Ella Fitzgerald Posthumous Live Albums

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by shanebrown, Sep 2, 2018.

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  1. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Over the last twenty or so years, there have been many newly-released live albums by Ella Fitzgerald - some from the labels associated with her, some from independent labels, and others through PD labels in Europe. In my own collection, of the posthumous releases (not including DVDs) I have the following:

    The Ella Fitzgerald Set (JATP recordings, Verve).
    The Complete Birdland Broadcasts (Essential Jazz Classics label - also includes Royal Roost recordings)
    Lausanne, 1953 (Swiss Radio Days)
    Ella at Zardi's (Verve)
    Live in Stockholm, 1957 (Lonehill)
    'Swonderful: Live in Amsterdam 1957 & 1960 (Dutch Jazz Archive Series)
    Live in Paris, 1957-1962 (fremeaux)
    Live at Mister Kelly's (Verve)
    Ella in Berlin (Essential Jazz Classics - includes Cannes Jazz Festival, 1959)
    Twelve Nights in Hollywood (Verve)
    Ella in Japan (Verve)
    Best of the BBC Vaults
    Ella in Budapest (Pablo)
    Live in Cologne, 1974 (Jazzline)
    Sophisticated Lady (Pablo)
    Hamburg Duets, 1976 (Gambit)
    North Sea Jazz Festival, 1979.

    Also, prior to 1996, there is also:

    The Lady Is a Tramp: Belgrade 1961 and 1971 (Jazz Door)
    Live at the Greek (Status)
    Ella in Budapest (Pablo)
    With Tommy Flanagan, 1969 (Laserlight)

    My own purchases of the "new" concerts certainly isn't complete, but I was wondering which of these kinds of releases by Ella (whether in the list above or not) are your own favourites or you think are worthy of particular note?
     
  2. Davidmk5

    Davidmk5 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlboro , ma. usa
    I just got Ella at Zardi's (Verve) - 2-lp for my Birthday , i was bummed whne this was put out on Record store day & then sold out so fast BUT , the plans were to release a regular standard Black vinyl version at a later date .
    What a stellar Set From Ella & her band , she shines through both sets ........ maybe not top Fidelity but it does sound good & the performance really is great ...


    [​IMG]
     
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  3. teag

    teag Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Is this a good pressing? Who remastered it?
     
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  4. Davidmk5

    Davidmk5 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlboro , ma. usa

    Pressing although silent , both lps have a little bit of a warp that does not effect play & side #1 is but a hair off center again i didn't notice it messing with the play , i looked it up on Discogs & there was a comment about that side being cut a bit off center so they are probably all that way .
    My Biggest gripe is they stuff both lp's into one sleeve instead of making it a gatefold , Mastered at Capitol info from discogs ::


    • Matrix / Runout (SIDE A): B0027944-01-A IS MASTERED AT CAPITOL
    • Matrix / Runout (SIDE B): B0027944-01-B IS MASTERED AT CAPITOL
    • Matrix / Runout (SIDE C): B0027944-01-C IS MASTERED AT CAPITOL
    • Matrix / Runout (SIDE D): B0027944-01-D IS MASTERED AT CAPITOL
    the Lp insert says mastered By Seth Foster
     
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  5. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Thanks for the info. I've had the CD since it came out and was pleasantly surprised at how good the sound was - certainly better than the Newport and Opera House recordings from the following year, from my point of view. And Ella is in nicely relaxed form here too - I think she comes across as a much better singer and artist here than on the rather square arrangements of the Cole Porter songbook, which I always think is praised more because of its concept than because of its execution.

    There are some nice live rarities on the Zardis album, too - her live repertoire over the course of her shows from the 1950s through to the early 1990s is absolutely massive. While all shows from one tour might be very similar, she seemed to change things up quite dramatically from one set of shows to the next. We see it most notably perhaps in the 3CD set of Paris shows from 1957-1962, but even looking at the Berlin shows of 1960 and 1961 - only two songs are repeated.
     
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  6. Davidmk5

    Davidmk5 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlboro , ma. usa

    I totally agree , It's a pretty good recording & worthy of Release ........ It has the right feel all over it .... her catalog is just mindblowing , i'm slowly collecting a little at a time .
     
  7. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    It's a slightly strange catalogue in many respects, because it's always assumed that her work after Verve was somehow not on a level with what had come before. Her voice certainly altered as she got older, but the interesting thing about Pablo years is that her studio work now had much more of the freewheeling qualities of the famed live albums. For the most part, she wasn't saddled with the rather restrictive orchestral arrangements of much of the Verve years, and had much more chance to improvise. Pablo was, not just for Ella but for all musicians who moved to it, such a wonderful label allowing the musicians the ability to make great music without having the keep them particularly commercial. If you haven't yet explored the Pablo years, many of the albums are worth your time. And I would argue there's probably not a more enjoyable, uplifting jazz concert recording that the Jazz at the Santa Monica civic concert from 1972, available on a 3CD set. Ella is on the last disc. Basie is on the first. And the second takes us into JATP territory with Al Grey, Stan Getz, JJ Johnson, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Roy Eldridge, and others.
     
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  8. Davidmk5

    Davidmk5 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlboro , ma. usa

    That's good to know as most of my collection is based around the Verve Label , the Only Pablo album i have is "Take love Easy" with Joe pass which is a beautiful Album .... and i'll put that Live Album on my list ;)
     
  9. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    The second album with Joe Pass is probably the best of the ones they did together - it's imaginatively called "Fitzgerald and Pass...Again." The two from the 1980s really expose Ella's vocal deterioration, although they are pleasant enough.

    Lots of people rave about the Ronnie Scotts 1974 live album, but I can't say it's a favourite - I prefer the Montreux ones from 1975, 1977, and 1979 (and the full concert of the latter is available on DVD). Of the non-live albums, Ella & Oscar and Fine and Mellow are particularly good, if you can ignore the awful front covers!
     
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  10. Davidmk5

    Davidmk5 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlboro , ma. usa

    I'll have to put that 2nd joe pass album on my list , thanks !
     
  11. shicorp

    shicorp Senior Member

    Location:
    Austria
  12. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Thanks. I thought when I saw the title that it would just be the Shrine concert from 1957 we already have, but clearly not. Hopefully it will be compiled with something else to make a full disc. There are a few oddities that are only available in boxed sets and such (including some of Ella's songs from the Cote D'Azur boxed set), which would be nice to see collected together as well.
     
  13. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    One that i forgot in the opening post is "The 1961 Amsterdam Concert" on Solar Records. Typical for the period, it should be said, but nice to have.
     
  14. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    I saw it yesterday at RSD. It’s really short, just a few songs per side.
     
  15. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    I realised a few weeks ago that there hasn't been a new serious biography or book about Ella's work since the 1990s - that really is very sad, I think. I know there has been a recent new edition of one of the 1990s biographies, but hardly the same.
     
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  16. Joel S

    Joel S Forum Resident

    I know this is an old thread, but does anybody know if Live At Zardi's on vinyl is analog mastered or just cut from the digital CD master? Thanks.
     
  17. shicorp

    shicorp Senior Member

    Location:
    Austria
    I'm no vinyl expert, but I find it hard to believe that UMG would release any analog sourced LPs.

    Meanwhile "Ella At The Shrine" has also been released digitally.
     
  18. shanebrown

    shanebrown Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Norfolk, UK
    Quite why the material hasn't yet found its way to CD is anybody's guess. I'm sure they could have completed the CD with some other hard to find tracks from the Verve years.
     
  19. Joel S

    Joel S Forum Resident

  20. Matheus Bezerra de Lima

    Matheus Bezerra de Lima Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brazil, Pará
    I would like to ask you to guide me in what are the best live albums of Ella Fitzgerald ever released and why. I already downloaded the full CD versions of At The Opera House, Ella In Rome: The Birthday Concert and Ella In Berlin: Mack The Knife. What do you think?

    About the Cole Porter Songbook, I think it is a good album due to the quality of the songs and Ella's marvelous singing creating so many good/amazing versions of these classic songs, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye is my biggest favorite in the album. I would give the album 3.5 stars or 4 stars out of 5. But it was also the first time they were trying something like this, so it is clearly inferior to pretty much all the other Songbooks from the 50s (though I haven't listened to Ellington's one yet) because it has on average the most trite and bland arrangements of all. Buddy Bregman, the arranger of the Cole Porter Songbook, would do far better work in the magical Rodgers/Hart Songbook, which I deeply love, Paul Weston arranging her amazing Irving Berlin Songbook is also clearly better (and Ella's personality couldn't match better with Irving Berlin's) and Nelson Riddle's work on the Gershwin one are easily some of the greatest arrangements in history of music. The Gershwin Songbook may be the crowning achievement of Ella Fitzgerald's entire career (at least as a pop singer), her voice has never sounded richer and more beautiful and her interpretations of these songs are consistently marvelous, magical and dreamy like the arrangements. Ella's Gershwin Songbook is truly one of the absolute pinnacles of all popular music history. Ella Fitzgerald and Nelson Riddle were masters.

    Berlin, Gershwin and Rodgers/Hart Are all 4.5/5 stars Songbooks in my book. I made a review of the Gershwin one and how it is one of the absolute heights of singing and arrangements in all popular music in rateyourmusic.com, I would like to ask you what you think about my review:

    matbezlima's review for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book by Ella Fitzgerald
     
  21. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

  22. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    UMG released Howlin Wolf Moanin, all analog, and it sounds effin incredible!
     
  23. tubesandvinyl

    tubesandvinyl Forum Resident

    Probably digital, but sounds good. Amazing performance!
     
  24. MLutthans

    MLutthans That's my spaghetti, Chewbacca! Staff

    Are those two Sinatra titles documented as being cut directly from tape?
     
  25. Joel S

    Joel S Forum Resident

    In The Wee Small Hours, yes. Songs For Swingin Lovers maybe. AFAIK.
     
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