Also features Freddie Green on guitar, Charlie Fowlkes and Eric Dixon on saxophones, Sonny Cohn and Ray Brown on trumpet, and Butch Miles and Mickey Roker on frums. Tracks include "Oleo", "Good Mileage", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "In Your Own Sweet Way". CD

Some of the earliest recordings from Ella Fitzgerald, including work with Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, Teddy Wilson, and her own group the Savoy Eight! CD

... CD

Titles include "Night In Tunisia", "Cry Me A River", "This Year's Kisses", "Music Goes Round & Round", "Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie", "My Reverie", and "You're My Thrill". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". Features bonus tracks not on the original album! CD

A wonderful way to hear the genius of Ella Fitzgerald at its best – as the set features all tracks that just have the first lady of jazz singing alongside a piano – spare, open, and in a way that really lets you get all all the care and nuance that Ella can bring to a tune! Most of the recordings here are from the 50s – quite unusual for the time – and they're matched with one more set of duets that Ella Recorded for Pablo Records in the 70s, at a time when she was exploring more intimate modes in a really great way. There's a host of great surprises along the way – and the set begins with 8 tracks from the album Ella Sings Gershwin, with Ellis Larkins on piano – then moves to another Decca duet with Larkins on the album Songs In A Mellow Mood. The set follows with two spare numbers from the Songbook recordings for Verve – one with Oscar Peterson on piano, one with Paul Smith. Then, Smith returns on another set of 13 tracks taken from the rare Let No Man Write My Epitaph album for Verve – then adds in a spare duet with Tommy Flanagan from the 1964 A Juan Les Pins album – before ending with the full set list from the wonderful Ella & Oscar album from 1976 – 7 more duets with Oscar Peterson on piano. CD

... CD

Ella Fitzgerald recorded one of her most successful albums in Berlin – a smoking live set that gave the world her take on "Mack The Knife" – and this set marks a fantastic second chapter to that record – unreleased tapes that appear here for the first time ever! The concert's from a different year than the previous record, but done in a very similar mode – Ella in front of a very enthusiastic concert crowd, running through upbeat, swinging takes on a variety of classics – all at a moment when both her vocal skills and onstage personality were at an all-time high! The group is just a trio – Paul Smith on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums – but they swing things as hard as an orchestra, and merge with the vocals in a really wonderful way. Titles include a great version of "My Kind Of Boy" – with Ella switching around a lot of the lyrics – plus "C'Est Magnifique", "Good Morning Heartache", "Hallelujah I Love Him So", "Summertime", "Mr Paganini", "Mack The Knife", "Angel Eyes", "Cheek To Cheek", "Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie", "Taking A Chance On Me", and "Jersey Bounce". CD

A late session from Ella – but a nice one! The setting is bossa – as you could guess by the title – and the music is handled with a smooth west coast Brazilian approach – arrangements by Erich Bulling, and players that include Oscar Castro-Neves, Paulinho Da Costa, Alex Acuna, and Joe Pass. Zoot Sims blows a few solos, Toots Thielemans plays harmonica – and titles include "Dreamer", "Dindi", "Somewhere In The Hills", "Girl From Ipanema", "Water To Drink", "Song Of The Jet", "Wave", "Useless Landscape", and "Bonita". CD

Nice backing on most tracks by a small combo that features Oscar Peterson on piano and Herb Ellis on guitar – and a larger group on a few more, with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Lester Young on tenors! Titles include "Stompin At The Savoy", "Goody Goody", "Ill Wind", and "Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered". CD

This is a 60s set that brings together the 2 volumes released separately. Among the 30 plus songs are "All Through The Night", "Anything Goes", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "I Love Paris", "Easy To Love", "You're The Top", "Let's Do It", "Begin The Beguine", "Love For Sale", "It's Delovely", "Night And Day", and "I've Got You Under My Skin". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet arrangements by Nelson Riddle! LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet arrangements by Nelson Riddle – on a whopping 5LPs' worth of tunes by George & Ira Gershwin! LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A classic vocal set from Ella – filled with standards from the Rodgers & Hart songbook – including "Isn't It Romantic", "My Romance", "Spring Is Here", "Thou Swell", "Bewitched", "Blue Moon", "A Ship Without A Sail", "I Could Write A Book", and "Where Or When". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers – working with Frank DeVol and Russ Garcia in a set of lightly jazzy versions of Christmas favorites like "Sleigh Ride", "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", and one of the best versions of "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" ever recorded! LP, Vinyl record album

Nice small group backing – from a group that features Harry Edison and Clark Terry on trumpet, Zoot Sims and Eddie Lockjaw Davis on tenor, Joe Pass on guitar, and Tommy Flanagan on piano! CD

A definite shot at the pop market by Ella Fitzgerald – quite possibly recorded as a follow-up to the 60s success of former singing partner Louis Armstrong, who's referenced nicely in Ella's rendition of the title hit! The first 4 tracks on the set were done in the UK, under the leadership of arranger Johnny Spence – and the remaining 8 were done back on Ella's home turf, with familiar backings by Frank DeVol, and an overall sound that's a bit more lush than those on the British numbers. Includes a hit reading of "Can't Buy Me Love", plus "Hello Dolly", "The Sweetest Sounds", "My Man", "Volare", "The Thrill Is Gone", "How High The Moon", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

A much-needed look at a near-lost side of Ella's work for Verve – the singles she recorded for the label in the 50s and 60s, work that's very different than her more famous LPs! Historically, Ella's probably best remembered for her Songbook albums at Verve – serious efforts that focused on the work of 20th Century songwriters like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. But during the same years she was working on those projects, she also cut a tremendous amount of singles for the label – many of them in styles not heard on LPs. The set's got some really wonderful numbers that really open up our understanding of Ella – short jazzy tunes, catchy pop numbers, weepy ballads, bossa nova, novelty tracks, and even a few Holiday tunes – all packaged in a great 2CD set that includes 36 titles in all! Tunes include "Ol Man Mose", "Desafinado", "Stardust Bossa Nova", "All The Live Long Day", "I'm A Poached Egg", "Your Red Wagon", "But Not For Me", "Dreams Are Made For Children", "Stay There", "Hotta Chocolatta", "Too Young For The Blues", "It's Only A Man", and "Lonely Is". CD

An all-star tribute to Ella Fitzgerald – a special show recorded live at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, in celebration of what would have been her 100th Birthday! The whole event is hosted by David Allen Grier, and begins with a vintage 1934 Apollo Amateur Night radio broadcast – before going into a host of Ella favorites, done by others – mostly with backing by the Count Basie Orchestra! Patti Austin sings "A Tisket A Tasket" and "When I Get Low I Get High", Andra Day sings "Ain't Misbehavin", Ayo & Afro Blue perform "Oh Lady Be Good", Lizz Wright sings "Love You Madly" and "The Nearness Of You", Cassandra Wilson sings "Cry Me A River", and a few other numbers feature different pairings of the artists involved. CD

A big set of work from the lovely Blossom Dearie – one of the most unique singers in jazz, and a great pianist too! Blossom first rose to fame on the scene in Paris, but quickly returned home to the US – where she cut some beautiful albums for Verve in the 50s – sprightly vocal sides that were very different than some of the torchy modes of the previous generation, and even different than other 50s work by singers like Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan! The charms of Blossom are impossible to describe in words, but they'll grab you right away upon first listen – and you'll get plenty of listening here – as the 3CD set begins with material from her Paris years, including the album Miss Blossom Dearie Et Sa Musique Jazz Sweet, the EP Blossom Dearie Piano, and then moves onto verve albums that include Blossom Dearie, Give Him The Ooh La La, Once Upon A Summertime, My Gentleman Friend, and Sings Comden & Green. 71 tracks in all – with notes in French and English! CD

One of the greatest writers on singers presents his essential collection of albums from the 20th century – all served up with the kind of loving detail that's always made the prose of Will Friedwald so great! Will's written the book on Frank Sinatra – literally – and on Tony Bennett, and a number of other singers too – and you've no doubt stumbled across his words in liner notes for reissues over the years. This time, Friedwald expands that later genre – and offers up full chapters that go in depth to some key vocal jazz classics – including Something Cool by June Christy, My Gentleman Friend by Blossom Dearie, Ella In Berlin by Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman, Rain Or Shine by Dick Haymes, Lady In Satin by Billie Holiday, Black Coffee by Peggy Lee, and even Belly Of The Sun by Cassandra Wilson! There's a few dozen more titles covered in the book – which has 51 chapters in all – and the heavy book also features an album cover reproduction for each title, and a discography as well. 402 pages, hardcover. Book

Features Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, Oscar Peterson, Bob Brookmeyer, John Lewis, Gerry Mulligan, JJ Johnson, Eddy Loiuss, Michel Legrand, and more. CD

The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim performed by Elis Regina, Maria Bethania, Gal Costa, Sarah Vaughan, Zizi Possi, Rosa Passos, Sylvia Telles, Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Sa, Nara Leao, and Astrud Gilberto. CD

Gladys Knight pays tribute to a range of singers who came before her – Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and others – all the while earning our respect for her new inflections of these classics! The style here is less "torch revival" than you'd expect – and in a surprising turn, Knight doesn't simply revisit the older modes of singing, but works here in a more progressive, more positive approach that's got a really bold sort of sound. Arrangements are by Billy Childs and John Clayton – and instrumentation is a mix of small combo backing and other numbers that feature the fuller Clayton/Hamilton Orchestra. Titles include "This Bitter Earth", "The Man I Love", "Come Sunday", "Stormy Weather", "I'll Be Seeing You", "But Not For Me", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me", and "God Bless The Child". CD

A cool session from Cootie Williams – working here as a vocalist as much as a trumpeter, often in the company of female singer Wini Brown! The set has both singers working together on some hip duets, then stepping apart and working on their own for some tracks too – an approach that's a bit like the Louis Armstrong/Ella Fitzgerald recordings over at Verve, but handled here with a bit more swing overall! Arrangements are by Quincy Jones, who knows how to make the record move nicely – and who also keeps things away from any too-hokey territory – and titles include "Around Midnight", "Bewitched", "That Old Feeling", "Goin Around", "Lover", and "Gone Again". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes music by the Three Peppers, Duke Ellington, the Missourians, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Jimmy Johnson, Lucky Millinder, Maxine Sullivan, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Harold Arlen – 23 tracks total. CD

Features Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine, Luiz Bonfa, Astrud Gilberto, Wes Montgomery, Shirley Horn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dizzy Gillestpie – 15 tracks in all. CD

Think The Beatles only had an impact on rock and pop fans in the America of the 60s? Think again – because their music had an undeniable impact on soul as well – as you'll here from this wonderful range of remakes of classic cuts from the Fab Four! The work here is a real surprise if you don't know the legacy – but it also really makes sense once you're reminded of the mind-expanding, ear-opening territory the group hit in the latter half of the 60s – and working with themes of social change, alienation, and personal longing – of the sort that turn out to be perfect for new interpretations in soul! Most of these cuts are way more than standard cover versions, too – as the arrangements are really inventive, and take off in bold new directions that make the songs very much new properties overall. Most of the work here is from the late 60s and early 70s – and as always with Ace Records, the notes and presentation really put the music in context! Titles include "The Fool On The Hill" by The Four Tops, "Dear Prudence" by The Five Stairsteps, "For No One" by Maceo & The King's Men, "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" by Ike & Tina Turner, "Tomorrow Never Knows" by Junior Parker, "Got To Get You Into My Life" by Earth Wind & Fire, "Do You Want To Know A Secret" by Mary Wells, "Lovely Rita" by Fats Domino, "With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Undisputed Truth, "Savoy Truffle" by Ella Fitzgerald, and "Let It Be" by Bill Withers. CD

Music from Vic Damone, Eartha Kitt, Robert Goulet, Mel Torme, Henry Mancini, Mike Douglas, Pearl Bailey, Xavier Cugat, Hadda Brooks, Ella Fitzgerald, Lalo Schifrin, Tom Jones, and more. CD

Includes music from Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young, John Coltrane, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Oscar Peterson, Louis Bellson, Benny Carter and more – 15 tracks in all. CD

Collects over 70 tracks and features work by Bunny Berigan, Jack Teagarden, Jess Stacy, Gene Krupa – including vocals by Helen Ward and Ella Fitzgerald. CD

Includes tracks by Robert Mitchum, Della Reese, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Xavier Cugat, and Louis Prima. CD

A trippy batch of covers – songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s – redone by a host of today's funky musicians! The album's one that will please both your ears for the classics and your taste for new music – and it offers up a diverse selection of tunes that includes covers of work by The Doors, Ramp, Aaron Neville, Larry Young, Thelonious Monk, Celia Cruz, Nat King Cole, The Stranglers, and even Pink Floyd! Tracks include "Daylight" and "Heaven Must Be Like This" by Yesterdays New Quintet, "Golden Brown" by Better Daze, "Quimbara (Jazztronik mix)" by Jack Costanzo, "Billy Jean" by Shinehead, "Turn Off The Lights" by Frank De Jo Jo, "Sunshine Of Your Love (Biggas Batucada mix)" by Rockers Hi-Fi meet Ella Fitzgerald, "Riders On The Storm" by Yonderboi, "Hercules" by Beatless, and "Breathe" by Open Door. CD

Music from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Vic Damone, Doris Day, Bobby Darin, Buddy Clark, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Mel Torme, and more. CD

Soaring large ensemble instrumentals from the man who served up backings for Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby in the 50s – featuring a fair bit of top-shelf west coast jazz musicians too! CD