For Lovers of Swing

Absolultely priceless. Ella was always impressive when she had someone to impress, as her collaborations with Satch, Duke, and Louis Jordan prove. This 1963 studio date is certainly a winner. The scat exchange on "Honeysuckle Rose" shows that Ella is in a playful mood. Her phrasing throughout the album is inventive and she eloquently re-melodicizes classic standards like "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street". "Tea for Two" is a lesson in sweet sincerity. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" makes Mama Cass actually seem mediocre and once you hear Ella and Basie do "Deed I Do" it is likely no other version will ever satisfy. Basically (or Basie-cally) the entire album is like a big advertisement for the glory days of swing. God Bless Norman Granz.

One of the best combinations ever conceived!

I wore out the LP, and probably the 7" open reel tape at the Rochester (NY) Public Library when I was a kid. Now that I'm a touch over 40, I still think that this was one of the finest jazz records ever made. Mr. Granz (up in heaven with all the greats), thank you very, very much for this wonderful aggregation of musical delights.

what more could you sak for?

I haven't heard this album in a couple of years and I can still hear every note in my head. A classic.