Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson [Extra tracks]

Ella Fitzgerald | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 20, 1993)
• Original Release Date: 1961
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks
• Label: Verve/Polygram
• ASIN: B0000046QD
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,651 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ella and the Swingin' Riddle!, March 20, 2000

By 

M.B. (West Yorkshire, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson (Audio CD)

A masterful performance of the vocal art, superbly arranged by genius arranger Nelson Riddle and brilliantly played by his mostly unidentified orchestra (later Verve releases rectify this omission this problem by giving full band member listings). Many players can be guessed at as Riddle preferred to draw from a solid "stable" of first-rate musicians also heard to good effect on other Ella collaborations as well as recordings with Sinatra, Cole, Garland and many others.

All the songs here are well-chosen standards and like it's sibling album, "Ella Swings Gently with Nelson", are familiar enough to be fun to listen to without being common enough to be overused.

All are interpreted in an upbeat fashion; even "When Your Lover Has Gone" - usually a "downer" in the standards repertoire - is re-invented as a brisk, even joyous, swinger (along the lines of an earlier Riddle arrangement for the delightful Keely Smith).

Ella is consistently fantastic (as always) and her sense of swing is impeccable. Riddle has constructed some top-notch arrangements and is well-served by his orchestra.

Ella's solo vocal performance earned the album a Grammy in 1962. Why Riddle did not receive an Grammy for his arrangements over this period is a crime and a mystery (he finally received due recognition in the early 1980's after fashioning Linda Ronstadt's standards album "What's New?").

This album is a gem of tasteful craftsmanship and smacks of quality from a time when popular music was being mauled by the aural horrors and infantile lyrics of rock n' roll.

A classic album: a must-buy for all fans of Ella, Riddle and of good music in general

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swings, baby!, February 1, 2001

By 

Teddy Bird (Deer Creek Mesa, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson (Audio CD)

From beginning to end, this CD is a swinging masterpiece. The band is terrific; you'll be snapping your fingers, sayin' "yeah, boy!" before you know it.The tracks are a great mixture of standards that everybody knows along with some others that are not as frequently recorded. My particular favorites are "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'" by Duke Ellington and "The Gentleman is a Dope". Ella's got just the right 'tude. And her voice sounds mostly wonderful, too. The recording quality is excellent especially when compared to some other recordings from this era (1962). I would *highly* recommend this CD for anyone trying to select their first Ella CD. It's SO much fun, and not at all "difficult" the way some of her more straight-ahead work might seem.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous swing with soaring vocals, January 7, 2000

By 

Mike Swanson (Elkhart, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ella Swings Brightly with Nelson (Audio CD)

This is my first Ella CD and I'm just blown away by it. This is such a fun, classy, swinging set that I've played it about 12 times in two days. The band came to play and Ella is just fabulous. Her range, tone and pitch are phenomenal, but the real treat is the joy with which she sings. She makes the heartbreaker, When Your Lover Has Gone, sound like a party. These are swing tunes baby! What a punchy, snappy set.