The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (02 November, 1993)
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Editorial Review

This 16-CD set collects all of Ella Fitzgerald's Songbooks, a monumental tribute to the American popular song and its greatest composers, recorded for Verve between 1956 and 1964. There is likely no other singer possessed of the mix of talents that Fitzgerald brought to the project, a combination of sheer vocal technique, creativity in phrasing and rhythm, and fidelity to lyrics and intent. The sheer scale of the project contributes to its value, for Fitzgerald went far beyond the standard repertoire, rediscovering little-known gems by many of her subjects: Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Duke Ellington. The discs of Ellington material still stand out, illuminated by the presence of Duke and his band. They put Ellington, a master melodist as well as a great composer, in his rightful place in the pantheon of American songwriters. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (16)

16 CD's worth of timeless jazz history - priceless!
I was able to hear Ella at Ravinia here in Chicago a year or two before her death and at the time was more familiar with her name than with the breadth of her musical talent.The evening was one of those experiences that is etched permanently in my mind, and I feel truly privileged to have heard Ella in person.

It was after that that I looked longingly at this set of hers for a couple of years before I had the nerve to bite the bullet and buy it, despite its high asking price.Looking back at the literal "days" of listening pleasure I've received from this set, as well as the visual feast that is included, with the individual CD jackets featuring the original cover artwork, I have to say it has been one of the wisest "impulse" purchases I've ever made.(Wise is not an adjective usually applied to an impulse purchase, but in this case it is an accurate description.The only other impulse purchase I've made that conjures up a similar emotional response from me is the Bose Wave System, which makes Ella sound just fine, by the way(!)...)

I felt passionate enough about this set to actually take the time and scan in the individual CD covers so they would appear within iTunes in my Mac when I played the tracks on my computer.Given that the scanned images were still available, I've uploaded them onto Amazon's website on this page for your perusal, enjoyment, right-clicking to save for your own use in iTunes, whatever.Oh, and did I say, enjoy this set!

The best thing you'll ever buy.
Really.The best thing you'll ever buy.

BOXSET IS NOT COMPLETE!!!
As good as this boxset is, it is not complete.Heart and Soul, one of her finest ballads is missing for example. ... Read more

Asin: B0000046RN
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Standards    6. Swing    7. Tin Pan Alley Pop    8. Traditional Pop    9. Vocal Jazz   

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook
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Audio CD (23 March, 1999)
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Editorial Review

While legends such as Billie Holiday and Count Basie made their greatest impact with visceral, blues-soaked statements, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington succeeded by lending their work unmatched grace and precision. This is a roundabout way of saying that no one is better suited to interpret the Duke than Ella, and the evidence is contained within these three CDs. Discs 1 and 3, recorded in June 1957, feature the support of the full Ellington band and are a complete joy, from Fitzgerald's terrific scat vocal on "Rockin' in Rhythm" through the extended four-part suite "Portrait of Ella Fitzgerlad," which adds Ellington's spoken observations and Billy Strayhorn's piano accents. However, the real highlight is the middle disc, recorded in the fall of that year, which finds Ella fronting a small band boasting Ellington's former tenor star Ben Webster. Most of this disc includes wonderful violin from Stuff Smith and supple guitar from Barney Kessel; the remaining cuts feature Oscar Peterson's trio. Of particular note are the three warming Ella-Kessel duets and the consistently charming work of Webster. By combining big-band and small-band sides, this collection emphasizes the flexibility of both Ellington's songs and Fitzgerald's interpretive powers. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (8)

Perfectly Imperfect
If you can only afford one Ella songbook set, make Ellington the one. Ella and Duke are perfectly matched. Having her sing with the composer is a unique feature of this set. There is an exuberant spontaneity here which is unmatched by any other songbook album. This mean that there are some imperfections and improvisations, and that's what jazz is. The material is fabulous. The obvious reciprocal adoration and respect of these two legends permeate everything. It is one of the all time great jazz albums ever. Not to be missed.

music of the heavens
This set is about as good as it gets. Most of it is Ella with Duke's band, and as you'd expect everything is A1. The arrangements are stellar, the solists complement Ella to perfection. The opening reeds on "I got it bad" make my hair stand on end every time. There is also some beautiful small group stuff, notably with Ben Webster and Stuff Smith, which also swings like hell. (Squatty Roo, Cottontail ...) Finally you get a lot of outtakes of Chelsea Bridge ... OK, it's filler stuff to some, but some of us find it interesting to hear how Duke would fine tune the sound of the band as he went along ...

The packaging sucks (those irritating cardboard sleeves where you can't get the bloody CD's out properly) ... but hey ... jewel cases are cheap ...

Rockin' In Rhythm...
I listened to the first track, Rockin' In Rhythm five or six times before going onto the second track; and experienced the delight of discovering something truly good and remarkable from two artists, about whom I thought I knew everything good and remarkable.Back in the 1970's I collected Ella songbooks on vinyl (Gershwin, Porter, Rogers & Hart), but never got around to the Ellington collection.How fortunate that I inadvertently saved this little gem for a rainy day.Listening to it is like discovering Ellington and Ella anew.Except with the added appreciation of a fan.I would never tire of Rockin' In Rhythm, so reliable a source of joy it is...my soul smiles for the privilege to witness this collaboration. ... Read more

Asin: B00000HYIC
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Swing    6. Traditional Pop    7. Vocal Jazz   

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
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Audio CD (24 June, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Long considered a jewel in Verve Records' very impressive crown, Fitzgerald's songbook collections of various composers--a series that was started by the success of this set--are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect with Cole Porter's erudite, urbane songs. While not as scat-oriented as her small group outings, these Porter sets offer her most realized pop performances.Also, the gold remastering does a fine job of bringing out the nuances in the arrangements, making this a treasure for the serious collector and the casual listener alike. A true American music gem. --Skip Heller ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Generally glorious Cole Porter collection from Fitzgerald
Though Irwin Winkler's 2004 Cole Porter biopic DE-LOVELY was a near-disaster in trying to explain what made Porter and his songs so special, it at least made me interested in hearing more of his music. It was in that spirit of adventure that I came upon this 2-disc collection of Cole Porter songs sung by the much-celebrated Ella Fitzgerald. The experience of hearing such great, unflashy singing and Porter's witty, sophisticated, and even sometimes touching music and lyrics (in some stellar orchestral arrangements) turned out to be quite memorable.

The booklet that accompanies this set has an essay from Fred Lounsberry, supposedly an expert on Cole Porter. He does an intriguing (if maybe overly academic) job of articulating what makes Porter's music so appealing. Read his essay to perhaps get the larger picture. For me, though...I just love the way that Porter writes all these songs about romance and love, and writes about it with such intelligence. In light of all the cheesy, cliched love ballads that seem to be proliferating on the radio airwaves (Hoobastank's power ballad "The Reason" is a nauseating recent example), who couldn't treasure words like "What is this thing called love? / This funny thing called love? / Just who can solve its mystery? / Why should it make a fool of me?" It was the mystery---and the pain---of love that Cole Porter so eloquently portrayed in many of his songs, and very few songwriters have done it better.

And very few artists have sung Porter's songs better than Ella Fitzgerald. Or, at least, I can hardly imagine many other artists (other than, maybe, Frank Sinatra) singing such a wide range of Porter with such consistency, versatility, and sheer polish. Listening to these recordings, you hardly doubt that both she and Porter were made for each other. Both bring wit and sophistication to their art without making a big show of themselves. Okay, I could imagine some listeners perhaps feeling that Fitzgerald's singing is slightly too aloof when a particular song demands something a little more emotionally intense. But, for me, I found her singing often thrilling anyway. In song after song, she shows a real sense of style, and certainly her diction is beyond reproach. You can understand every word she sings, and sometimes you can even feel those words, too. (Listen to the poignant "Miss Otis Regrets", Track 3 of Disc 1; you'll see what I mean.) Such clarity, style, and breathtaking control count for a lot with these multi-layered tunes; with Fitzgerald, you feel like you're listening to Cole Porter rather than hearing Ella Fitzgerald flashily dominating the substance of these wonderful songs. In a time when grotesque belting seems to pass for great singing (thank you, "American Idol," for making tastelessness in singing acceptable), it's almost refreshing to hear Ella Fitzgerald's stylish, un-pretentious, ego-free interpretations of these classic American songbook staples.

On a whole, "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook" offers nearly 2 hours of unadulterated pleasure. With so many songs offered here, it's amazing how consistently good these performances are; it's hard to pick a favorite, because they're almost all worthwhile. Almost. The only real dud I can find in this collection is "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" (Track 9, Disc 1); it is simply too slow for my taste. Fitzgerald and arranger Buddy Bregman seem to be trying to emphasize slow, sexy sultriness over the youthful impetuosity the lyrics imply; but, despite Fitzgerald's best efforts, the result simply sounds leaden. (Alanis Morrissette might have massacred the song in DE-LOVELY, but at least the much-faster tempo sounded more convincing there than the slow tempo does here.)

That, though, is the only real failure in a set that steps right much more often than it steps wrong. Perhaps you shouldn't restrict yourself to hearing only Ella Fitzgerald's take on these classic songs. Still, if you're interested in Cole Porter, you certainly can't go wrong with this set. At her best, Fitzgerald will help you understand what is so entrancing about Porter and his uniquely witty take on being in love in this world. Highly recommended.

Almost Perfect
Ella Fitzgerald's voice is flawless, without peer.That goes without saying.And these CDs showcase the beauty of her sound.I took off one star because I'm just a bit disappointed because some of these songs were written as exuberant show tunes (I think, I'm no expert), and Ms. Fitzgerald's voice is more suited to slow, sexy jazz numbers.For example, in my opinion, "Let's Do It" is a very funny ("sentimental centipedes do it!"), witty tune encouraging us all to have a little fun and fall in love.The version on this CD sounds like it's moving through molassas -- all the wit is drowned away in drowsy, hypnotic vocals.Ms. Fitzgerald's voice is pitch-perfect, her diction is technically flawless, but... I guess I wish she'd just cut loose once in awhile and give voice to the joy and sparkle of Mr. Porter's songs.That said, her voice is just too delicious to give less than 4 stars.Enjoy!

Unforgettable moment
This CD is a masterpiece, and Ella Fitzgerald's voice is like a dream. When she sings "Ev'ry Time We Say Good-Bye" it's a very moving moment -- very sad, but unforgettable... ... Read more

Asin: B0000047EG
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Swing    6. Tin Pan Alley Pop    7. Traditional Pop    8. Vocal Jazz   

Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 May, 1997)
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Editorial Review

Only Frank Sinatra has put his indelible stamp on as many pages of the American Popular Songbook as Ella Fitzgerald. But while Sinatra specialized in mood-themed albums (his composer-based collections were compiled from material already released), Fitzgerald's ambitious songbooks devoted themselves to one great songwriter after another: Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, and so on. Her two-volume Rodgers and Hart project ranks with the best, and if Buddy Bergman's arrangements are a bit sweeter than his Cole Porter settings, or Nelson Riddle's Gershwin treatments, they suit the material just fine. And what a wide range of material it is (with original verses intact!), intermingling novelty show tunes ("Give It Back to the Indians," "Johnny One Note"), sophisticated standards ("Manhattan," "Blue Moon," "The Lady Is a Tramp"), and lush ballads ("Isn't It Romantic," "It Never Entered My Mind"). But the most exquisite thing Fitzgerald ever recorded is her seven-minute "Bewitched" (a.k.a. "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered") on volume 2, casting a spell of hushed reverie that makes time stand still. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (14)

Been playing it for weeks!
I've had both CDs in this set in my car for weeks and I can't move on!The combination of Ella Fitzgerald's instrument and Rodgers and Hart's songs is incomparable.I also like the variety Buddy Bregman's arrangements add to the whole package.In my opinion, the hallmark of Rodgers and Hart is the smart, quirky lyrics and patterns, not to mention the beautiful melodies.Try "Dancing on the Ceiling" to see what I'm getting at. There's even a touch of the bawdy in that Ella does all of "Bewitched" (other artists usually sing about half); "Horizontally speaking, he's at his very best."Wow!Other standouts in this collection are "With a Song in My Heart," "Where or When" and of course, "My Funny Valentine."This may be the best CD I've bought in years.I could listen to it all day, oh wait, I do listen to it all day!

One ofthe Best!
One of the best! Buddy Bregman superbly arranges for Ella. He makes Johnny One Note & With a Song in My Heart fit her range while still being innovative & aesthetic. A major thing is that Sing For Your Supper, He Was to Good to Me, Falling in Love With Love, Glad to be Unhappy, Why Can't I, Nobody's Heart, Most Handsome Boy in the World, Tree In the Park, It's Gotta To Be Love, It's Easy to Remember, You Are Too Beautiful, You're Nearer, I'll Tell Man in the Street, Quiet Night, Where's That Rainbow, Lady Must Live, &I'd Like to Recognize the Tune should have been added to this set. What I'm saying is Rodger & Hart wrote a massive amount of great songs. Back whenI cassette taped my own Great American Songs Books by my favorite artists, I found out R&H had more songs recorded than any of their peers! It was easy to find great versions of their masterpieces! Ella & Buddy make this ***** by including forgotten treasure such as To Keep My Love Alive, about a female bluebeard, & Everything I've Got & I Wish I Were In Love Again. Those last 2 make S&M an underrated pastime. Hart could make a love song an intellectual or satirical excercise. Whenever his fellow lyricists tried, where they inspired by him? Did they suucced? Listen to Bewithced. What song so well covers the entire history of an affair? Was there any other song? Rodgerswas at least Hart's equal. Who could write such beautiful nonrepetitive melodies. Too many compsoers, old & new, just repeat the same melody. Actually, Hart got equal billing with Rodgers when lyricists were genarally subornate to composers. Producer & manager, Norman Granz, should have put into this R&H tribute the same massive care that the Gershwin set received. Those 17 missing songs& the instrumental Slaughter On 10th Avenue should have been in the set. Rogers & Hart songs are far superior to the Gerswhins' songs! To hear the magnificent 17, check Mel, Sassy, Carmen, Barbra, Judy, Eydie, Lena, & Maureen McGovern. Still, don't get me wrong, this is really a ********** gem.

These albums are for the ages.
One of the most important reasons to stay alive. ... Read more

Asin: B0000047EH
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Traditional Pop    6. United States of America    7. Vocal Jazz   

Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook
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Audio CD (28 October, 1997)
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Reviews (5)

What a difference a songbook makes!
Would Ella held onto her place in Americana if not for her songbooks? I love the majority of them. She may well been relegated to novelty singer because of her Decca material. Starting in 1956 new manager, Norman Granz, had her record on his own Verve label the best & most enduring of America's music. Ella recorded albums that will always be in stores, catalogs, & on line. Mainly, the Songbooks and Nelson Riddle arranged material. Every song here was not defintive but collectively they sparkled! Johnny Mercer wrote so many great lyrics & a few good melodies that had this been a bigger collection, like her massive Gershwin, it could had very well been *****.Other reasons it's only **** are the including of the medicore SINGLE-O & WHEN A WOMAN LOVES A MAN & Ella's flatness on DAY IN-DAY OUT & SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE. Still, Ella had class, diction, good taste when alllowed, & a great swinging flair.

THE MAN FROM SAVANNAGH
Now people read this, JOHNNY MERCER was probably AMERICA's most prolific songwriter.From 1930 to 1976 JOHNNY wrote more than 1,000 songs.He also sang with his good natured SOUTHERN accent and co-founded CAPITOL records.Still, many people don't know him apart from singers who sang his songs.You might not know it but you certainly have heard many of his songs : THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC,I'M AN OLD COWHAND FROM THE RIO GRANDE,MOONRIVER are only a few of them not present here.ELLA and conductor NELSON RIDDLE have chosen true swinging greats TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS,SOMETHING'S GOTTA LIVE but also some songs not often recorded like SINGLE-O and MIDNIGHT SUN.ELLA has recorded other MERCER songs in the HAROLD ARLEN SONGBOOKS

"Laura" and "Midnight Sun" hits!
The below review was mine from a long time ago, so I added it again under my name.

I haven't heard the rest of the album, but I'm going to give it a four just on the strength of "Laura" and "MidnightSun." Laura, a fine ballad from the superb film-noir classic, lives upto the film's standard with Ella's timeless vocal, along with a beautifularrangement. The repeating crescendo, representing the hypnotic tick of thegrandfather clock at the film's end, is what first pulls you in. Then,Ella's classic reading of the already descriptive lyric puts image afterglorious image in your head. The arrangement, gentle as a breeze, takes onits own life without upstaging her, and as she hold that last note andtrails off, you'll want more, you'll want to hear it again, and as I did,you'll almost certainly play it once more.

"Midnight Sun"almost rises to the level of "Laura." The classic tunepopularized by swing-era vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, was given a trulyclassic lyric by Johnny Mercer that should go down in music history, ifonly for the incredible rhyming job ("Your lips were like a red andruby CHALICE/Warmer than the summer night/The clouds were like an alabasterPALACE/Rising to a snowy height/Each star its own Aurora BOREALIS/Suddenlyyou held me tight/And I saw the midnight sun..."). Ella masterfully(as always) guides herself through the words, singing them so well that,once again, you can see what's happening. And, as an added bonus, there's avibe accompaniment, as a nod to Hamilton. Both of these are among her veryfinest work and should be near the top of her "Very Best" list. ... Read more

Asin: B0000047G2
Sales Rank: 64476
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Swing    6. Traditional Pop    7. Vocal Jazz   

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook
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Audio CD (09 October, 2001)
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Editorial Review

Recorded in 1960 and '61, this is one of the last and very best of Fitzgerald's songbooks spotlighting individual composers. Arlen's lyrical songs,filled with bluesy touches and abstractions from the blues form, are perfectjazz fodder (he wrote for Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club, circa 1930), andbeautiful tunes in their own right. Fitzgerald is in peak voice; she's attentiveto the nuances of soulful lyrics (Ira Gershwin's "The Man That Got Away"), andlightly teases some witty ones (like Johnny Mercer's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate thePositive"). Billy May's big-band arrangements are models of self-effacingfleetness--punchy without hysteria, smooth without syrup--and enlivened by altosaxophonist Benny Carter and trumpeter Don Fagerquist. But May also brings adelicate sensibility to introductory verses, interludes, and tender ballads.Strings on a few tracks are for variety, not window-dressing. Arlen's gracefulAmerican art songs have never had a better showcase--even if they could haveskipped "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead." --Kevin Whitehead ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (6)

A timeless recording!
One of Ella's & this series' best! I never thought Ms. Fitzgerald could take on the challenge of doing a complete Harold Arlen set so successfully. I use to think a belter like Judy Garland could only do his melodies justice. I was wrong! Here, Ella showed that good taste & restraint works just as well! Don't get me wrong, Ella still used projection & dramactics to display the needed emotion for each song but she did it subtlety. She never overwhelmed which critics of Ethel Merman would say.Now to the songs! There are several I didn't know until I heard this tribute. Let's Take a Walk Around the Block sure romaticized the depreesion. Ella surely knew how to have fun with this dated song & still keep it fresh. This Time the Dreams on Me, which is also on the Johnny Merecr Songbook, makes me say they don't write them like that anymore. Arlen & Mercer were unbeatable. Why can't sophisticated love lyrics like that be written as often today.The classics on these 2 discs, which there are many, have never been done better! Blues In the Night opens the set with a 7 minute version that never gets boring. This was before Hey Jude & American Pie. I've never heard Ella in better voice, belting out the song in an original arrangement of this overdone but fabulous song! Accentuate the Positive is joy, gospel, & glorious pop all wrapped together. Both songs with opposite moods show how versatile Ella's singing was. With everyone knowing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, it took Ella to record it. Why didn't Verve release it orginally? Ella has has much fun with this dark novelty song as she must have had with her own sweeter but tragic A Tisket A Tasket. Fitzgerald is up there on the fun tunes. I must mention arranger Billy May doing the impossible of taking a big band & having them deliver an unique, fresh, creative, bright & brassy back-up jazz sound. Only the saxes on My Shining Hour sounds out of place. Another complaint is thatsongs such as Right as the Rain & Anyplace I Hang My Hat should have been included. Still, so many Arlen masterpieces are.In conclusion, if one desirestimeless material done by a timeless artist; this double album is it.

Ella, and Billy May...
Tonight I played the album which made me a devoted Ella Fitzgerald fan; it is Ella Fitzgerald sings the Harold Arlen Songbook. From the first time I played the LP my father left me, I loved her voice, and the atmosphere on this particular recording. I liked the swinging but sophisticated arrangements by Billy May. And right now when I switch my music off, I read on the Internet Billy May has passed away. He has the age for it (87), but it is a great loss anyway, although I didn't know he was still with us.
Ella sings beautiful (especially on the second dis): Over the Rainbow, Happiness is just a thing called Joe, One for my baby, the man that got away... listen to them; learn to love Ella, and think of Billy May... both their genius are somewhere over the rainbow now.

ELLA AND BILLY MAY
If you don't know other songbooks from the ELLA's 16 collection,you might enjoy those two cds a lot.But many of those excellent songs have been covered so well by the likes of SINATRA,GARLAND etc.that you are bound to be disapointed.ELLA is not at ease with with BILLY MAY's driving orchestral direction.Compare MAY's wonderful work with ANITA O'DAY(SWINGS COLE PORTER)to experience the difference.It's simply a mismatch.However,if you don't pay attention to these sorts of details,you can buy it eyes closed,because no songbook of ELLA is without interest.THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC and BLUES IN THE NIGHT were allready famous songs at that time;GET HAPPY will forever be associated with JUDY GARLAND.My favorite here is MY SHINING HOUR.A medium FITZGERALD can still be a crowd pleaser. ... Read more

Asin: B00005N6T2
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop    3. Standards    4. Traditional Pop    5. Vocal Jazz   

Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (14 November, 2000)
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Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (2)

Bluest of Skies
Ella is superlative. We know that. Berlin's tunes neither have the wry urban sophistication of Porter nor the jazzy complexity of Ellington, but they have a compelling simplicity and honesty. Ella's versions are the best out there. In fact, "Blue Skies" is in my mind one of the top five Ella songs, and that says a great deal indeed. There are many standouts here, including "Putting on the Ritz", which is a great party song. Enjoy!

How Can You Miss With Ella And Berlin
This handsomely repackaged collection of 32 masterfully crafted songs by American composer Irving Belin stands as part of the greatest body of work produced by any 20th century popular singer. In compiling her monumental songbook collection Fitzgerald paid tribute to America's "big five", Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. She also recorded the works of Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer and Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, superb but arguably second tier composers.

Of the "big five", Berlin is admittedly the most sentimental and perhaps least urbane. Where Richard Rogers could tell of ladies playing craps, (The Lady Is A Tramp) and Cole Porter could write of sniffing cocaine, (I Get A Kick Out Of You) and illicit love, (Love For Sale) Berlin was content to praise the joys of Easter Bonnets, White Christmas and Alexander's Ragtime Band. But let's not forget his more than capable hand at romance with the likes of Cheek To Cheek, Blue Skies and I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.

As with all of Ella's songbooks, the arrangements, the selections and of course her superlative styling make this essential listening. I do have a preference for the Cole Porter and Rogers & Hart songbooks, but this collection still rates five stars. How could you miss with Ella and Berlin? ... Read more

Asin: B000050J5Y
Sales Rank: 93626
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Traditional Pop    6. Vocal Jazz   

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
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Reviews (10)

Good album but way too short
I own most of Ella Fitzgerald'ssongbooks on CD so I was happy to add this to my collection.The only problem with it isthat it's way too short.Unlike most of Ella's other songbooks this one only has 12 tunes. Lesserknown songs such as `Let's Begin','I'll Be Hard to Handle','You Couldn't Be Cuter' and `Remind Me' would have been fine on a two LP collection of 25+ songs but here they take the place of standards like "Long Ago and Far Away", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" and The Folks Who Live On The Hill.

The folks at Verve could have at last added "I Won't Dance" and "Pick Yourself Up" from "Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson"as bonus tracks to fill in the CD.Both albums were recorded around the same time so there is no difference in the sound of Ella's voice or Nelson Riddle's arranging style.

Don't underate this!
One must laugh when reading these 8 reviews. If only all albums had this much artistry & care! While 3/4 of the reviews are *****, the comments would make one think it was rated much lower. One comment states her range was better on the Mecrer Songbook but she really goes flat on Day In Day Out. Another comment is that her Berlin Songbook is farbetter but I feel that one was her worst songbook. She was mismatched with the Berlin material. Reallly! It'a all personal taste! Ella didn't have the range of Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gorme, Jane Morgan or Shirley Bassey but she had other great talents. In the later years when other singers would have beenin their declines, Ella smartly picked a new manager & better quality songs & arrangements. She also kept her voice in tact as long as possible. No one singer has all the great qualities. She had so much variety in being able to do scat, straight jazz, pop, blues, & satire. She gave us knowledge of many great songs that would have been otherwise left forgotten. From this cd, She Didn't Say Yes, & I'll Be Hard To Handle are musts to any collection. I can't think of any singer who could have done those 2 better. Ella coud really swing & dramatize at same time. Not many could. I'm surprised no mentioned the at 1st 6 songs are better than the last 6. Here I think arranger Nelson Riddle was doing straight forward pop arrngements for the side A of the orginial lp & being adventurous with the B side. While I see how one may not like Way You Look Tonight, I give it ***** for an unique arrangement. In those days too many songshad to end in 3 minutes. This was allowed time to paint a complete canvas. If one wants a great introduction to a great American composer, start with this, please.

Classic album, masterly treatment, but all too brief.
Ella's Kern collection, with the singer in peak form backed by splendidly jazzy Nelson Riddle arrangements, is an essential component of her complete Verve Songbook masterwork, and a triumph of content over form.Coming late in the series, the project unfortunately received short shrift as a single-LP album whereas two or more discs had been the norm for prior Songbooks.While the songs themselves are an adequate sampling of Kern standards, there is simply not enough space on one disc to do justice to Kern's wealth of composition.A multi-disc boxed set (similar to Fitzgerald's grandiose Gershwin and Ellington Songbooks), with material ranging from extensive selections from Show Boat and Roberta to lesser-known gems from the P. G. Wodehouse Princess Theater shows, would have been ideal for Kern; but alas! this was not to be, as the Verve Songbook series was then perceived as having run its course.The magnificent performances of Fitzgerald and the Riddle orchestra more than atone for this unintended slight to a great American composer.Whatever its shortcomings, the album is not to be missed by followers of the artists, Kern, musical theatre or the American popular song. ... Read more

Asin: B0000046X8
Sales Rank: 7411
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Traditional Pop    6. Vocal Jazz   

Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Gershwin Songbook
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 May, 1998)
list price: $67.98 -- our price: $67.98
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Editorial Review

George and Ira Gershwin are probably the songwriters who have contributed the most standards to the American repertory, and Fitzgerald covers pretty much all of them in this mammoth enterprise. (The 53 songs were recorded in 1959 and originally came out in a five- LP box set.) Considering the scope of this collection, naming titles would be futile: rest assured that your favorite Gershwin tune is likely to be included. The singer's well-known versatility and musicality are in evidence, but what's especially amazing is the complete symbiosis between her and arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle. Fresh off injecting a shot of swing into Sinatra's career, Riddle enhances Fitzgerald's vocals rather than overwhelming her, and Fitzgerald, in turn, is stimulated by the musicians percolating behind her. Pure genius. --Elisabeth Vincentelli ... Read more

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (19)

Ella + Gershwin = Pure Magic
I've been reviewing a lot of Gershwin CDs this week, mainly the historical sets of Gershwin's own recordings of Rhapsody in Blue, the Piano Concerto in F, the first-ever American in Paris, the 1935 original Porgy & Bess excerpts, etc.Those are all must-have CDs for any Gershwin lover, and so is this wonderful 4-disc set with Ella singing 53 songs to Nelson Riddle's very classy accompaniments.Not everything here is a "best-ever" - I still prefer Billie Holiday and Old Blue Eyes in "You Can't Take That Away From Me" - but this great-sounding Verve set is simply THE one to have of George & Ira's Songbook.

Highly recommended.

Too Much Too Bland
It's too bad that about 12 of the songs were on this set. Ella & Nelson can't make those 12 listenable. I feel that this isfar too costly for its mediocrity. It does have great stuff on it but not enough! Her Oh Lady Be Good is well worth it because of containing only great Gershwin.I do love My Cousin In Milwaukee which describes Ella's singing style. OK, MILWAUKEE IS MY HOME TOWN. Rather, than this, Ella's Rodgers & Hart Songbook deserves to have been a massive box set: 51 songs plus the instrumental Slaughter on 10th Ave.

Remote and controlled
After all the fun, humour, sex and emotion of the Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington songbooks I couldn't wait to hear this. I'm disappointed. I love Ella above all other performers, but in this set she seems very subdued and so little of her sense of fun or mischief is in evidence thatI find it hard to believe that she enjoyed making these recordings. The heavy reverb with which her voice is recorded also increases the sense of remoteness.
The reponsibility lies with Nelson Riddle who plays just about everything too darned slow! A song that epitomises this is "They Can't Take That Away From Me", which is a fun swing, romantic song that could have been written for Ella, but here performed at flat-lining pace in the search for a heart rending ballad perhaps?
All you who love this album, please forgive me, but I'd love to know what you make of the other songbooks, do you find them wild and unrestrained?
I nevertheless give it 3 stars, because some of the songs are really worth remembering and it is still Ella after all. ... Read more

Asin: B000006P6L
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop