FITZGERALD - ARMSTRONG: ELLA AND LOUIS
Vinyl
Code: 10918020
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Performer: Ella Fitzgerald, vocals; Louis Armstrong
Writer: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Number of discs: 1
Label: Analogue Productions
Media: 180g LP
Genre: Jazz
A splendid new title in the Verve / Universal Music Enterprises reissue series curated by Acoustic Sounds.
At least one new release every month of the most iconic albums of great jazz.
Remastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog master tapes.
180g LP pressed by Quality Record Pressings.
Old-style tip-on gatefold sleeve by Stoughton Printing.
Series overseen by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds.
"Like all the Acoustic Sounds reissues I've reviewed so far on Analog Planet, this new release is simply impeccable in every way. The pressing is top-notch, featuring a whisper-quiet, yet very consistent 180-gram black vinyl that reveals a perfectly defined soundstage. Overall, Ella's warm, mellow timbre contrasts beautifully with Pops's more angular, popcorn-crunching voice. Add to this the sumptuous sound of Satchmo's trumpet, and you have all the ingredients needed for a sweet and uniquely engaging listen. (Artistic Quality: 10/11; Sound Quality: 8/11; Mark Smotroff, AnalogPlanet.com)
"The classic jazz album, which saw Ella Fitzgerald for the first time alongside Louis Armstrong, in a phantasmagorical rendition of famous jazz standards." (Wax Time)
The evening before the scheduled recording of this famous album, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald performed a remarkable concert, which also featured Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson. The concert was later featured on the 1956 album Live at the Hollywood Bowl. The following day, the two singers and the Oscar Peterson Trio met in a Los Angeles recording studio to record this masterpiece of jazz.
With limited rehearsal time, to make things easier, all the songs on the program were performed in the key of Louis Armstrong's trumpet, but this didn't pose any problems for Ella. Another challenge for Pops was that none of the songs on the program were part of his usual repertoire, so he was forced to learn them from loose sheets of paper in the recording studio. Despite these challenges, there's not even the slightest hint of force on this recording, a fact that highlights the innate musicality of the great Louis Armstrong to the fullest.
Ella Fitzgerald, vocals; Louis Armstrong, trumpet; Oscar Peterson Trio
Side A
Can't We Be Friends
Isn't This A Lovely Day?
Moonlight In Vermont
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Under A Blanket Of Blue
Tenderly
Side B
A Foggy Day
Stars Fell On Alabama
Cheek To Cheek
The Nearness Of You
April In Paris