I know I’ve featured Ella Fitzgerald in a couple of Battles of the Bands (and she lost both times), but didn’t realize I hadn’t done a Two for Tuesday on her in all this time. Which I think is weird, because two of my favorite albums are by her (her Cole Porter and Jerome Kern songbooks) and, late in her life, she worked with one of the quintessential jazz guitarists, Joe Pass. And who could forget her work with Louis Armstrong in the Sixties?
Rather than trying to tell her story (which you can read on Wikipedia, like I usually end up doing), I’m just going to share a couple of songs from the two songbook albums I have. First is “You Do Something To Me,” from Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook. Fans of the movie Blazing Saddles (admit it, you know you are) will recognize some of the lyrics.
Second is “All The Things You Are,” from Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Jerome Kern Songbook. Kern wrote this with Oscar Hammerstein II. Ella is accompanied by Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra. Beginning jazz guitarists learn this song as an example of the ii-V7-I progression.
Ella Fitzgerald, your Two for Tuesday, November 29, 2016.
These songs remind me of something that might be played in the background of one of the Rat Pack movies! Love that stuff. I think I was born a little too late sometimes.
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Remember the Memorex commercials, where she broke a glass with a high note? She was amazing. Her version of “Mack the Knife” won a Grammy, even though she forgot the lyrics. She scatted and made up words through it. It’s on her “Ella In Berlin” album.
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Mmm, very nice. She’s one of my “doin stuff around the house’ artists. Now and again, I gotta stop and sing, or even wave a bit, but she’ll get you through even the worst chores 🙂
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The minute you hear her voice, you know it’s her. She was such an “up” person, you can’t hear her and stay in a bad mood. Try it sometime.
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Two great songs that bring back memories. Instrumental versions of both songs were on records my parents used to own and I always loved those haunting melodies.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
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That’s what makes them standards. Not every song Porter, Kern et al. wrote became a standard, but most of them did.
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Great selection.
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Fantastic choices. Thank you so much for sharing.
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Glad you liked them!
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What a voice!
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