The Very Best Of The Duke Ellington Song Book

Performer: Ella Fitzgerald
Producer: Norman Granz; Richard Seidel (Compilation); Harry Weinger (Compilation)
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel (guitar); Stuff Smith (violin); Harry Carney (clarinet, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Frank Foster, Paul Gonsalves, Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Harold Baker, Ray Nance, Willie Cook, Cat Anderson (trumpet); Quentin Jackson, John Derek Sanders, Britt Woodman (trombone); Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Paul Smith (piano); Jimmy Woode, Joe Mondragon, Ray Brown (bass guitar); Alvin Stoller, Sam Woodyard (drums). Aided by the presence of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn themselves, as well as such jazz legends as the trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and the pianist Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald's interpretations of the Ellington songbook display the singer at the height of her powers. Whether scat-singing her way through a classic big-band arrangement of "Take the 'A' Train," conjuring the romantic loneliness of "Solitude" in a lovely guitar-accompanied version, or gently protesting her innocence on an arch, sparsely arranged "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," the First Lady of Song demonstrates her unassuming musical mastery and subtle vocal grace.

Through unparalleled ability and judicious choice of repertoire, Ella Fitzgerald became the foremost female interpreter of the 20th-century Great American Popular Song Book. With producer Norman Granz she worked on the "songbook" series, placing on record definitive performances of the work of America's leading songwriters. Fitzgerald had a wide vocal range, but her voice retained a youthful, light vibrancy throughout the greater part of her career, bringing a fresh and appealing quality to most of her material, especially her scat singing. While there are still numerous excellent artists whose work has been strongly influenced by Fitzgerald, the social and artistic conditions that helped to create America's First Lady of Song no longer exist, and it seems highly unlikely that we shall ever see or hear her like again.

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