Complete Ella Song Books [Box set]

Ella Fitzgerald | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 2, 1993)
• Original Release Date: November 2, 1993
• Number of Discs: 16
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000046RN
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,998 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #33 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Tin Pan Alley

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This 16-CD set collects all of Ella Fitzgerald's Songbooks, a monumental tribute to the American popular song and its greatest composers, recorded for Verve between 1956 and 1964. There is likely no other singer possessed of the mix of talents that Fitzgerald brought to the project, a combination of sheer vocal technique, creativity in phrasing and rhythm, and fidelity to lyrics and intent. The sheer scale of the project contributes to its value, for Fitzgerald went far beyond the standard repertoire, rediscovering little-known gems by many of her subjects: Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Harold Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, and Duke Ellington. The discs of Ellington material still stand out, illuminated by the presence of Duke and his band. They put Ellington, a master melodist as well as a great composer, in his rightful place in the pantheon of American songwriters. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

16 CD limited edition box set release to commerorate her 75th birthday. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 16 CD's worth of timeless jazz history - priceless!, February 6, 2005

By 

Douglas Stoltzfus (Rogers Park, Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Ella Song Books (Audio CD)

I was able to hear Ella at Ravinia here in Chicago a year or two before her death and at the time was more familiar with her name than with the breadth of her musical talent. The evening was one of those experiences that is etched permanently in my mind, and I feel truly privileged to have heard Ella in person.

It was after that that I looked longingly at this set of hers for a couple of years before I had the nerve to bite the bullet and buy it, despite its high asking price. Looking back at the literal "days" of listening pleasure I've received from this set, as well as the visual feast that is included, with the individual CD jackets featuring the original cover artwork, I have to say it has been one of the wisest "impulse" purchases I've ever made. (Wise is not an adjective usually applied to an impulse purchase, but in this case it is an accurate description. The only other impulse purchase I've made that conjures up a similar emotional response from me is the Bose Wave System, which makes Ella sound just fine, by the way(!)...)

I felt passionate enough about this set to actually take the time and scan in the individual CD covers so they would appear within iTunes in my Mac when I played the tracks on my computer. Given that the scanned images were still available, I've uploaded them onto Amazon's website on this page for your perusal, enjoyment, right-clicking to save for your own use in iTunes, whatever. Oh, and did I say, enjoy this set!

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars pricey but..., February 2, 2002

By 

James Tg Fuentes (quezon city Philippines) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete Ella Song Books (Audio CD)

worth every cent!

the true blue fan can't sometimes help but think that the sheer enormousness of this collection seem to make up for the quality of material ella recorded for decca (with "pure ella with ellis larkins" an exception). the albums on this set arguably defined her career and might as well be the tribute to her visionary producer and manager, norman granz. with bonus tracks, miniaturized versions of the books found on the vinyl versions of some of the cd's (check out the gershwin songbook!) and the elegantly packaged box the 16 discs comes in, you can't get any more de luxe than this!

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Songbook Set, January 19, 2002

By 

jerry Sullivan (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Ella Song Books (Audio CD)

After close to 20 years of languishing at Decca, recording songs good and dreadful, Ella Fitzgerald was finally able to record under the direction of her manager, Norman Granz. In order to provide a clean artistic break from her Decca material, he decided to institute a great american composer series, something Ella Fitzgerald was not too keen on. The series which resulted, the songbooks in this beautiful set, have become such a part of our collective memory, it's hard to believe they almost didn't happen. The sound on this set is consistently excellent, even when compared to my mint original vinyl; and there are extras, never before included.......these include false starts, patter between Ella and the engineers, all of which helps one realize she was a real person, and actually did make a few mistakes from time to time. As this began in 1956, some of the material in in mono only, as not all the labels were convinced of the worthiness of the then new stereo sound. Not to worry, the production is so consistently good, you probably will not notice which are mono and which are stereo. If I have one quibble with the set, it's the size.........The CDs are jacketed in miniature LP-style covers, complete with original liner notes, now so small as to be virtually unreadable. A pity, because a wealth of information about the music is in these notes. But, of course, the music is the main thing, by the greatest of all popular singers in history, Ella Fitzgerald. If you are in any way remotely interested in great singing and great songs, buy this set, it's a bargain at any price. In all honesty, this set deserves 80 stars, 5 for each of the 16 discs herein. It's a gem