![]() ![]() The elegant classics, filled with both Porter's melodic and lyrical genius -familiar to just about everyone, almost regardless of age (or so I like to think!- include "Just One of Those Things", "Begin the Beguine", "From This Moment On", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Too Darned Hot", "Night and Day" "Let's Do It" and "You Do Something to Me". Thirty two songs were recorded live with orchestra in three sessions at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, February 7- 9 and March 27th 1956. The original's gatefold gives way to a nicely produced laminated cover box set, with the annotation formerly in the original's gatefold now well-printed in the box's insides. Smith at Sterling Sound cut lacquers from the original mono master tapes. As with previous re-issues from this label, the production spares no expense to do it correctly, including spreading the thirty two songs over three RTI-pressed records instead of the original's two. This release from Analog Spark celebrates the much celebrated album's 60th anniversary. The Gershwin affair yielded an extra version of "Oh, Lady Be Good," while the Arlen catalog produced outtakes of "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block" and "Sing My Heart." As previously mentioned, The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books (1993) received the nod for Best Historical Recording at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994.Originally released as a double LP back in 1956, Ella Fitzerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book was both the first of her eight "songbook" albums and the first release on Norman Granz's then brand new Verve Records (MG V-4001/2). ![]() Plus, a ten-minute rehearsal with Ellington and an alternate of "Chelsea Bridge" from the same. Particularly worthy of mention are "You're the Top," "I Concentrate on You," and "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" from Cole Porter. There are a few sides that shouldn't be overlooked, especially as they are otherwise or formerly unavailable. Among them are Buddy Bregman, who worked on Cole Porter as well as Rodgers & Hart the dynamic duo of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on the Ellington set Paul Weston directed the Irving Berlin entry Nelson Riddle was in charge of the George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and Jerome Kern installments and Billy May held the baton during the Harold Arlen sessions. Readers are also treated to behind-the-scenes insights on the artist's interaction with the veritable who's who of arrangers. ![]() The icing on the cake is the newly created 120-page tome that puts both the eight respective songbooks - and their over 240 musical selections - in proper context of Fitzgerald's luminous career. Even going so far as to precisely miniaturize the entire hardbound text The Gershwins: Words Upon Music that accompanied their 1959 collection as well as the booklet that came with the Ellington anthology. In terms of packaging, the producers went to extreme lengths to create exact reproductions of all the vintage LP jacket artwork. The audio contents have been completely remastered and each title has been expanded - wherever possible - to include previously unissued material. In order of their initial release, contained within are Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book (1956), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book (1958), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book (1959), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book (1961), Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book (1963), and finally, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book (1964). This admittedly pricey - but by all means mandatory - Grammy Award-winning box set is the final word on the "songbooks" recorded by Ella Fitzgerald between 19. ![]()
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