Search - Ella Fitzgerald :: Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas

Ella On Capital

James Fenos | Columbus, OH United States | 11/19/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is Ella's second holiday offering and her second lp recorded for Capital. On Ella's first holiday album she focused on upbeat joyful secular tunes, here she switches to an all religious theme and the category changes from jazz to traditional. Ella is backed by orchestra and choir and the finished sound is still a bit spartian, not as lush as one would expect. Ella's voice was beginning to change a bit, her vibrato becoming a bit deeper and yet powerful with a bit more emotion; she still sounds young on these songs, a standout track is her tender reading of "Silent Night."

This cd was remixed and remastered in 1990, then again on the Blue Note label in the late '90's, again in 2004 as a double package with her religious Capital debut "Brighten The Corner" as disc "B" with no bonus tracks on any re-issues but changed cover art and like her "Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas" was arranged and produced in 1967 by Ralph Carmichael who also produced Nat "King" Cole's Christmas lp which explains the similar sound between the two Christmas albums.

Coupled with Ella's first holiday cd "Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas" a pretty comprehensive collection of traditional carols sung by the greatest female singer will be had, even if the styles of the two greatly differ from one another."

NOT jazz, and definitely not Ella at her best

Eric A. Isaacson | San Diego, CA USA | 12/29/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a recording of Ella singing Christmas standards and singing 'em straight. It is NOT jazz. And it most definitely is not Ella at her best.



Ella enhances the Christmas standards with her clear beautiful voice, and some of the tunes here are done beautifully - "The First Noel," for example. "God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen" comes off all right too, even if Ella isn't allowed to swing it.



The choral arrangements backing her on many other tunes are a real annoyance. The additional voices just get in the way.



This is a disappointing collection, in all. For Ella's genius was as a jazz singer, and little of that genius comes through here. "Joy to the World" is a glimmering exception, where Ella was afforded just a little leeway in her phrasing, and manages briefly to get out in front of an otherwise overbearing chorus.



But if what you want is a jazzy rendition for the holidays, one that lets Ella swing things a bit, check out Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas, remastered and re-released with six more songs as Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas [Remastered]



Eric Alan Isaacson"