Sings the Standards [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
20 track collection including 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco', 'Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)', 'These Foolish Things', 'Red Sails In The Sunset', 'Lover Man' & many more. EMI. 2003.

Sings the Standards, Music, Dinah Washington, Ballads, Jazz, Jazz Vocals, Pop, Standards, Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz
Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • I Love Ella in Paris!
  • A Best Seller in Heaven
  • The First Lady of Song Sings Cole Porter Gems
  • I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!
  • new ella fitzgerald fan
 Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:
  1. Oh, Lady, Be Good! Best of the Gershwin Songbook
  2. Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
  3. Pure Ella: The Very Best of Ella Fitzgerald
  4. Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook
  5. Sinatra Sings Cole Porter

ASIN: B0000047EG
Release Date: 1997-06-24

Tracks:

  1. All Through The Night
  2. Anything Goes
  3. Miss Otis Regrets
  4. Too Darn Hot
  5. In The Still Of The Night
  6. I Get A Kick Out Of You
  7. Do I Love You?
  8. I'm Always True To You In My Fashion
  9. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
  10. Just One Of Those Things
  11. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
  12. All Of You
  13. Begin The Begiune
  14. Get Out Of Town
  15. I Am In Love
  16. From This Moment On

Tracks:

  1. I Love Paris
  2. You Do Something To Me
  3. Ridin' High
  4. Easy To Love
  5. It's All Right With Me
  6. Why Can't You Behave?
  7. What Is This Thing Called Love?
  8. You're The Top
  9. Love For Sale
  10. It's De-Lovely
  11. Night And Day
  12. Ace In The Hole
  13. So In Love
  14. I've Got You Under My Skin
  15. I Concentrate On You
  16. Don't Fence Me In
  17. You're The Top (Alternative Take)
  18. I Concentrate On You (Alternative Take)
  19. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) (Alternative Take)

Amazon.com

Long considered a jewel in Verve Records' very impressive crown, Fitzgerald's songbook collections of various composers--a series that was started by the success of this set--are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect with Cole Porter's erudite, urbane songs. While not as scat-oriented as her small group outings, these Porter sets offer her most realized pop performances. Also, the gold remastering does a fine job of bringing out the nuances in the arrangements, making this a treasure for the serious collector and the casual listener alike. A true American music gem. --Skip Heller

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I Love Ella in Paris!.......2007-01-30

I received this CD for Christmas. I never listened to
another Christmas carol after this started playing.
This not only has Ella's great vocals, but it has songs
that everyone, at least everyone of my age, knows
and loves. On a trip to Paris we listened
to it every evening in our apartment while sipping our wine and watching
the barges glide down the Seine. When Ella sang "I Love
Paris", that did it for my friend. She bought it as soon as she got back home.

5 out of 5 stars A Best Seller in Heaven.......2007-01-06

The de-lightful-est! The de-lovely-est! It doesn't get better than this!

Vaishali, Naples, FL

5 out of 5 stars The First Lady of Song Sings Cole Porter Gems.......2006-12-13

"In Ella Fitzgerald there is a basic purity of sound and of style; she sings truly and she sings honestly. She is the Hemingway of the singers. Is there another singer alive today whose work, like Hemingway, is so basic and simple on the surface and yet so meaningful? There are none, of course. In the jargon Hemingway loves so well, today it is Ella, the champion, against the field." ~ Norman Granz ~

"What it is we recognize and enjoy as distinctively "Cole Porter" in Cole Porter lyric? Actually there are many great things in Porter lyrics and this gives them a continuing charm by always giving us something new to discover. But there is a key trait or quality that is paramount in a Porter lyric. It is intelligence that is the reigning force in Porter, putting all his facts, facilities and philosophies into the right balance to make good entertainment. And that, after all, is his purpose." ~ Fred Lounsberry ~

This two-CD-set presents the very best of Cole Porter songs as interpreted by the legendary songbird, Ella Fitzgerald at her best, and arranged and conducted by Buddy Bregman so remarkably wonderful. It's one of the best-ever Songbook series she recorded. This set offers a compilation of the most popular Cole Porter gems from stage shows and motion pictures from 1929 thru 1954, except for one track, "Miss Otis Regrets," which is neither from stage nor screen.

Cole Porter was one of the few great songwriters who can creatively write a song by himself and didn't need a songwriting partner. He was at par with Irving Berlin and Frank Loesser in that category. In these recordings, his songs really shine through with Ella Fitzgerald's beautiful interpretations, from "Begin The Beguine," "Do I Love You" and "Every Time We Say Goodbye" to "You Do Something To Me," "Easy To Love" and "I Concentrate On You."

This is essential not only to all Ella Fitzgerald and Cole Porter fans, but also to anyone who loves the Songbook series.

A collector's item.

5 out of 5 stars I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!.......2006-09-02

I love this cd so much that at least one of them (it is a 2-cd set) are in my cd changer at ALL times. This is truly one of the best investments in music I have EVER made and I am so glad I bought it!!! This has to be one of the best ella cds out there...PERIOD.

4 out of 5 stars new ella fitzgerald fan.......2006-07-03

I never listened to this type of music before. I am a Jewel fan & had saw that this was her favorite cd, so I decided to give it a try. I am very impressed. Great cd!
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Stunningly Unsurpassable
  • The Greatest Album of All Time
  • not just for the lonely
  • Sit them up Joe
  • Only His Best
 Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
Frank Sinatra
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. In the Wee Small Hours
  2. Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
  3. Where Are You
  4. September of My Years
  5. A Swingin' Affair!

ASIN: B000006OHF
Release Date: 1998-05-26

Tracks:

  1. Only The Lonely
  2. Angel Eyes
  3. What's New?
  4. It's A Lonesome Old Town
  5. Willow Weep For Me
  6. Good-Bye
  7. Blues In The Night
  8. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
  9. Ebb Tide
  10. Spring Is Here
  11. Gone With The Wind
  12. One For My Baby
  13. Sleep Warm
  14. Where Or When

Amazon.com essential recording

Look past the tacky, sad-clown velvet painting on the cover (a Grammy-winner for album design in 1959!), there's nothing cheap or sentimental about this record--the bleakest and blackest album of popular songs ever recorded, so quietly powerful it can leave you slumped in your chair with the ice cubes still rattling in your glass. Every single "suicide song" (as Sinatra liked to call 'em) on Only the Lonely is a stunner that will take your breath away. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are like shadows, almost colorless and motionless, so that all you hear is the ache in the singer's voice. "Angel Eyes" and "One for My Baby" each deserve an album to themselves-- so exquisitely moving that at the end of three minutes you feel like you've just heard a lifetime of loneliness. My only regret--and it's a big one--is that this flawless masterpiece doesn't include Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life," which truly belongs here; Sinatra put it into an already overcrowded recording schedule and, when fatigue and the difficulty of the song defeated him after a couple takes, he gave up and never attempted it again. We got the chillingly lovely "Willow Weep For Me" instead, so I'm really not complaining--but that just adds to the pang of loss that this album expresses so vividly. Drink up! --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Stunningly Unsurpassable.......2007-05-25

Firstly, please know that I am not anything remotely close to an afficiando when it comes to Frank;nonetheless, it's quite difficult for me to imagine that he has ever surpassed this absolute gem in his entire career. I can only believe, now and forever that he may? have equalled this brilliant effort but never surpassed it. From start to finish, the performance, the songwriting, arrangments,choice of songs and even the order in which they appear are amazing in every way. Frank's delivery is so pitch perfect that you instantly know that you have never heard better pure singing in your entire life by anyone and that you never will again. If you cannot feel the heartbreak, pain and utter despair that pervades this album, you have no heart, no soul and are so devoid of any real life that you may already be dead.The remastered sound is so crystaline and detailed that you will swear you are literally in the studio. Like Sinatra, I am also certain that this was also the apex for Nelson Riddle as well. On occasions that are ever so rare, it all comes together in deeply magical ways,and this is one such occasion. If you simply live and breathe, buy this NOW. Even if you neither live nor breathe but have a good healthy morbid curiosity about Frank you should still buy it. This album will make you feel things you have never felt, things you didn't even know you felt as it's truly that powerful and if I could I'd give it 100 stars.Think of this as the greatest works of Rembrandt,Picasso and Dali all combined into one magnicient work and then you have some understanding of the broad and achingly beautiful brush strokes that all combined somehow managed to paint here.Without a doubt this is one of the greatest works of art ever produced and a thousand years from now people will still care and still listen. When one encounters a work such as this, there is no test of time for time truly stops and the music is indelibly and universally timeless. Let's all drink a toast to Frank and the great Nelson Riddle for that and know that others will toast them forever as well. Only those on the wagon are excused.

5 out of 5 stars The Greatest Album of All Time.......2007-05-02

The Beatles can't touch this. Full of tenderness and heartache. Only Kristin Hersh's work even aproaches it.

My only beef is on the recording of Where or When. At the end, when Frank hits the last note, his voiced gets very tinny and lost in the orchestral arrangement. Anyone else agree?

5 out of 5 stars not just for the lonely.......2007-01-30

Here we have Frank at his best ,as he often said hes a saloon singer.
Each track makes you feel the heartache he is going through.
All the songs on this CD are aptly chosen,the usual timing,phraseing& diction which have become the hallmark of the greatest vocalist of the 20th & 21st century.

5 out of 5 stars Sit them up Joe.......2006-11-06

The ultimate piano/vocal of all time, "it's a quarter till three!" Just the best

5 out of 5 stars Only His Best.......2006-07-03

I've heard it said "SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS" is it, but since he himself considered his forte the saloon song/ballad - THIS IS SIMPLY FAS's BEST ALBUM EVER! Check out "Spring is Here" with Riddle doing pastiche Alfred Newman ("Bali Hai" and "March of the Siamese Children"...)
Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
  • Wow!
  • Not even close to being a complete overview
  • Great Album!
  • ONLY 38 MINUTES OF MUSIC!
 Nina Simone Sings the Blues
Nina Simone
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  5. The Soul of Nina Simone

ASIN: B000CNE164
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Tracks:

  1. Do I Move You?
  2. Day And Night
  3. In The Dark
  4. Real Real
  5. My Man's Gone Now
  6. Backlash Blues
  7. I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl
  8. Buck
  9. Since I Fell For You
  10. The House Of The Rising Sun
  11. Blues For Mama
  12. Do I Move You? (Second Version)
  13. Whatever I Am (You Made Me)

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Wow!.......2007-06-22

This is my introduction to Nina Simone. I heard "Do I Move You" in the 4th season sound track of The L word. I have heard of Nina Simone, but never really bothered to check her out, but I really liked "Do I Move You, " such a cool song, so I decided to buy this CD. It is awesome. I think is it a perfect intro to a great singer. Her voice is so distinct that it can never be copied, and her styling and phrasing is deep. "In the Dark" & "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl," are absolute gems, but the CD overall is excellent. My only complaint is the measly 38 minutes, I think there could have been more songs added, but other than that it's a good CD for starters.

2 out of 5 stars Not even close to being a complete overview.......2007-05-14

While I agree with the reviewer who criticized the album for its short length, I dislike this album primarily because of the selections. In her liftetime, Nina Simone recorded many blues songs, only a mediocre handful of which are represented here. However, there are a few gems, such as "I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl" and 'House of the Rising Sun" and "Do I Move You?." Only buy if you can get it for under 5 dollars.

5 out of 5 stars Great Album!.......2007-05-13

Short on time. Just trying to offset a lone reviewer who gave this one star! Yes, this is a short album, but there's no filler. My favorite of Nina's albums.

2 out of 5 stars ONLY 38 MINUTES OF MUSIC!.......2007-05-10

This CD is a rip off. Only 38 minutes of music. Furthermore, only half of the songs are worth listening to. Save your money and buy "Nina Simone's Finest Hour" or the two disc "Anthology" CD set.
Guess Who I Saw Today: Nancy Wilson Sings Songs of Lost Love
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • A bit sad, but absolutely beautiful
  • Comparing
  • jazz
  • nancy wilson cd
  • Absolutely Beautiful
 Guess Who I Saw Today: Nancy Wilson Sings Songs of Lost Love
Nancy Wilson
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000AHJ86K
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Tracks:

  1. Guess Who I Saw Today Remastered
  2. Days Of Wine And Roses Remastered 96
  3. When Sunny Gets Blue
  4. (I'm Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over
  5. Here's That Rainy Day
  6. You've Changed
  7. The Good Life
  8. Too Late Now
  9. Theme From 'Hotel'
  10. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)
  11. Ghost Of Yesterday - George Shearing Quintet Nancy Wilson
  12. I Wish I Didn't Love You So
  13. How Insensitive
  14. You Can Have Him

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A bit sad, but absolutely beautiful.......2007-06-09

Nancy Wilson puts such emotion into this music it's almost as if she's been there, done that. She has other recordings of the title song, "Guess Who I Saw Today" but this is the one that pulls on your heart and makes you dread hearing the sadness of that last line. Nancy Wilson is a gem and you can feel her brilliance in this album.

3 out of 5 stars Comparing.......2007-04-02

The quality of the remastered record do not satisfied me, most of the items have echoes.

4 out of 5 stars jazz.......2007-02-08

Good selection of standards The best song is the first ' guess who I saw today'

5 out of 5 stars nancy wilson cd.......2007-01-11

as always, easy to order, quick delivery, totally pleasant and
hassle-free.

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely Beautiful.......2006-12-21

I heard the title song 'Guess Who I Saw Today'like fifteen years ago and remembered being totally blown away by the song-but then being a young twenty year old couldn't get myself to actually go and purchase a Nancy Wilson CD. How un-cool. But the song haunted me and recently I decided to give this CD a try...I'm SO glad I did. Nancy Wilson is a class act who has produced wonderful music. This is the CD to settle back with a nice glass of wine and let you mind flow with the music. This may have been my first Nancy Wilson CD but it certainly will not be my last.
Mario Lanza Sings Songs From The Student Prince & The Desert Song / Romberg
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • The best
  • The Student Prince&The Desert Song/Rmberg
  • Linnie
  • Songs for Romantics
  • Don't buy it: burn it from the vinyl version.
 Mario Lanza Sings Songs From The Student Prince & The Desert Song / Romberg
Mario Lanza
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003EUZ
Release Date: 1989-08-25

Tracks:

  1. Orchestral Introduction
  2. Serenade
  3. Golden Days
  4. Drink, Drink, Drink
  5. Summertime In Heidelberg
  6. Beloved
  7. Gaudeamus Igitur
  8. Deep In My Heart, Dear
  9. I'll Walk With God
  10. Overture
  11. The Desert Song
  12. French Military Marching Song
  13. The Riff Song
  14. I Want A Kiss
  15. Let Love Go
  16. One Flower In Your Garden
  17. Azuri's Dance
  18. Then You Will Know
  19. Instrumental
  20. Romance
  21. One Good Boy Gone Wrong
  22. One Alone

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The best.......2007-06-01

If you love Mario Lanza, this is a must have for your collection

4 out of 5 stars The Student Prince&The Desert Song/Rmberg.......2007-02-07

Good audio. Only complaint is that it has most, but not all songs from each production.

5 out of 5 stars Linnie.......2007-01-04

Beautiful Music and the Voice of Mario Lanza is wonderful. The Student Prince songs really take you back to Heidelberg and the lovely memories one has of that very special movie. The Desert Song is also great but I am a real Student Prince Fan. This is one good CD

5 out of 5 stars Songs for Romantics.......2006-11-10

Stirring songs for those who are young and in love by the "Fourth Tenor", Mario Lanza

1 out of 5 stars Don't buy it: burn it from the vinyl version........2006-10-12

I've played the vinyl version of the Student Prince with Mario Lanza enough times over the last 35 years to know the words well enough to sing them in the shower (badly to be sure). Bought this
CD for a clean copy. Bad move. I dont even know who is singing "Summertime in Heidelberg", it cant be Mr Lanza. If you have or can borrow the record, copy it instead.
Hoagy Sings Carmichael
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Uniquely beautiful....
  • Perfect late night listening
  • HOAGY SINGS Carmichael
  • Stunning vocals... great jazz backup group...
  • Buy it buy it buy it!
 Hoagy Sings Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000008E11
Release Date: 2000-02-29

Tracks:

  1. Georgia On My Mind
  2. Winter Moon
  3. New Orleans
  4. Memphis In June
  5. Skylark
  6. Two Sleepy People
  7. Baltimore Oriole
  8. Rockin' Chair
  9. Ballad In Blue
  10. Lazy River
  11. Georgia On My Mind (Instrumental)

Amazon.com

In 1956, 57-year-old Hoagy Carmichael, a giant of American songsmiths, recorded this album for Hollywood's progressive Pacific Jazz label. Johnny Mandel's swinging, uncluttered arrangements placed Carmichael, a product of the 1920s Jazz Age, in an unadulterated modern-jazz setting true to both his past and the current scene. Representing the latter were several top exponents of the West Coast school that the label helped nurture, most notably the principal soloist: alto sax giant Art Pepper. Mandel's arrangements and Pepper's cool, rich eloquence clearly forced normally amiable, laid-back Carmichael to alter his usual approach somewhat. A subtle yet discernable edge permeated his interpretations of "Georgia on My Mind" and "Rockin' Chair" and rendered his vocal on the bluesy "Baltimore Oriole" unusually raw. Two lesser-known ballads, "Winter Moon" and "Ballad in Blue," are beautifully presented, and Mandel's joyously explosive, Basie-esque "Lazy River" unleashed Carmichael's playful side. While his songs are timeless, hearing a man then pushing 60 having a ball with musicians old enough to be his kids is always both exhilarating and inspirational. --Rich Kienzle

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Uniquely beautiful...........2005-09-02

I've played this uniquely beautiful cd over and over since my recent purchase.Hoagy's kind of rough and bluesy voice combined with the absolute perfection of the jazz accompaniment creates a haunting loveliness.I especially love his rendition of (his favorite of all his songs) "Baltimore Oriole".

5 out of 5 stars Perfect late night listening.......2001-09-10

This is true jazz singing, and unbelievably relaxed. A treasure of an album. The backing is ideal. The cover photograph is a great portrait, too. Don't miss Hoagy's autobiographies (two versions in one book), which give his memories of the 1920s and how he came to write his songs.

5 out of 5 stars HOAGY SINGS Carmichael.......2001-06-29

great sound quality. He is one of my favorites.

5 out of 5 stars Stunning vocals... great jazz backup group..........2000-05-24

This is a classic vocal-jazz masterpiece, if you like Jack Teagarden's singing you'll also enjoy this. Charmichael's laid back style of singing with such jazz giants as Art Pepper is a jazz lovers dream come true. Highlights are "Georgia On My Mind", "Skylark" and many others. Absolutly stunning set of classic Charmichael tunes. If you like this you might also try "The Fred Astaire Story" a 2-CD set out on Verve with the JATP.

5 out of 5 stars Buy it buy it buy it!.......2000-05-05

Believe the other reviews and this one too. Truly one of the most enjoyable CD's I have. Hoagy's singing style will knock you out! And Art Pepper, well, what else do I have to say? This is one of those too good to be true albums. You just couldn't make it better if you tried.
Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • 10 cents a dance
  • Absolutely it
  • A Best Seller in Heaven
  • "I Could Write A Preface On How We Met . . . So The World Will Never Forget"
  • Going By The Book
 Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000047EH
Release Date: 1997-05-20

Tracks:

  1. Have You Met Miss Jones?
  2. You Took Advantage Of Me
  3. A Ship Without A Sail
  4. To Keep My Love Alive
  5. Dancing On The Ceiling
  6. The Lady Is A Tramp
  7. With A Song In My Heart
  8. Manhattan
  9. Johnny One Note
  10. I Wish I Were In Love Again
  11. Spring Is Here
  12. It Never Entered My Mind
  13. This Can't Be Love
  14. Thou Swell
  15. My Romance
  16. Where Or When
  17. Little Girl Blue

Tracks:

  1. Give It Back To The Indians
  2. Ten Cents A Dance
  3. There's A Small Hotel
  4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was
  5. Ev'rything I've Got
  6. I Could Write A Book
  7. The Blue Room
  8. My Funny Valentine
  9. Bewitched
  10. Mountain Greenery
  11. Wait Till You See Her
  12. Lover - Stereo Take
  13. Isn't It Romantic?
  14. Here In My Arms
  15. Blue Moon
  16. My Heart Stood Still
  17. I've Got Five Dollars
  18. Lover - Monaural Take

Amazon.com

Only Frank Sinatra has put his indelible stamp on as many pages of the American Popular Songbook as Ella Fitzgerald. But while Sinatra specialized in mood-themed albums (his composer-based collections were compiled from material already released), Fitzgerald's ambitious songbooks devoted themselves to one great songwriter after another: Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, and so on. Her two-volume Rodgers and Hart project ranks with the best, and if Buddy Bergman's arrangements are a bit sweeter than his Cole Porter settings, or Nelson Riddle's Gershwin treatments, they suit the material just fine. And what a wide range of material it is (with original verses intact!), intermingling novelty show tunes ("Give It Back to the Indians," "Johnny One Note"), sophisticated standards ("Manhattan," "Blue Moon," "The Lady Is a Tramp"), and lush ballads ("Isn't It Romantic," "It Never Entered My Mind"). But the most exquisite thing Fitzgerald ever recorded is her seven-minute "Bewitched" (a.k.a. "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered") on volume 2, casting a spell of hushed reverie that makes time stand still. --Jim Emerson

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 10 cents a dance.......2007-06-14

Is it possible that no one has mentioned MY favorite song? How entrancing is that charming waltz rhythm in TEN CENTS A DANCE? The pace is never hurried and you can almost feel the stumbling partner's feet on your toes. More importantly, this song is perhaps the most melancholy tune since the days of Robert Schumann's lieder in the 19th century. When Miss Fitzgerald finally descends into the depths of her range to grab the last note, you may also feel some of the loneliness that was a recuring motif in her career.

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely it.......2007-04-28

There is something like home in this collection that I am regretting
lending out but listening to happily in clips from here today.

My mother loved to sing. She was a wonderful singer.
A contralto, on the radio in Richmond, VA in her "day" and for the
phone company in my baby/toddler/little bit days.
The phone company had an orchestra in Richmond Va, she sang with in a
theater funded by Mr. Sauer. He was a condiment company owner. She saw
Sinatra there at a Tobacco Festival. She said he was a kid with salt
and pepper hair in 1951 (before my time). She saw a lot of things
actually on 40 dollars a week.
So while I recall growing up with certain remarkable and interesting
variations on "normal" ....I thought being sung "Bewitched" or
"Mountain Greenery"(what lovely phrasing) as a night time, bedtime
ritual quite ordinary.

Mountain Greenery

On the first of May, it is moving day,
Spring is here, so blow your job,
Throw your job away!

Now's the time to trust,
To your wanderlust,
In the city's dust you wait, must you wait
Just you wait.......!

In a mountain greenery,
Where God paints the scenery
Just two crazy people together.

While you love your lover,
Let blue skies, be your cover-let,
When it rains we'll laugh at the weather.

And if you're good,
I'll search for wood,
So you can cook... while I stand look-in'

Beans could get no keener reception in a beanery
Bless our mountain greenery home!

Mosquitoes here,
Won't bite you dear,
I'll let them sting, me on the finger!


Each night I have my tunes to coast off. It's time to visualize those
I care for, being happy. That's what love is like that fast break of
words ...."in my mountain greenery where God paints the scenery.."
Nice, these days of spring.Go to sleep with a love song. Easy with
Ella. Listen to Where or When, my absolute favorite of hers. So soft.
I did this singing too for my girls/son thinking it "the thing to do
as a mother", after my mom. We model and are deeply affected by the
model of a mother. Can barely separate her from Moon River. But I'm
without that beautiful rich voice more as a cookie singing. I have a
voice of a Twix Bar. Not the same. Very few baby ovations. Mom's song
phrasing probably borrowed from Ella Fitzgerald who, in this
collection, simply makes me feel like I landed in a silk scarf.
If I Could Only do this..

I teach 1st grade. On Valentines Day I taught them, My Funny
Valentines which Ella makes so wistfully enchanting. The way she hits
'sweet' ...boy. It's nice to sit and listen to anytime. Each day is
Valentines Day...we had fun with it.
I actually think for young kids singing with a woman it is somehow
easier, but it's just a theory...which on the surface this particular
tune is a bit sad but...it was pretty enough to us. It carried
something I was feeling then. If I do nothing else I try to teach the
songs I grew up loving. Some say, what is she doing in there? Is that
"doing her own thing?" Is that in the adopted curricular kit? Others
kind of wonder what Standard this is. My answer...the Old Standards.
Rodgers and Hart are among my older Standards, the ones we used to
recall when we "planned instruction" considering life. Now replaced by
a workbook. If you want to learn language try some music...but I
suppose that's not clear enough to the everyone who seem more
comfortable with rote. Not only can you no longer afford music, you
can't hear it in school either. At least in my hood. When you consider
the roots of the music that's almost the most amazing thing I can
imagine. The death of culture rising from who we are, remarkable. I
suppose like bees and oxygen the assumption is we will go buy it.

Ella sings these Rodgers and Hart songs on Verve and it's
delightful.Enough...I like a little romance.

5 out of 5 stars A Best Seller in Heaven.......2007-01-06

The only thing better than a collection of Rodgers and Harts songs to delight the soul and lift the Spirit, is to have the songs performed by the Ella Diva! Sheer perfection!

Vaishali, Naples, FL

5 out of 5 stars "I Could Write A Preface On How We Met . . . So The World Will Never Forget".......2006-12-09

"If they asked me
I could write a book
About the way you walk
And whisper and look
I could write a preface on how we met
So the world will never forget
And the simple secret of the plot
Is just to tell them that I love you a lot." ~ I Could Write A Book ~ Rodgers & Hart

A music critic, William Simon, described the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, as a musician with ear, instinct and training who never actually has been instructed in vocal technique and yet she can command such breath control, can shape a tone with such color sense, and with such flawless intonation.

She was once called "A Melody's Best Friend" for her special ability to turn an ordinary song into extraordinary with her outstanding vocal artistry and her creativity in scat singing. Ms. Fitzgerald's elegant interpretations and Buddy Bregman's striking arrangements of these appealing melodies from Richard Rodgers and the meaningful lyrics from Lorenz Hart truly made this album worthy to any listener who appreciates great music.

On Liner Notes' Foreword, Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the following about music.

"Music is a difficult subject - anybody's music. Words are easier to analyze. Everyone speaks and writes words. Few can write music. Its creation is a mystery. There are mathematical principles to guide its construction, but no mere knowledge of these can produce the emotional eloquence some music attains. We are made sad or happy, romantic, thoughtful, disturbed or peaceful by someone else's singing heart. To me this is a most exciting and inexplicable phenomenon. Certain experiences have an effect on us quite beyond the capacity of any symbols that can be written on paper, and what music can sometimes do to us is quite beyond the ken and lingo of academicians."

It's absolutely true. It's so amazing how music can deeply affect us in terms of our experiences in life. Music is the soundtrack of our lives. And in this age and time, nobody creates great music as brilliantly as Rodgers & Hart and their colleagues. Their music has captured the ears of millions of listeners who truly admire their talents in creating the most appreciated melodies and lyrics of all-time.

This two-CD-set is a confirmation on how Ella Fitzgerald became one of the greatest singers of all-time. It contains the best-loved Rodgers & Hart songs taken from different shows from 1925 thru 1942. "Blue Moon" is the only song that is not published as a part of a show or a movie score. Some of my highlights are: "I Could Write A Book" and "Bewitched" (1940 Pal Joey), "Isn't It Romantic" (1932 Love Me Tonight), "Manhattan" (1925 The Garrick Gaieties), "My Romance" (1935 Jumbo), "This Can't Be Love" (1938 The Boys from Syracuse), "My Funny Valentine" and "Where or When" (1937 Babes In Arms), "Spring Is Here" and "With A Song In My Heart" (1938 I Married An Angel).

Nostalgically recommended for your listening pleasure.

5 out of 5 stars Going By The Book.......2006-04-28

On a summers day in August of 1956. One of the greatest vocalist of her time went into a Los Angeles recording studio and took on "The Rodgers and Hart Songbook".The name of the great vocalist was Ms Ella Fitzgerald also known as "The First Lady Of Song".It was back in 1918 when composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart would form a collaboration that would change american music forever.During their lengthy careers they would come to write hundreds of songs.And some of those songs would become what we call "American Standards".Songs that would one day be perform by entertainers like Judy Garland,Frank Sinatra,Johnny Mathis and so many others the list is endless.After the death of Lorenz Hart.Richard Rodgers would team up with Oscar Hammerstein and continue his career.But that"s another story.This story is about Ella Fitzgerald who takes these Rodgers and Hart songs.And turns them into her own songs.These greatly entertaining songs are sung by Ella with perfect interruption,humor and style.Backed up the Buddy Bregman orchestra Ella sings songs that were written by Rodgers and Hart between 1925 and 1943.A naturally gifted singer who could sing anything Ella is at her best on this album.On the song "Where Or When" Ella uses her sweet voice to give us a sweet look at deja vu. On "Manhattan" she brings back the charm of the old city around the year 1925.On songs like "Isn"t It Romantic and I Could Write A Book" Ella sings these songs in such a way. It makes you want to fall in love.On "Give It Back To The Indians" Ella ready brings out the humor in this song.And Ella"s masterpiece on this album is "Bewitched" all the talent that made her such a unique vocalist are demonstrated on this song.This album is filled with classic Rodgers and Hart songs.Sung by one of my favorite vocalist Ms Ella Fitzgerald.Lyrics just roll off her lips like sweet melted butter.This is one of her best songbooks.And I just love listening to it.
Sinatra Sings Cole Porter
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Old arrangements, great songs
  • Don't buy from CDNOW Preferred Buyer's Club.
  • Love, Hate
  • Delightful album
  • THIS is how Cole Porter 's music SHOULD be sung
 Sinatra Sings Cole Porter
Frank Sinatra
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  2. It's De Lovely - The Authentic Cole Porter Collection
  3. The Very Best of Cole Porter
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  5. Frank Sinatra Sings the Select Cole Porter

ASIN: B00009VU2T
Release Date: 2003-07-22

Tracks:

  1. Night And Day
  2. Begin The Beguine
  3. I Get A Kick Out Of You
  4. I Love You
  5. Easy To Love/I've Got You Under My Skin
  6. Don't Fence Me In
  7. I Concentrate On You
  8. Why Shouldn't I?
  9. Just One Of Those Things
  10. Why Can't You Behave?
  11. So In Love
  12. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
  13. Cherry Pies Ought To Be You
  14. You Do Something To Me
  15. I Am Loved
  16. You Don't Remind Me
  17. Begin The Beguine
  18. Night And Day

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Old arrangements, great songs.......2007-05-07

Another great album, because of Porter's song.
Sinatra's vocals are ok ( in his Album with Jobim he sounds like Sylvia Telles - i.e. much better )

The arrangements with women screaming for him is the only lowlight of the album.

1 out of 5 stars Don't buy from CDNOW Preferred Buyer's Club........2007-03-29

I never got the CD and Amazon and CDNOW Preferred Buyer's Club ignored my emails. I plan on returning to the "bricks and mortar" stores where I can actually walk out with the product in my hands and not get ripped off by shady merchants.

1 out of 5 stars Love, Hate.......2006-10-15

I love Cole Porter music. Could listen forever, However, this album sucks. When I bought it I thought it would be good. How bad could Frank Sinatra be? Well he's very bad and ruins Cole Porter's music. If anyone is considering buying this, please review it first.

5 out of 5 stars Delightful album.......2004-12-17

I enjoy listening to this tremendously. Though not particularly a Sinatra fan, the album provides a good playlist of Porter tunes and Sinatra's interpretations. Some songs come from live performances and the screaming girls in the background distract to some extent. Nevertheless, it's a great collection of well known and not so well known Porter tunes. I especially love "Cherry Pie Oughta' be You" which isn't normally part of Porter retrospectives. Listening to this almost always elevates my mood.

5 out of 5 stars THIS is how Cole Porter 's music SHOULD be sung.......2004-07-07

Well - I listened to the recently released "De-Lovely" soundtrack a couple of times and it left me empty so I went looking to fill my cup and found what I was looking for in my stack of cd's. If you REALLY want to hear Cole Porter's stunning music at it's very best get this cd. There is a reason why Frank Sinatra has 550 available items here in music at Amazon.com. You won't feel so empty after seeing the movie if you fill your soul with music from these tracks.
Sinatra sings:

"Night and Day;"
and my favorite Cole Porter tune: "Begin the Beguine;"
"I Get a Kick Out of You with" a kick;
the most loveliest of lovely -"I Love You;"
Medley: "Easy to Love/I've Got You Under My Skin;"
"Don't Fence Me In;"
"I Concentrate on You;"
"Why Shouldn't I;"
"Just One of Those Things;"
"Why Can't You Behave?" - Phil Moore Four;
"So in Love;"
"You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" - June Hutton;
"Cherry Pies Ought to Be You" - Rosemary Clooney;
"You Do Something to Me;"
"I Am Loved"
"You Don't Remind Me"

These beautiful songs deserve this special treatment.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Ding! Dong! This Ella book is swell !!!
  • nearly perfect execution
  • A timeless recording!
  • Ella, and Billy May...
  • ELLA AND BILLY MAY
 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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  1. Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
  2. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook
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  5. Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook

ASIN: B00005N6T2
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

  1. Blues In The Night
  2. Let's Fall In Love
  3. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time)
  4. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
  5. My Shining Hour
  6. Hooray For Love
  7. This Time The Dream's On Me
  8. That Old Black Magic
  9. I've Got The World On A String
  10. Let's Take A Walk Around The Block
  11. III Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)
  12. Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive

Tracks:

  1. When The Sun Comes Out
  2. Come Rain Or Come Shine
  3. As Long As I Live
  4. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe
  5. It's Only A Paper Moon
  6. The Man That Got Away
  7. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
  8. It Was Written In The Stars
  9. Get Happy
  10. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
  11. Out Of This World
  12. Over The Rainbow
  13. Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead
  14. Sing My Heart
  15. Let's Take A Walk Around The Block (Alternate Take)
  16. Sing My Heart (Alternate Take)

Amazon.com

Recorded in 1960 and '61, this is one of the last and very best of Fitzgerald's songbooks spotlighting individual composers. Arlen's lyrical songs, filled with bluesy touches and abstractions from the blues form, are perfect jazz fodder (he wrote for Duke Ellington at the Cotton Club, circa 1930), and beautiful tunes in their own right. Fitzgerald is in peak voice; she's attentive to the nuances of soulful lyrics (Ira Gershwin's "The Man That Got Away"), and lightly teases some witty ones (like Johnny Mercer's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive"). Billy May's big-band arrangements are models of self-effacing fleetness--punchy without hysteria, smooth without syrup--and enlivened by alto saxophonist Benny Carter and trumpeter Don Fagerquist. But May also brings a delicate sensibility to introductory verses, interludes, and tender ballads. Strings on a few tracks are for variety, not window-dressing. Arlen's graceful American art songs have never had a better showcase--even if they could have skipped "Ding! Dong! The Witch Is Dead." --Kevin Whitehead

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Ding! Dong! This Ella book is swell !!! .......2006-09-06

Ella Fitzgerald possessed the unique talent to be able to record so many extensive songbooks and always come out smelling like a rose. Her voice is in excellent form throughout this two CD set; and she emotes so very well all the feelings that Harold Arlen could ever have dreamed for his timeless music.

While people know Ella Fitzgerald, not everyone knows that Harold Arlen wrote the music for such wonderful classic songs as "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road);" "It's Only A Paper Moon;" "I've Got The World On A String;" "Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time);" and the timeless "Over The Rainbow." Ella does great justice to Arlen's work by throwing herself completely into each tune; and the musical accompaniments by Billy May are brilliantly produced. Billy May did a wonderful job with the musical arrangements on this two CD set.

This two CD songbook also demonstrates so clearly how well Arlen could write for a very diverse myriad of songs. The music is beautiful for the hopeful "Over The Rainbow;" joyous for "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe;" and "Get Happy;" bluesy for "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues" and sorrowful for the torch ballad "The Man That Got Away."

The two CD set boasts beautiful pictures of both Ella and Billy May; an extensive essay by Doug Ramsey; the original liner notes for the record albums by Benny Green; and plenty of information about the life and times of Harold Arlen. Terrific!

Overall, I highly recommend this two CD set for fans of classic vocals, fans of Ella Fitzgerald and Harold Arlen, and fans of Billy May. The Ella Fitzgerald rendition of the Harold Arlen songbook does justice to Arlen's great work as well as Ella's incomparable talent.

5 out of 5 stars nearly perfect execution.......2005-10-14

Billy May and Ella make a great combo. Some of the songs are great and some not so but all the performances are excellent. Billy May outdoes himself in the arrangement and orchestration. Wonderful. And Ella is well..... Ella.

5 out of 5 stars A timeless recording!.......2004-06-02

One of Ella's & this series' best! I never thought Ms. Fitzgerald could take on the challenge of doing a complete Harold Arlen set so successfully. I use to think a belter like Judy Garland could only do his melodies justice. I was wrong! Here, Ella showed that good taste & restraint works just as well! Don't get me wrong, Ella still used projection & dramactics to display the needed emotion for each song but she did it subtlety. She never overwhelmed which critics of Ethel Merman would say. Now to the songs! There are several I didn't know until I heard this tribute. Let's Take a Walk Around the Block sure romaticized the depreesion. Ella surely knew how to have fun with this dated song & still keep it fresh. This Time the Dreams on Me, which is also on the Johnny Merecr Songbook, makes me say they don't write them like that anymore. Arlen & Mercer were unbeatable. Why can't sophisticated love lyrics like that be written as often today. The classics on these 2 discs, which there are many, have never been done better! Blues In the Night opens the set with a 7 minute version that never gets boring. This was before Hey Jude & American Pie. I've never heard Ella in better voice, belting out the song in an original arrangement of this overdone but fabulous song! Accentuate the Positive is joy, gospel, & glorious pop all wrapped together. Both songs with opposite moods show how versatile Ella's singing was. With everyone knowing Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, it took Ella to record it. Why didn't Verve release it orginally? Ella has has much fun with this dark novelty song as she must have had with her own sweeter but tragic A Tisket A Tasket. Fitzgerald is up there on the fun tunes. I must mention arranger Billy May doing the impossible of taking a big band & having them deliver an unique, fresh, creative, bright & brassy back-up jazz sound. Only the saxes on My Shining Hour sounds out of place. Another complaint is that songs such as Right as the Rain & Anyplace I Hang My Hat should have been included. Still, so many Arlen masterpieces are. In conclusion, if one desires timeless material done by a timeless artist; this double album is it.

5 out of 5 stars Ella, and Billy May..........2004-02-03

Tonight I played the album which made me a devoted Ella Fitzgerald fan; it is Ella Fitzgerald sings the Harold Arlen Songbook. From the first time I played the LP my father left me, I loved her voice, and the atmosphere on this particular recording. I liked the swinging but sophisticated arrangements by Billy May. And right now when I switch my music off, I read on the Internet Billy May has passed away. He has the age for it (87), but it is a great loss anyway, although I didn't know he was still with us.
Ella sings beautiful (especially on the second dis): Over the Rainbow, Happiness is just a thing called Joe, One for my baby, the man that got away... listen to them; learn to love Ella, and think of Billy May... both their genius are somewhere over the rainbow now.

4 out of 5 stars ELLA AND BILLY MAY.......2002-01-24

If you don't know other songbooks from the ELLA's 16 collection,you might enjoy those two cds a lot.But many of those excellent songs have been covered so well by the likes of SINATRA,GARLAND etc.that you are bound to be disapointed.ELLA is not at ease with with BILLY MAY's driving orchestral direction.Compare MAY's wonderful work with ANITA O'DAY(SWINGS COLE PORTER)to experience the difference.It's simply a mismatch.However,if you don't pay attention to these sorts of details,you can buy it eyes closed,because no songbook of ELLA is without interest.THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC and BLUES IN THE NIGHT were allready famous songs at that time;GET HAPPY will forever be associated with JUDY GARLAND.My favorite here is MY SHINING HOUR.A medium FITZGERALD can still be a crowd pleaser.
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Ella and Duke, perfect match
  • Forever Ella!!!
  • It Don't Mean A thing If It Ain't Got That Swing!
  • Perfectly Imperfect
  • music of the heavens
 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook
Ella Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000HYIC
Release Date: 1999-03-23

Tracks:

  1. Rockin' In Rhythm
  2. Drop Me Off In Harlem
  3. Day Dream
  4. Caravan
  5. Take The 'A' Train
  6. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
  7. Clementine
  8. I Didn't Know About You
  9. I'm Beginning To See The Light
  10. Lost In Meditation
  11. Perdido
  12. Cotton Tail
  13. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
  14. Just A-Sittin' & A-Rockin'
  15. Solitude
  16. Rocks In My Bed
  17. Satin Doll
  18. Sophisticated Lady

Tracks:

  1. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
  2. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
  3. Azure
  4. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
  5. In A Sentimental Mood
  6. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
  7. Prelude To A Kiss
  8. Mood Indigo
  9. In A Mellow Tone
  10. Love You Madly
  11. Lush Life
  12. Squatty Roo
  13. I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So
  14. All Too Soon
  15. Everything But You
  16. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
  17. Bli-Blip

Tracks:

  1. Chelsea Bridge
  2. Portrait Of Ella Fitzgerald
  3. The E And D Blues (E For Ella, D For Duke)
  4. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  5. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  6. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  7. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  8. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  9. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  10. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  11. Chelsea Bridge (Rehearsal)
  12. All Heart (Alternative Take)
  13. All Heart (Alternative Take)
  14. All Heart (Alternative Take)
  15. All Heart (Alternative Take)
  16. Portrait Of Ella Fitzgerald (Alternative Takes)

Amazon.com essential recording

While legends such as Billie Holiday and Count Basie made their greatest impact with visceral, blues-soaked statements, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington succeeded by lending their work unmatched grace and precision. This is a roundabout way of saying that no one is better suited to interpret the Duke than Ella, and the evidence is contained within these three CDs. Discs 1 and 3, recorded in June 1957, feature the support of the full Ellington band and are a complete joy, from Fitzgerald's terrific scat vocal on "Rockin' in Rhythm" through the extended four-part suite "Portrait of Ella Fitzgerlad," which adds Ellington's spoken observations and Billy Strayhorn's piano accents. However, the real highlight is the middle disc, recorded in the fall of that year, which finds Ella fronting a small band boasting Ellington's former tenor star Ben Webster. Most of this disc includes wonderful violin from Stuff Smith and supple guitar from Barney Kessel; the remaining cuts feature Oscar Peterson's trio. Of particular note are the three warming Ella-Kessel duets and the consistently charming work of Webster. By combining big-band and small-band sides, this collection emphasizes the flexibility of both Ellington's songs and Fitzgerald's interpretive powers. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Ella and Duke, perfect match.......2006-05-02

This is the songbook to get, period. Ella is the perfect match for many of these Ellington compositions, in fact, I'll go as far as say that this box set contains many definitive performance of the Ellington catalogue. Ella's bubbly, happy but complex vocals, are exactly what many Ellington/Strayhorn compositions call for. Plus, this is the only songbook where the composer is playing along with Ella, plus you get the Ellington band!! To make sure 3 discs is not much of the same, you get some change in the pace and get to hear Ella also on a small combo and in guitar duos. I am not the biggest Ella fan, and I love this box.

The big 'BUT' about this box is first the price. $50 bucks for 3 disc set is really pushing the envelope. And the packaging is just beyond words...I cant imagine anyone at Verve actually trying to get the discs out/in of their sleeves and saying that this is a fine product. The package is totally useless, you need to get either jewel cases or protective sleeves for your CD's or you will cause some serious damage to them. Still, I cant take stars out of this wonderful music this time

4 out of 5 stars Forever Ella!!!.......2006-02-20

The music is great. I give it four stars for a bad packaging and the over price

5 out of 5 stars It Don't Mean A thing If It Ain't Got That Swing!.......2005-06-27

And this recording, "means a thing", because it swings when it's time to swing and sways when it's time to sway. A remarkable record of gigantic proportions. Of all the songbooks that Ella Fitzgerald recorded this is one of the very best, I rank it up there with the Rodgers and Hart tribute and the Cole Porter disc. There are so many great tunes in the Ellington Songbook, hard to pick a favorite but," Caravan" is amazing. Ella, Duke Ellington, Ben Webster,Oscar Peterson,Dizzy Gillespie,Stuff Smith an all star line, they could be pouring out of your hi fi anytime you cared to, if you add this to your collection.

5 out of 5 stars Perfectly Imperfect.......2004-08-07

If you can only afford one Ella songbook set, make Ellington the one. Ella and Duke are perfectly matched. Having her sing with the composer is a unique feature of this set. There is an exuberant spontaneity here which is unmatched by any other songbook album. This mean that there are some imperfections and improvisations, and that's what jazz is. The material is fabulous. The obvious reciprocal adoration and respect of these two legends permeate everything. It is one of the all time great jazz albums ever. Not to be missed.

5 out of 5 stars music of the heavens.......2003-11-15

This set is about as good as it gets. Most of it is Ella with Duke's band, and as you'd expect everything is A1. The arrangements are stellar, the solists complement Ella to perfection. The opening reeds on "I got it bad" make my hair stand on end every time. There is also some beautiful small group stuff, notably with Ben Webster and Stuff Smith, which also swings like hell. (Squatty Roo, Cottontail ...) Finally you get a lot of outtakes of Chelsea Bridge ... OK, it's filler stuff to some, but some of us find it interesting to hear how Duke would fine tune the sound of the band as he went along ...

The packaging sucks (those irritating cardboard sleeves where you can't get the bloody CD's out properly) ... but hey ... jewel cases are cheap ...

Music:

  1. Sings the Winners [Original recording remastered]
  2. Some Cats Know
  3. Songbook: Cheek to Cheek [Import]
  4. Songbook: the Song Is You [Import]
  5. Standards
  6. Swing for Two Plus [Extra tracks] [Import]
  7. Take the "A" Train [Original recording remastered]
  8. The Best of Guy Lombardo: The Early Years
  9. The Complete Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster [Extra tracks]
  10. The Complete, Vol. 2 [Box set]

Music

Music