Customer Reviews

Ella in London

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ella Fitzgerald performed this song set at Ronnie Scott's in London in April of 1974 shortly after resuming her career. She had been battling to save her eyesight and she won; but the audience members got the huge payoff the night Ella recorded this live at Ronnie's Scott's. Ella is even accompanied by Joe Pass on guitar and Tommy Flanagan on the piano--an auspicious event!

Ella's voice was in very good form and the quality of the sound on this CD proves that. She is capable of interacting with a much smaller audience that she had been used to in the past. Ella takes a request when she sings "The Very Thought Of You" so beautifully; and the Londoners relish every moment when Ella sings "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," a Cole Porter favorite with the British at that time.

Ella starts off strong with "Sweet Georgia Brown" and then moves into the slower, romantic, and mellow "They Can't Take That Away From Me." I especially liked how Ella performed "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)." She starts off with a long salute to several different types of music including dixieland music and soul; and then she finishes with a traditional rendition of the actual song. "Lemon Drop" is bouncy and a lot of fun to listen to; and when Ella tops it all off with her "Happy Blues" you can just imagine how thrilled her audience really must have been with this song set. Awesome!

The liner notes boast an extensive essay by Benny Green; these are the original liner notes from the reverse of the record album cover when this was released as a record album in the past. The song credits are given, too--a nice plus!

In short, this is one of my favorite Ella CDs and when you try it you'll understand why. Ella performs with a strength and poise that few entertainers ever achieve. Nevertheless, the intimate setting of a nightclub allows Ella to enjoy letting down her guard to take requests and to interact in a playful way with her audience. A great performance indeed!

Although this may not be her best live set when compared to the Opera house or Berlin concerts, but boy does she entertain. This concert gives the listener a chance to hear her inter-react with her audience and it appears that she loves her London fans. She opens with a jabbing 'Georgia Brown' and her ever popular UK hit 'every time we say goodbye'. She then starts to have fun with 'My man' which is similar to her "Fine and Mellow' album version
and somehow get's 'diamonds and my heart belongs to daddy'in it.
She then wades into 'It don't mean a thing' where she impersonates classical, C&W, Dixie and Soul train music). It is really quite amusing. There is a nod to Carole king (youv'e got a friend) and a fast scat of 'Lemon drop'
Her finale is 'Happy Blues' which is more of a happy talk along.
I am a Ella fan and only regret, I did not buy this sooner.

Ella performing live is always an exciting experience. The live session at the Ronnie Scott's club includes Ella's best - from Sweet Georgia Brown through The Man I Love to balads like Every Time We Say Good Bye. The ballads display Ella's deeper emotionality but I liked best is her incredible talent to scat and improvise as no one else. In short, great fun and a good chance to get to know the mature Ella Fitzgerald.

This is my favorite Ella record outside of the Songbook series; "Ella in London" excels with its unrivaled spontaneity. Those looking for technical perfection in Ella's voice had best look elsewhere. If that's all the particular listener cares about, then they're missing the point, as well as the overall outstanding musicality, playfulness, humour and joy contained within this disc. If this isn't a feel-good record, then the concept doesn't exist. Ella lived for her music and this CD has a very "lived-in" quality. That being said, I don't love all the cuts universally--but what I do love on this record, I love supremely. Highlights include the bouncy opener "Sweet Georgia Brown"; "The Man I Love" showcases Ella's facile way with improvisation / melody sampling; "You've Got a Friend", which Ella makes her own with its soul-influenced and inspired coda; and finally the upbeat closer, "Happy Blues". Ella has a great rapport with the audience on this CD and the crowd responds to her magic. If you happen to have this on in the background at home, it is guaranteed to make you stop what you are doing and surrender to its charisma.

Stephen C. Bird, author of "Hideous Exuberance: A Satire"