04/24/2025
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book.
Ella Fitzgerald.
Tomorrow, Friday, April 25 will be the 108th birthday anniversary of the late, great Ella Fitzgerald. So today and tomorrow, I’ll be posting some of my favorite Ella albums.
Ella has been one of the most constant voices in my musical journey. I remember the first time I really heard her - working at a restaurant back in Corning, NY during college. Ella’s music (along with Nat Cole and Sammy Davis, Jr.) were the music selections of choice on those busy dine out nights. While I had already been a huge fan of the male vocalists on that era, I hadn’t yet found my way to the female vocalists. Ella changed all that, as I began collecting her albums on CD and then eventually on vinyl, while also exploring the sounds of Sarah Vaughan, June Christy, Judy Garland, among others.
This is the fourth song book album in Ella’s monumental song book series, with arrangements by the steady hand of Paul Weston (known as the creator of mood music). These songs are too iconic to select more than one or two that really represent the entirety, but as a huge fan of the movie ‘Grumpy Old Men’ and it’s usage of “Heat Wave” - I would say that might just be my favorite.
Ella Fitzgerald | Verve Records