Search - Ella Fitzgerald :: Best of the Concert Years: Trios & Quartets

CONCERT MASTERPIECE SAMPLER~BRAVO ELLA!!!

Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 09/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Luckily I attended the concert that was taped at the Santa Monica Civic in 1972 where this brillant collection starts and Ella Fitzgerald was at her peak in every way with the incomparable Tommy Flanagan on piano and from Marvin Gaye's classic "What's Going On" (which is not on this collection) to Cole Porter's "Night And Day", Ella is clearly in peak form going from soft and tender to the thrilling heights of her wonderous voice with no apparent effort!!! "Night And Day" has never sounded this incredibly expansive and is a thrilling ride on a voice unlike any other and is a reason alone for getting this great collection as it is one of Ella's shining moments for all time as is "Little White Lies" from the same great concert that is Ella at her sublime best. Next is a hypnotic Ella in Tokyo back in 1953 weaving her magical spell on the Billie Holiday "Body And Soul" making it a heavenly listening experience. "Why Don't You Do Right?" is surprisingly funky and "Oh Lady, Be Good" is a wildly rhythmic version of this classic being very loose and soulful. A beautifully earthy "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) is a glorious vocal and followed by a high-octane "How High The Moon" then its torch time with a gorgeous "My Funny Valentine" which features no less than Herb Ellis on guitar and Ray Brown on Bass!!! Off to New York in 1967 with the Jimmy Jones Trio, "It's Only A Paper Moon" is another up-tempo amazing cooker while "Daydream" expores in a haunting fashion every great facet of this legendary singers miraculous voice in a unique way that is memorable. Bluesy and soulful on "If I Could Be With You", Ella finishes her New York set with a loose and cooking "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" where her scatting illustrates why it is legendary and beyond compare! Closing this satisfying collection is a winning set from Tokyo in 1983, and "Willow Weep For Me" is extraordinary with Ella giving this classic a masterful reading that is thrilling while a swinging "All Of Me" features a loose and soulful Ella taking scatting to new and extraordinary heights! "Blue Moon" is rich and mellow flowing into the enchanting "They Can't Take That Away From Me" then closing with a superb "'Round Midnight" which is a rewarding finale to a spectacular collection of classics with Ella at her peak. Bravo Ella and we miss you alot but do not miss this sampler concert collection as it contains some of Ella's greatest performances!"

The lady came to life on the stage, and here she is...

William E. Adams | Midland, Texas USA | 03/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a complilation of Ella's better stage performances between 1953 and '83, so automatically, one knows that it is mostly uptempo stuff, with a lot of scatting. If you prefer Ella doing ballads, try the "Songbook" series, or another of her multitude of studio albums. On this CD, we get 66 minutes and 17 tracks. For the price, it is a fine choice, although my personal preference is for her "Ella In Berlin" album. I wonder why the producers did not assemble these songs in chronological order, or even reverse chronology? Instead, we begin with two tracks from a 1972 date in California, when Ella was backed by the Tommy Flanagan trio. Then we get six songs from a Tokyo concert in 1953, followed by four tunes recorded in New York in 1967. The concluding segment is a group of five selections, again from Tokyo, but in 1983. Some wonderful lyrics are offered here: Night and Day, Little White Lies, Body and Soul, How High the Moon, My Funny Valentine, Paper Moon, Blue Moon, All of Me, and Thelonious Monk's 'Round Midnight. I only knock off one star due to the fact that hearing Ella do a full concert in one or two nights, as with "The Complete Ella in Berlin" has more emotional thrill to it than does listening to her voice age 30 years and her accompaniment change so much within only an hour's time. But this is Ella, after all, and most of the recordings available of her in the '50's and 60's are quite worthwhile."