In the Still of the Night - Ella Fitzgerald, Parris, F.
I Get a Kick Out of You
Do I Love You
Always True to You in My Fashion
Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
Just One of Those Things
Ev'ry Time We Say Good-Bye
All of You
Begin the Beguine
Get Out of Town
I Am in Love
From This Moment On
There have probably never been a singer and a songwriter as perfect for each other as Ella and Cole, and this delicious, inexhaustibly delightful album is the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's career, not to mention one of the most... more » likeable records ever made. Porter's songs were wry, sly and as sexy as he could get away with; over Buddy Bregman arrangements that have the good sense to stay out of the way, Ella delivers them with absolute grace and wit, savoring the words' erudite jokes but integrating them into her playful, technically astonishing swing. The Cole Porter Songbook--augmented with three illuminating alternate takes in this rerelease--works as jazz, as Broadway, and as an example of what a great vocalist can do with the right lyric. --Douglas Wolk« less
There have probably never been a singer and a songwriter as perfect for each other as Ella and Cole, and this delicious, inexhaustibly delightful album is the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's career, not to mention one of the most likeable records ever made. Porter's songs were wry, sly and as sexy as he could get away with; over Buddy Bregman arrangements that have the good sense to stay out of the way, Ella delivers them with absolute grace and wit, savoring the words' erudite jokes but integrating them into her playful, technically astonishing swing. The Cole Porter Songbook--augmented with three illuminating alternate takes in this rerelease--works as jazz, as Broadway, and as an example of what a great vocalist can do with the right lyric. --Douglas Wolk
"With the exception of Miss Otis Regrets which is too slow for my taste, these songs are all sung impeccably. The combination of Porter's incredibly witty and daring lyrics, great arrangements, and Ella's crystal clear voice and brilliant phrasing make for a great record. She may not be emotional like Billie Holiday but in my book between the purity of the voice and her timing and phrasing noone does it like Ella (for example, in Always True to You in My Fashion Ella just KNOWS that the key verse is the one beginning "There's an oilman known as Tex" so she gives it a different emphasis. The sound quality is phenomenal too."
PORTER'S LYRICS SANG BY THE FIRST LADY OF SONG!
scotsladdie | 12/06/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ella's superb interpretations of Porter's songs are truly something which no lover of popular music can resist; from "Begin the Beguine" to "Love for Sale"(v.II) these songs are timelessly sophisticated and no one can sing them as beautifully as Ella! A must!"
Sublime
scotsladdie | 09/26/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Holy mackerel, no one's reviewed this yet?! If you get one Ella Fitzgerald record, this is it. She personified warmth, nowhere better than on this record. Oh, and by the way, I'd never realized how thoroughly Cole Porter has penetrated American culture until I listened to this record a couple dozen times. To this day, Cole Porter is part of the background music of American life, and that's because of this record."
First Lady of Song and Great American Songwriter
Donald Beale | 03/31/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ella's first album in the celebrated Songbook series done for Verve is still one of my favorites. Who could resist Ella's pure voice coupled with Cole Porter's wonderful melodies? The warmth and sweetness of Ella's voice comes through in "All Through the Night," "Do I Love You?," and her incomparable rendition of "Miss Otis Regrets." Other songs swing, such as "Anything Goes" and "Too Darn Hot." I've heard criticisms that the orchestra fails to match the top-notch arrangements of some of the later Songbooks accompanied by other bandleaders, but Buddy Bregman is no hack. The real stars here are Ella and Cole Porter. I never hear one of these songs performed without comparing it to Ella's version. This album is timeless and beautful."
The best of both
Damian P. Gadal | Santa Barbara, CA USA | 02/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you're a Cole Porter fan and an Ella Fitzgerald fan, you get the best of both worlds here. Her interpretations of Mr. Porter's songs make this a listening delight and so darn hot!"