchestra. Three tracks are added from another 1962 album with Oliver Nelson, plus five from a 1957 concert performance with a quartet led by
Oscar Peterson. This album omits some of the bonus tracks which appeared on some CD reissues.
The Frank DeVol albums tend to swathe Ella Fitzgerald in a mass of strings, which are occasionally shrill, although several tracks on the first LP have the
benefit of Stan Getz’s romantic tenor sax. Even though Ella’s voice is in danger of being swamped by Frank DeVol’s lush arrangements, her vocals are
lovely: unforced and tenderly caressing the lyrics. Just savour the way she sings the introductory verse of More Than You Know, or her slightly
ironical delivery of the marvellous Gershwins’ verse in How Long Has This Been Going On? This was the period when Ella was recording her renowned
series of “Songbook” albums, so she avoided some of the better-known songs and included several rarities on these two albums.
Talking of the Songbooks, Oliver Nelson had accompanied Fitzgerald on The George & Ira Gershwin Songbook in 1959, and it was musically one of
the most successful Songbooks. Ella Swings Brightly With Nelson is included here in its entirety, plus three tracks from Ella Swings Gently With Nelson (the remaining tracks were on Avid’s previous Fitzgerald compilation, AMSC 1118). Nelson Riddle adds a definite
extra punch to the music with his jazzier arrangements, which seem to release Ella to sing with greater liberty. This can be heard in the way she draws out
the phrases in Don’t Be That Way. Nelson Riddle uses a big band and reduces the dependence upon strings to create more potent accompaniments for
Ella. This can even become rowdy, as in I Only Have Eyes For You but it is generally well-controlled.
But the last five tracks of this double CD capture Ella in her happiest habitat: singing before a responsive audience. Despite the good qualities of all
the preceding tracks, I think Ella is at her best when backed by a small jazz group, as she is here – and Oscar Peterson is a fine accompanist. Hear the
way that Ella embraces the words and music of Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered: relaxed, yet totally in control. And the ending of These Foolish Things is a magical series of melismatic leaps.
Tony Augarde
www.augardebooks.co.uk
CD Reviews
Avid AMSC 1122
