Ella Fitzgerald
Wikimp3 information about the music of Ella Fitzgerald. On our website we have 70 albums and 70 collections of artist Ella Fitzgerald. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that Ella Fitzgerald represents Jazz genres.
Biography
[Edit]"The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was arguably the finest female jazz singer of all time (although some may vote for Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holiday). Blessed with a beautiful voice and a wide range, Fitzgerald could outswing anyone, was a brilliant scat singer, and had near-perfect elocution; one could always understand the words she sang. The one fault was that, since she always sounded so happy to be singing, Fitzgerald did not always dig below the surface of the lyrics she interpreted and she even made a downbeat song such as "Love for Sale" sound joyous. However, when one evaluates her career on a whole, there is simply no one else in her class.
One could never guess from her singing that Ella Fitzgerald's early days were as grim as Billie Holiday's. Growing up in poverty, Fitzgerald was literally homeless for the year before she got her big break. In 1934, she appeared at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, winning an amateur contest by singing "Judy" in the style of her idol, Connee Boswell. After a short stint with Tiny Bradshaw, Fitzgerald was brought to the attention of Chick Webb by Benny Carter (who was in the audience at the Apollo). Webb, who was not impressed by the 17-year-old's appearance, was reluctantly persuaded to let her sing with his orchestra on a one-nighter. She went over well and soon the drummer recognized her commercial potential. Starting in 1935, Fitzgerald began recording with Webb's Orchestra, and by 1937 over half of the band's selections featured her voice. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" became a huge hit in 1938 and "Undecided" soon followed. During this era, Fitzgerald was essentially a pop/swing singer who was best on ballads while her medium-tempo performances were generally juvenile novelties. She already had a beautiful voice but did not improvise or scat much; that would develop later.
On June 16, 1939, Chick Webb died. It was decided that Fitzgerald would front the orchestra even though she had little to do with the repertoire or hiring or firing the musicians. She retained her popularity and when she broke up the band in 1941 and went solo; it was not long before her Decca recordings contained more than their share of hits. She was teamed with the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, and the Delta Rhythm Boys for some best-sellers, and in 1946 began working regularly for Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic. Granz became her manager although it would be nearly a decade before he could get her on his label. A major change occurred in Fitzgerald's singing around this period. She toured with Dizzy Gillespie's big band, adopted bop as part of her style, and started including exciting scat-filled romps in her set. Her recordings of "Lady Be Good," "How High the Moon," and "Flying Home" during 1945-1947 became popular and her stature as a major jazz singer rose as a result. For a time (December 10, 1947-August 28, 1953) she was married to bassist Ray Brown and used his trio as a backup group. Fitzgerald's series of duets with pianist Ellis Larkins in 1950 (a 1954 encore with Larkins was a successful follow-up) found her interpreting George Gershwin songs, predating her upcoming Songbooks series.
After appearing in the film Pete Kelly's Blues in 1955, Fitzgerald signed with Norman Granz's Verve label and over the next few years she would record extensive Songbooks of the music of Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Rodgers & Hart, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer. Although (with the exception of the Ellington sets) those were not her most jazz-oriented projects (Fitzgerald stuck mostly to the melody and was generally accompanied by string orchestras), the prestigious projects did a great deal to uplift her stature. At the peak of her powers around 1960, Fitzgerald's hilarious live version of "Mack the Knife" (in which she forgot the words and made up her own) from Ella in Berlin is a classic and virtually all of her Verve recordings are worth getting.
Fitzgerald's Capitol and Reprise recordings of 1967-1970 are not on the same level as she attempted to "update" her singing by including pop songs such as "Sunny" and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," sounding quite silly in the process. But Fitzgerald's later years were saved by Norman Granz's decision to form a new label, Pablo. Starting with a Santa Monica Civic concert in 1972 that is climaxed by Fitzgerald's incredible version of "C Jam Blues" (in which she trades off with and "battles" five classic jazzmen), Fitzgerald was showcased in jazz settings throughout the 1970s with the likes of Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, and Joe Pass, among others. Her voice began to fade during this era and by the 1980s her decline due to age was quite noticeable. Troubles with her eyes and heart knocked her out of action for periods of time, although her increasingly rare appearances found Fitzgerald still retaining her sense of swing and joyful style. By 1994, Ella Fitzgerald was in retirement and she passed away two years later, but she remains a household name and scores of her recordings are easily available on CD.
Title: The Best Of 1956-1962 (Remastered 4CD Edition) (CD1)
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz
Title: The Best Of 1956-1962 (Remastered 4CD Edition) (CD2)
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz
Title: The Best Of Ella Fitzgerald And Louis Armstrong On Verve
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Pop, Classical
Title: Oh, Lady, Be Good! Best Of The Gershwin Songbook
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: North Sea Jazz Legendary Concerts: Ella Fitzgerald (Live)
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz
Title: Ella and Oscar (Original Jazz Classics Remasters)
Artist: Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz
Title: Nice Work If You Can Get It
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Pop, Classical, Easy Listening
Title: Merry Christmas And Happy New Year!
Artist: Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald
Genre: Traditional Pop Music
Collections
Title: Great Love Songs, Vol. 2
Genre: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Title: Greatest Classics: Great Love Songs
Genre: Jazz, Smooth Jazz
Title: Songs They Sang In the 1930's, Vol. 1
Genre: Pop
Title: Jazz Is Their Old Man
Genre: Jazz
Title: All You Need Is Love Songs
Genre: Pop
Title: Perfect Big Bands
Genre: Jazz
Title: V-Disc Jazz Essentials
Genre: Jazz
Title: Cool Jazz, Vol. 1
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Great Songwriters - Frank Loesser
Genre: Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Jingle Bells
Genre: Traditional Pop Music
Title: It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Genre:
Title: 1936 Hits (Remastered)
Genre: Pop
Title: Masters of Jazz - 40 Singing Ladies
Genre: Jazz
Title: 20 Greatest Female Jazz Vocalists 1936-1952, Vol. 2
Genre: Jazz
Title: Hits Of The 30s & 40s Vol 1
Genre: Pop
Title: New York for Lovers
Genre: Jazz
Title: Divas Of Jazz Vol 6
Genre: Jazz
Title: Queens of Jazz, Vol. 6
Genre: Jazz
Title: A Jazzy Christmas
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Modern Art of Christmas: A Jazzy Merry Christmas
Genre:
Title: Songs from the Mad Men Era
Genre:
Title: A Mix Of Popular Hits Vol 2
Genre: Pop
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1941, Vol. 3
Genre: Pop
Title: Vintage Jazz
Genre: Jazz
Title: Essential Jazz Romance
Genre: Jazz
Title: Hits Of '38
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Greatest Hits of Blues and Jazz
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Essential Big Bands
Genre: Jazz
Title: 100 Vocal & Jazz Classics - Vol. 10 (1939-1940)
Genre: Jazz
Title: Essential Jazz Ballads
Genre: Jazz
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1942 Volume 7
Genre: Pop
Title: Ultimate Jazz Ladies, Vol. 3
Genre: Jazz
Title: Ultimate Jazz Ladies, Vol. 4
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Definitive Collection of Female Anthems
Genre: Pop, Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: Collection de Jazz (7 grands artistes)
Genre: Jazz
Title: X-Tremely Fun - Jazz Dance
Genre: Jazz
Title: Selections From LA Noire
Genre: Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Valentine's Day - 50 Classic Love Songs
Genre: Pop
Title: The Greatest American Swing Jazz
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Most Amazing Jazz Performances
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Most Relaxing Jazz
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Music of the Thrilling Thirties
Genre: Jazz
Title: Jazz Goes To Broadway
Genre: Jazz
Title: A Tribute To Jerome Kern
Title: Jazz for Dance Floors
Genre: Jazz
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1944 Volume 3
Genre: Pop
Title: The Apollo Theatre
Genre: Jazz
Title: 6 Of the Best - Jazz Masters
Genre: Jazz
Title: 50 Classic Songs from the 1950s!
Genre:
Title: Pure Nostalgia
Genre:
Title: Jazz and Some 50 All-time Favourites
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Hot 100 - Swing Jazz, Vol. 3
Genre: Jazz
Title: Let It Swing - Crazy Rhythm
Genre: Jazz
Title: The Essential Big Bands
Genre: Jazz
Title: Big Hits & Highlights of 1946 Volume 1
Genre: Pop
Title: Ultimate Memories
Genre:
Title: Cocktail Hour: The Vamps
Genre: Jazz
Title: Coffeehouse Jazz
Genre: Jazz
Title: Love Songs By the Entertainers, Vol. 3
Genre: Pop
Featuring albums
Title: Louis Armstrong Sings Back Through the Years / A Centennial Celebration
Artist: Louis Armstrong
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Pop
Title: Louis Jordan: Let the Good Times Roll - The Anthology 1938-1953
Artist: Louis Jordan
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Blues, Jazz
Title: Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson
Artist: Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Pop, Bop
Title: Count Basie Swings - Joe Williams Sings
Artist: Count Basie, Joe Williams
Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Pop
Title: Irving Berlin Always
Artist: Irving Berlin Always
Genre: Blues, Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Rock, Pop, Theatre/Soundtrack, Bop, Smooth Jazz
Title: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Ink Spots
Artist: The Ink Spots
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Rock, Pop
Title: The Mills Brothers, Vol. 3: 1935-1937 (feat. Ella Fitzgerald)
Artist: Mills Brothers, The
Genre: Jazz, Pop, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: At First Sight (Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Artist: Mark Isham
Genre: Jazz, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: The Great Songwriters - Irving Berlin
Artist: Irving Berlin
Genre: Pop, Songwriter/Lyricist, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: Salaud on t'aime (Bande originale du film de Claude Lelouch)
Artist: Francis Lai, Christian Gaubert
Genre: Rock, Pop, Theatre/Soundtrack
Title: The Ultimate Collection - 70 Unforgettable Tracks
Artist: The Ink Spots
Genre: Electronica, Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Dancefloor, Pop, Dance Pop
Title: Smooth Jazz (New Stereo Recordings by the Original Artists)
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Jazz