Search - Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong :: Porgy & Bess

Cheapo Digital Remaster of this classic American Musical

ChrisWN | Santa Cruz, CA | 06/19/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a teenager, I grew up on punk & new wave, but when CDs were first issued, I realized I'd probably be getting into classical & jazz as I'd get older (which turned out to be true). Porgy & Bess has to be the most seminal work of American Musical Theater, probably because it blends classical & jazz so well. This recording is also the best version of Porgy & Bess, as it documents Ella & Louis at their absolute best, no other recording matches their vocal feats. It was sheer chance that the original German issue (AAD) was the first classical/jazz CD I ever bought when CDs were first coming out. I keep coming back to it & have never tired of it, however over the years the original CD sounded a bit lackluster in comparison to many other reissues from the same era. So, I was quite excited to see that this has been digitally remastered (24 bit). Comparing the 2 recordings, the new one not only sounds louder, it is also more detailed & brighter, almost stunning. Nonetheless, I am a bit disappointed with this release. First off, it is a regular CD. To provide the full capacity of 24 bit/96 KHz remastering, this really should have been released as an SACD, DVD-A or Blu Ray audio disc. Another disappointment is that there is no bonus material. I find it hard to believe there wasn't more recorded at the time that could have been added to a second disc (or even fill out 80 minutes); this disc is actually 2 seconds shorter than the original issue (probably just pauses cut shorter). The other big disappointment is that the CD is housed in a cheap cardboard digipak. Mine has already bended. the original came with a fairly well detailed 20+ page booklet that outlined details of the theater piece itself, comments on the lyrics, & info on the recording along with some pictures of the time. This reissue contains almost no information on the recording or remastering whatsoever."

Satchmo and Ella do the Gershwin

Nikica Gilic | Zagreb, Croatia | 04/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Armstrong and Ella work fine here (which is to be expected), the material suits them more than one would expect - particularly Armstrong gets down and dirty with his voice and gloriously pompose with his trumpet.



So, why only 4 stars? Weeell... Gershwin's material often falls between classic and jazz or between pop and jazz and this is the case in point; I simply feel that Russell Garcia's arrangements are not completely up to the task of inspiring Armstrong and Ella, or even to the task of letting them breeth. I like Gershwin the best when he is jazzed up by the giants such as Satchmo, Ella, Teddy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis...



Another thing - if Garcia is only the conductor, not the arranger, you can't blame me for making the mistake since the 2008 CD (or at least the copy I purchased) doesn't have a booklet with significant info (not to mention a picture or two of the stars of this album).



Still, this is a very nice listening experience, although with Armstrong and Ella it could have been much, much more than that. There should be a lot of FIRE, only hinted at some of the these performances."

It's the best

F. Morris Rosman | Southern California | 06/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's see, Ella and Louis and Gershwin...how could music get better than this? Take the classic score and Ella's melodious voice, and you get perfection. If you love Porgy and Bess - you'll never hear better renditions of the songs than on this album."