a relatively little-known Fitzgerald treasure

These live duets with Joe Pass and, even more wonderful, with Ellis Larkins are for me among the highlights of Ella's amazing career. The subtlety, imagination, and ease of these performances have stayed in my mind for over twenty years. Not everything on these discs is up to this standard, though the sleepy, sensual phrasing of INDIAN SUMMER, glowing with pleasure, is pretty amazing too.

One of my Favorite Live Albums

This is a wonderful live album. Recorded toward the end of Ella's career, by concert's end it is apparent that she has about lost her voice, but not the audience's adoration. The album showcases her in various settings: with the (obviously) reconstituted Chick Webb Orchestra, with Ellis Larkins, with Joe Pass and with Tommy Flanagan (of course); the album also has some nods to the Webb Orchestra, noteworthy for late-career blowing by "Lockjaw" Davis. Highlights: "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Good Morning Heartache" (an intended and most worthy tribute to Lady Day), "Miss Otis Regrets," the first encore of "Some of these Days," and intended set-ender of Ella doing what she does best, scatting through "Lemon Drop." I loved this when it came out on l.p., 30 years ago, but I love the c.d. even more because it better captures the ambience of this "Lioness in Winter" concert. Highly recommended.

There are some gems here

This a two-cd set, and despite the fact that the title makes you think it's all Ella, it's not. She sings a number or two at the beginning and then comes back for the second set of the evening. The rest of Disk 1 is a recreation of the Chick Webb band (where Ella got her start) and has some good moments. Disk 2 contains most of Ella's songs. Carmen MacRae gives Ella a warm introduction, and you can tell that they respected one another. There are some contemporary and pop songs that I enjoyed ("What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye, for example) but that I can understand that a jazz purist would dislike. For me the reason to get this is her interpretation of "Good Morning Heartache." It's fabulous. I personally think it is as good as Billie's. It's much more musical than Billie's version, and yet Ella also brings out the ache and longing of the words. She is really passionate here, and the audience goes crazy at the end. I would have too, had I been there. Her performance is great. Ella sang this song in the studio in the early sixties, but this live version is by far the better. Her version of "Down in the Depths" here is quite good too. And she sings the Streisand standard "People" with an honesty, simplicity, and purity that would totally elude Barbra. If you love Ella, as I do, then I would tell you to buy this.