A superstar performance from the Antibes jazz festival at Cote D'Azur – one that features Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington sharing the stage, in a concert that was also recorded for a film! Most numbers here feature the full Ellington orchestra backing Ella up – but a few other numbers feature just backings from a trio with Jimmy Jones on piano and Grady Tate on drums. Duke and Ella trade the spotlight nicely – and Fitzgerald only sings on about half of the set, numbers that include "Mack The Knife", "The More I See You", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Jazz Samba", "How Long Has This Been Going On", and "Going Out Of My Head". Ellington's heard on other instrumental performances – some of which are a bit more upbeat and unbridled than usual – almost in a Basie mode. These tunes include "Trombonio Bustosolssimo", "Diminuendo In Blue & Blow By Blow", "The Old Circus Train Turn Around Blues", and "The Matador". CD

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One of the hippest takes ever on the Porgy & Bess score – done in duet format by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in a fuller spirit than their other albums for Verve! Like many late 50s albums of Gershwin's score, this one was issued in advance of the film with Sidney Poitier – but unlike most, this is less of a cash-in affair, and really takes Gershwin's music on its own – serving it up with that newly serious style that Verve was hitting with some artists, especially Ella, in the latter half of the 50s. Most tracks have relatively full backings – strings and jazz orchestrations – and the double-length set features 15 tracks that include "Buzzard Song", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "My Man's Gone Now", "I Wants To Stay Here", "Summertime", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "What You Want Wid Bess", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Oh Lawd I'm On My Way", and "A Woman Is A Sometime Thing". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of Christmas classics – five albums, each represented with LP-styled artwork in a box of 5 CDs! First up is Jolly Christmas by Frank Sinatra – one of the greatest Christmas albums of the 20th century – a rich tapestry of sadness and longing from Ol' Blue Eyes himself! Sure, most folks think that Christmas albums are supposed to be cheery and celebratory – but Frank, coming off of his best Wee Small Hours years at Capitol, rightly chose the sadder side of Christmas – and put together an album full of songs that really get at the bluer side of the holiday. Side one of the set includes some tremendous secular songs – the kind of mid-century tunes that often had a dark undercurrent of separation and unfulfilled desire – masquerading as holiday tunes, but in Frank's hands, coming off more like smokey late night tunes of lost love and wasted life. Side two's got some more spiritual-oriented tunes – but again, done by Frank, with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, these tunes come off with a lot less celebratory spirit than you'd expect. Titles include "The Christmas Waltz", "Mistletoe & Holly", "The Christmas Song", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear", and "I'll Be Home For Christmas". Next is A Christmas Gift To You – Phil Spector's classic Christmas album – a swirling delight of 60s pop and soul numbers, still one of the greatest full Christmas LPs ever recorded! The whole thing is wonderful – a mix of soul, rock, and pop – all produced with that classic "wall of sound" style that made Phil Spector such an early production genius in the 60s! The music is from those magical times when boundary-busting art and craft were mixed perfectly with pop styles that anyone could instantly fall in love with – and titles include "Frosty The Snowman" by The Ronettes, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Bob B Soxx & The Blue Jeans, "Marshmallow World" by Darlene Love, "Sleigh Ride" by The Ronnettes, "Winter Wonderland" by Darlene Love, "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town" by The Crystals, and "Silent Night" by Phil and other artists on the set! Next is Elvis Christmas Album – an early Holiday gem from Elvis Presley – a set that had RCA Records wisely rushing the young singer into the studio to cut a host of Christmas tunes – which ensured that Elvis would be spinning on the turntable for many seasons to come! Titles include "Here Comes Santa Claus", "Silent Night", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and "Santa Bring My Baby Back". Next is Merry Christmas from Bing Crosby – which may well be THE Christmas album of the 20th century – a 50s issue of 40s singles cut by Der Bingle, packaged in a cover with a classic cover image that's ensured that the record stayed in print for dozens of Decembers in years to come! Given that Bing virtually owned Christmas on TV during the 50s, 60s, and 70s, the album's place in popular music is well-earned – and honestly, Bing's "aw shucks, I'm just reg'lar folks" sort of approach to these tunes really helped create a kind of common man secular side to the Holidays that forever transformed America's celebration of the season. Or maybe we're going to far with this one . . . But whatever the case, the album's a standard, and one we were certainly raised on. Titles include "Silver Bells", "Jingle Bells", "Silent Night", "White Christmas", "Adeste Fideles", "Faith Of Our Fathers", "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas". Last up is Ella Fitzgerald Wishes You A Swinging Christmas – 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! CD

Groovy Ella from the end of the 60s – the kind of record that marked a really nice change from her staid work for Verve in years past! The setting here is bouncy and mod – a great mixture of jazz, soul, and bits of late 60s Brit Easy – no surprise, given that the sessions were recorded in London, with arrangements from maestros John Cameron and Mike Vickers! And while a few Ella purists might complain about the record, we totally dig it – and find it to be very similar to her excellent MPS album from the same stretch – a whole new sound for a singer with the range to take on anything! Titles include "Get Ready", "Yellow Man", "I Wonder Why", "Savoy Truffle", "Open Your Window", "Knock On Wood", "Got To Get You Into My Life", and "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful classic from mid 60s Verve – and the kind of a session that we wouldn't have expected to come off so well! In a style they were using with older artists at the time, Verve brought Ella and Duke into the studio together – with Duke's band and compositions providing the structure of the set, and Ella handling vocals. The tunes are mostly Ellington classics, but they provide a nice change of pace for the Fitzgerald of the 60s – taking Ella into more sophisticated territory on some darker themes that really surprised us. Players are all of the Ellington stalwarts of the time – and titles include "Imagine My Frustration", "Duke's Place", "What Am I Here For", "Azure", "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", "Passion Flower", and "Something To Live For". LP, Vinyl record album

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". LP, Vinyl record album

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A very different album than Ella's more jazz-based Holiday set for Verve – recorded in a mode that's much more focused on the serious side of the season! The format here has Ella singing with larger backings in a style that has some slight gospel overtones, and which focuses on the broadest range of her voice – a mix of spiritual and secular classics, handled with reverence, but also still a bit of that Fitzgerald bounce. Titles include "Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "We Three Kings", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear". LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of georgeous sets by Ella Fitzgerald with the Roy Eldridge Quartet from 1964 – one disc featuring numbers from Hibiya Kokaido Public Hall and another featuring a set at Hotel Okura – astonishingly strong material that's all the more jaw-dropping in that it's never been released before this beautiful package from Verve/Hip-O Select! It was recorded over 2 successive nights in Tokyo – a marquee event that was met with historic love and appreciation at Hibiya Kokaido Public Hall and an invitation only late night gig at Hotel Okura. The quartet features Elderidge on trumpet, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Bill Yancey on bass Gus Johnson on drums, plus guest players from the Japanese scene. Titles include "Cheek To Cheek", "Deep Purple", "Too Close For Comfort", "Misty", "Shiny Stockings", "Take The A-Train", "Bill Bailey", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "Whatever Lola Wants", "I've Got You Under My Skin" and more – plus some instrumental numbers from the Elderidge Quartet! CD

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

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", "We Three Kings", "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", and one of the best versions of "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" ever recorded! Plus, the CD features a few tasty alternates – and the album also includes great packaging, and the groovy tune "Christmas Island"! CD

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Songs by Irving Berlin, arrangements by Paul Weston, and titles include "Always", "Change Partners", "It's a Lovely Day Today", "Supper Time", "Reaching For The Moon", and "Isn't This A Lovely Day". CD

Classic duets between Ella & Louis – done in a sweet mode that only could have been handled by Verve in the 50s! Backings are in a nice small combo mode, and Ella and Louis carry most of the set with their great vocal interplay – warm, personal, and pretty darn charming – in a mode that should be hokey, but comes across great! Oscar Peterson's group provides backing – with Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar – and titles include "Love Is Here To Stay", "I Won't Dance", "The Nearness Of You", "Cheek To Cheek", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Can't We Be Friends", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's maybe even nicer than the Ella & Louis work together on Porgy & Bess – given that backing is by the trio of Oscar Peterson, which gives the whole thing a nicely understated charm – at a level that really lets the charms of the duo shine through! LP, Vinyl record album

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Tracks include "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Street Of Dreams", "April In Paris", "More Than You Know", "I Hear Music", and "Midnight Sun". CD

Four Christmas classics in one package – two from Verve, two from Chess Records! First up is the album Ella Fitzgerald Wishes You A Swinging Christmas – 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! The Sound Of Christmas album by Ramsey Lewis is a classic – and probably one of the best-selling Christmas jazz albums of all time! Ramsey and his classic trio with Redd Holt and Eldee Young serve up a tight set of grooves based around Holiday favorites like "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Winter Wonderland", "Here Comes Santa Claus", "The Christmas Song", and "Sleigh Ride" – and also carve out a few nice originals like "Christmas Blues" and "The Sound Of Christmas". Side one features the trio on its own, and side two features added arrangements by Riley Hampton – swirling around to expand the groove even more! Christmas 64 – also issued as Christmas Cookin – is as cookin a Christmas album as you'll ever find! Jazz organ giant Jimmy Smith works with Billy Byers to craft some sublime instrumentals that have his Hammond interpreting Christmas classics like "We Three Kings", "White Christmas", "Silent Night", "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". If you know Jimmy from the time, you know that he can really make tracks like these groove nicely – and take them to places you never expected! Last up is the album Have Yourself A Soulful Little Christmas, from guitarist Kenny Burrell – on which he grooves nicely and gently over arrangements by Richard Evans, perfectly crafted in that soul jazz mode of his 60s work for Chess – not Kenny's most challenging format, to be sure, but proof that he often works better in a more structured environment than a freer one. Titles include "Away In A Manger", "My Favorite Things", "Little Drummer Boy", "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", "Merry Christmas Baby", and "Go Where I Send Thee". LP, Vinyl record album

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Ella gets some great jazzy backings from Marty Paich – on titles that include "Little White Lies", "You Hit The Spot", "Little Jazz", "720 In the Books", "Knock Me A Kiss", and "My Kinda Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic duets between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – done in a sweet mode that only could have been handled by Verve in the 50s! Backings are in a nice small combo mode – with Armstrong on both trumpet and vocals – and Ella and Louis carry most of the set with their great vocal interplay – warm, personal, and pretty darn charming – in a mode that should be hokey, but comes across great, thanks to the quality of both vocalists! Titles include "April In Paris", "Can't We Be Friends", "Isn't This A Lovely Day", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Ella Fitzgerald, recorded in a nice lean setting – with mostly just the piano of Oscar Peterson to back her up, plus a bit of extra bass from Ray Brown on a few of the album's tracks! We love Fitzgerald in this mode – which is quite a change from some of her more familiar 70s work, and really shows the singer in her best light possible – handling things right out front, with an inherent sense of swing that's completely sublime! Peterson is great here too – playing with some of those more ragged edges that you'll get on his spare sessions for Pablo – some nice bluesy undercurrents that really help shape the sound of the record. Titles include "Mean To Me", "April In Paris", "Street Of Dreams", "I Hear Music", "More Than You Know", and "Midnight Sun". CD features 4 bonus alternate takes, too! 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

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

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Titles include "Misty", "Black Coffee", "Angel Eyes", "I Cried For You", and "Reach For Tomorrow". LP, Vinyl record album