Customer Reviews

Ella and Oscar [Vinyl]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This should have been a dream match, since Ella and Oscar had been performing together for more than 20 years by the time of this record. Unfortunately, the record is more often a sparring match than a piano-voice duet. Yes, there are fine moments on "Mean to Me," "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "April in Paris." But Ella made two better piano-voice disks than this one: "Pure Ella" with Ellis Larkins (Decca Jazz) and "The Intimate Ella" with Paul Smith (Verve -- aka "Let No Man Write My Epitaph" in outstanding sound on Classic Compact Disks). Try those first if you want to know how great the First Lady of Song sounded in a minimalist setting.

This is confusing, I own this on LP and think it's an incredible album. When I went to order it on cd I found that even though it has the same cover art, not one single song from the LP is on the CD. In case anyone cares the original recording song list is as follows:

Mean to me

How long has this been going on?

When your lover has gone

More than you ever know

There's a lull in my life

Midnight sun

I hear music

Street of Dreams

April in Paris

While I'm sure this disc is good, the LP is an incredible laid back affair. If you can find it, pick it up.

Ella was nigh 60 when she recorded this album, and was suffering from various health problems. Given that, her voice isn't *that* bad on this CD... sure, it's a little rougher, and her vibrato gets a little wobbly in a few places, but she retains most of her range and intonation. In any case, the tunes are excellent, and I personally think Oscar Peterson did a fine job accompanying Ella. Ella's personality and enthusiam more than make up for the decline of her once unmatchable instrument. She could still outsing Britney or J-Lo any day of the week.
;-)

This cd is not as good as her pairings with Joe Pass, but still this is a very good cd, Oscar's playing is great, Ella is in very good voice, yeah a little wobble here and there, but i hear some emotional vulnerability in her singing, and she does some things with certain notes that you don't hear on any other of her Pablo recordings.

"The best way to start any musical evening is with this girl. It doesn't get better than this." ~ Frank Sinatra ~

Ella Fitzgerald was in her late fifties, not at the apex of her long and fruitful musical career when she recorded this album, "Ella and Oscar" and yet she still sings with such grace and precision she was always well-known for. And I really admire her for that. She still exudes enthusiasm and warmth in all her renditions albeit a slight difference on her vocal cords. She was still the undisputed "First Lady of Song."

As always, the virtuoso of jazz piano is at his best as he backs Ella's voice with his sublime and distinctive style on the ivories. The listeners will be treated to nine of the most definitive songs from the Great American Songbook. Joining them on the last half of this presentation is Oscar Peterson's long-time partner and one of the best bass players whom Ella fell in love with and married, Ray Brown.

One of the standouts from this collection is a Gershwin classic, "How Long Has This Been Going On?" where she projects her wide-ranging vocals to Peterson's engaging accompaniment. She's at her most emotional side singing "More Than You Know" with heartfelt sentiment while Peterson is mellowing it down for the most part.

For my choicest cut, it has to be an all-time favorite of mine, "Midnight Sun," a beautiful song co-written by Johnny Burke, Lionel Hampton and Johnny Mercer. Whenever I hear this song, it reminds me of an interesting anecdote on how Mercer discovered this tune that eventually led him to pen the lyrics out of his love-at-first-listen with the melody.

"I can't explain the silver rain that found me
Or was that a moonlit veil?
The music of the universe around me
Or was that a nightingale?"

For fans of Ella and Oscar, this is a welcome addition to your collection. With my heartfelt recommendation.

If "Fine and Mellow" is Ella's best work from the 1970s, this 1975 recording is a close second. Although by the mid-70s her voice had lost some of its grace, she seemed to make up for that by imbuing the songs with an added intensity that wasn't evident on her earlier work. She's joined here by the legendary jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson, and by her ex-husband, bassist Ray Brown, and again she sticks with proven standards. This CD features a wide range of moods from the languid pace of "More Than You Know," to the galloping "I Hear Music." The highlight, however, is the final cut, "April in Paris." For nearly eight wonderful minutes, Ella, Oscar and Ray have a field day with this classic tune.

One smooth song after another, Ella bopping and lilting and harping "why must you be so mea-yea-yea-yea-yean to me" and making me want to be in Paris in April, and Oscar making those keys dance and hum. I could listen to this over and over (I do, actually). Sometimes I just hate the end of the twentieth century because Ella is no more....you know how they say "they don't make 'em like they used to"?

The year is 1975. Ella is an international star, Oscar Peterson is at the height of his powers, and then add the incomparable Ray Brown on bass and you have magic.
And this album!
I love this for the purity of sound, and while Ella sounds superb with a band, when it's just her and Oscar, her power shines through.
Thanks to modern re-mastering techniques, this sounds better than ever. I love it!

Classic Jazz Ella & Oscar just as I expected

Twoo of the most revered artists ever

If you're an Ella or Oscar fan then you'll love this title. Nobody can sing these tunes like Ella, and no one can play them like Oscar...