Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the “First Lady of Song”, “Queen of Jazz”, and “Lady Ella”. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a “horn-like” improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
After a tumultuous adolescence, Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, performing across the country but most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Her rendition of the nursery rhyme “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” helped boost both her and Webb to national fame. After taking over the band when Webb died, Fitzgerald left it behind in 1942 to start her solo career. Her manager was Moe Gale, co-founder of the Savoy,[1] until she turned the rest of her career over to Norman Granz, who founded Verve Records to produce new records by Fitzgerald. With Verve she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretations of the Great American Songbook.
While Fitzgerald appeared in films and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the twentieth century, her musical collaborations with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots were some of her most notable acts outside her solo career. These partnerships produced some of her best-known songs such as “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, “Cheek to Cheek”, “Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall”, and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”. In 1993, after a career of nearly sixty years, she gave her last public performance. Three years later, she died at age 79 after years of declining health. Her accolades included 14 Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts, the NAACP’s inaugural President’s Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. (wikipedia)
Dream Dancing is a 1978 album by Ella Fitzgerald. Twelve of the tracks on this album were recorded in June 1972 and originally released on Fitzgerald’s 1972 Atlantic album, Ella Loves Cole. In 1978, Pablo Records repackaged the album with the addition of two new recordings from February 1978. (wikipedia)
Originally released on Atlantic as Ella Loves Cole and then reissued on Pablo with two extra cuts from 1978, this set features the great Ella Fitzgerald (still in excellent form) backed by an orchestra arranged by Nelson Riddle performing an extensive set of Cole Porter songs. Fifteen years earlier Fitzgerald had had great success with her Cole Porter Songbook and this date, even with a few hokey arrangements, almost reaches the same level. Trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison and pianist Tommy Flanagan are among the supporting cast. Highlights include “I Get a Kick out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under ( My Skin,” “All of You,” “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” and “Just One of Those Things.” (by Scott Yanow)
Personnel:
Louie Bellson (drums)
Jackie Davis (organ)
Ella Fitzgerald (vocals)
Ralph Grasso (guitar)
John Heard (bass)
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bassoon:
Bob Tricarico – Don Christlieb
clarinet:
Mahlon Clark – Bill Green
flute:
Harry Klee – Wilbur Schwartz
oboe:
Gordon Schoneberg – Norman Benno
trombone:
Bill Watrous – Christopher Riddle – Dick Noel (on 02.) – J. J. Johnson
trumpet:
Al Aarons – Carroll Lewis – Charles Turner (on 03.) – Shorty Sherock
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Paul Smith (piano on 05.)
Arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle
Tracklist:
01. Dream Dancing (New recording) 4.01
02. I’ve Got You Under My Skin 3.14
03. I Concentrate On You 4.02
04. My Heart Belongs To Daddy 2.31
05. Love For Sale 4.33
06. So Near And Yet So Far 2.20
07. Down In The Depths (on the Ninetieth Floor) 3.37
08. After You, Who? (New recording) 3.10
09. Just One Of Those Things 3.51
10. I Get A Kick Out Of You 4.18
11. All Of You 2.15
12. Anything Goes 2.48
13. At Long Last Love 2.26
14. C’est Magnifique 2.29
15. Without Love 2.47
All songs written by Cole Porter
The original LP from 1972:
More from Ella Fritzgerald:
The official website:
I normally avoid describing music on an album if there are sound samples. As of the date of this review there are neither samples nor a track list, so I will point out that on most of the tracks Bird stays close to Porter’s original melody lines. Contrast this to the Charlie Parker With Strings: Complete Master Takes album where he lets the string ensemble handle the melody while he rephrased his parts that seemed to float over the top of the melody. On this album Bird phrased closer to how Porter envisioned the songs.
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