Customer Reviews

Jazz Icons: Ella Fitzgerald Live in '57 and '63

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This disc features concert footage of two of Ella Fitzgerald's European performances. The first, filmed in Belgium in 1957 crackles with cool, even though the somewhat prim and proper Belgian audience never really loosens up and gives Ella enough energy to work with. Thus, it's a fairly reserved set... but, man, is it classy! She good-naturedly zips through standards and longtime faves, accompanied by several top-flight sidemen, including Jo Jones on drums, a lanky, young Ray Brown on bass, and Herb Ellis on guitar. Their solos and improvisations are minimal -- this is a pretty formal performance -- but they all radiate competence and calm. Unannounced, Roy Eldridge and Oscar Petersen drop in to jam at the end of the set -- sadly, the film crew's static framing fails to catch Petersen's finger work, opting instead to linger on the set shots of the regular band. Still, you can't help but be wowed by Ella, and feel that you're being a glimpse of her utter greatness, seeing her work the room in this grand concert hall. The second set is more intimate, with Ella and a small combo led by pianist Tommy Flanagan playing on Swedish TV in 1963... Although the cheerful, informal vibe is great, this is also from a period where Ella's work was a bit rushed and perfunctory, with an emphasis on energy and speed, and acrobatic scatting. It's not my favorite Ella sound, but some folks love it, and this is a nice chance to see her up close and personal in her early '60s persona. All in all, this is a good glimpse at one of jazz music's all-time greats.

Ella Fitzgerald was the great classical actress of the great jazz singers. The Belgium concert is just stunning, Ella at her absolute best in her prime. Polite, deeply grounded, she hardly moves, just that great voice coming out of that almost impassive face, a deep well with a placid surface. Very much like John Gielgud in one of his Shakespeare roles on stage (which I was lucky enough to see once).

The second concert is very good too, though her upper register was a little hoarse by then. She actually does the twist at one point, her thick body out of sync with her voice's rhythms. The "Mack the Knife" is stellar.

Her backup bands on both are wonderful to watch as well, great talents who aren't suffering as you often see lesser actors or musicians do on stage, enjoying the hell out making such wonderful sounds, happy to be behind a talent like hers. Even the audience shots on the Belgian film are fascinating, intense and rapt deadly serious devotees who burst into staccato applause at odd moments.

Let this series keep digging and hope there is more out there.

I've purchased all of Ella's available concert DVD's and they're all worth having, but this one is from a period in her career when she was pretty much omnipotent. The '57 concert in Belgium, in particular, with Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Jo Jones and an appearance by Oscar Peterson on "It Don't Mean a Thing...", shows her in flawless form. Not a lot of show business by today's standards, she just stands there and sings as beautifully as any human ever has...who could ask for anything more?

My preference has always been for instrumental jazz, but Ella is one of the few jazz vocalists who caught and held my attention. I only had one opportunity to see this truly unique performer in concert - in front of the Count Basie band in the 1970s - so it's a joy to experience Ella performing live again through the miracle of modern technology.
The DVD presents two appearances, the first in a concert hall in Belgium in 1957 and the second in a Swedish television studio in 1963. Ella is on top of her game for both, and the selection of tunes makes for a great showcase of her talents. It's all here: her creative embellishments of the melody, her scat singing, and her occasional use of improvised lyrics to add local flavor or pay tribute to other jazz artists.
It would be difficult to pick which of these two dates was the better performance. Overall, her interpretive powers are better displayed in the 1963 show, especially in fabulous renditions of "No Moon At All," "Runnin' Wild," "Georgia On My Mind," and "Mack the Knife." But the 1957 concert has many special moments that are not to be missed. "Lullaby of Birdland" is an up-tempo swinger that is the best vocal version of this tune you're ever likely to hear. "April in Paris" pays homage to the Basie arrangement that was destined to become a classic. Ella has some fun with "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" where she does an excellent impersonation of Louis Armstrong. The concert closes with Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," complete with scat choruses and great solo work from Herb Ellis on guitar and Oscar Peterson on piano.
The only other thing I'd like to see to complete the Ella experience is concert video of "The First Lady of Song" in front of a big band. Maybe the Jazz Icons series can find enough old footage for a second Ella DVD.

This DVD is priceless!!!!! The quality is excellent. If you want to own a piece of fine art get this dvd, Ella is just a genius man. The 1957 concert displays the concert experience like nothing I ever seen from that era. The musicians are just into her and you can tell they are trying to challenge her. But she can't be out done. She rises higher, song after song. Then the 1963 conert is just Ella at superstar status. You can tell with is one that she has nothing to prove. So she's just herself, having fun with her trio and sounding like an angel. But this DVD!!!!
Terrance Gassaway

Reelin' in The Years Productions presents "ELLA FITZGERALD LIVE IN '57 & '63 (2006)", Have been a fan of hers for many years with her uncanny ability to absolutely mesmerize an audience --- Ella's timing, absolute perfect "pitch," phrasing and musicianship could never be duplicated --- Luckily, the concerts in Belgium taped in 1957 and Sweden tape in 1963, have preserved Ella as she truly was -- Musically perfect in every way.

LIVE IN BELGIUM [1957]
Vocal- Ella Fitzgerald
Piano- Don Abney
Bass- Ray Brown
Drums- Jo Jones
Guitar- Herb Ellis
Additional Personnel on "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
Trumpet- Roy Eldridge
Piano- Oscar Peterson

BELGIUM TUNE LISTINGS [1957]:
1. Angel Eyes
2. Lullaby Of Birdland
3. Love For Sale
4. Tenderly
5. April In Paris
6. Just One Of Those Things
7. Roll `Em Pete
8. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
9. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

LIVE IN SWEDEN [1963]
Vocal- Ella Fitzgerald
Piano- Tommy Flanagan
Bass- Jim Hughart
Drums- Gus Johnson
Guitar- Les Spann
No Moon At All
Just One Of Those Things
Runnin' Wild
Georgia On My Mind
Desafinado
Hallelujah, I Love Her So
Mack The Knife

SWEDEN TUNE LISTINGS [1963]:
10. No Moon At All
11. Just One Of Those Things
12. Runnin' Wild
13. Georgia On My Mind
14. Desafinado
15. Hallelujah, I Love Her So
16. Mack The Knife

Features:
16-page booklet -- Foreword by Ella's son Ray Brown, Jr. -- Liner notes by Will Friedwald -- Cover photo by Paul Hoeffler -- Booklet photos by Ted Williams, William "PoPsie" Randolph, Susanne Schapowalow, Herman Leonard, Jamie Hodgson -- Memorabilia collage

Special footnote:
Ella had extraordinary vocal skills from the time she was a teenager, and joined the Chick Webb Orchestra in 1935 when she was 16 years old --- She was the last of four great female jazz singers (including Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Carmen McRae) who defined one of the most prolific eras in jazz vocal style --- Her 13 Grammy awards are more than any other jazz performer, and she won the Best Female Vocalist award three years in a row --- With an output of more than 200 albums, she was at her sophisticated best with the songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, of George Gershwin, and of Cole Porter.Completely at home with up-tempo songs, her scat singing placed her jazz vocals with the finest jazz instrumentalists --- Later it was her impeccable voice that she brought to her film appearances.

BIOS:
Ella Fitzgerald (aka: Ella Jane Fitzgerald)
Date of Birth: 25 April 1917 - Newport News, Virginia
Date of Death: 15 June 1996 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Here are some known and unknown facts about our favorite "First Lady of Song"..

1. She was awarded the American National Medal of the Arts in 1987 by the National Endowment of the Arts in Washington D.C.
2. Pictured on a 39¢ USA commemorative postage stamp in the Black Heritage series, issued 10 January 2007.
3. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6738 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
4. Charter inductee of the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1978.
5. Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.

This is a must have for any and all collectors of Jazz and our favorite songbird Ella Fitzgerald, one can only sit back and enjoy the crisp clear collectible performances these concerts prevail.

Total Time: 56 min on 16 Tracks ~ Jazz Icons TDK ~ (9/26/2006)

Length:: 4:02 Mins

In case you were wondering, Who is the greatest female vocalist of the 20th century? Rest
assured, this disc makes it abundantly clear that distinction belongs to the First Lady of Song, The Grand Dame, herself.

Recently, I had received an advanced copy of a new (and, wonderful) biography of Louis Armstrong Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong. It was time that I unearthed my collection of Louis Armstrong, including my prized, MoFi edition of Ella and Louis Again. As I was working my way through the chapters, I decided to see if I could dig up some older Louie on YouTube. This was when I came across a clip of Ella singing an explosive rendition of "Mack The Knife" live. I got chills when I first saw it; it was that breathtaking.

The clip came from the dvd that I now hold in my hand, Jazz Icons: Ella Fitzgerald Live in '57 and '63. It's a dual-concert package with a 16-page booklet with two (2) essays chronicling Ella as she travels through Europe and Verve decision in recording her venues. The introductory essay, however, is a cute backstage recollection by her son, Ray Brown, Jr., as a child on the road with his parents.

The first concert takes place in a concert hall in Belgium on June 6, 1957. The
b/w film footage looks pristine. No grainy, inaudible picture, here. The audio fidelity is
crisp and you hear the full breathe of Ella's octave range, and even the echo of her voice
when the mic is too close. Multi-camera angles catch clear shots of the audience members
seated in the stadium layout.

Accompanied by Don Abney (piano); Jo Jones (drums) Herb Ellis (guitar) and her ex-husband,
Ray Brown (bass), this set was originally broadcast on television. She performed
the following nine (9) songs in order. There are no mediocre selections here.

Angel Eyes
Lullaby of Birdland
Love For Sale
Tenderly
April in Paris
Just One of Those Things
Roll `Em, Pete
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing!)


The second concert, six (6) years later takes place in Stockholm, Sweden in 1963. Unlike
the Belgium concert, this was shot on videotape and before a studio audience. The picture
is considerably more robust, but not significantly higher in fidelity.

Accompanied by Tommy Flanagan (piano), Jim Hughart (bass), Gus Johnson (drums), and
Les Spann (Guitar) the set includes the following numbers:

No Moon At All
Just One of Those Things
Runnin' Wild
Georgia On My Mind
Desafinado
Hallelujah, I Love Her (Him) So
Mack The Knife.

I can't over-recommend this d.v.d. If you love Ella; If you remember what it means to see
a band in a small venue where the setting is made for a intimate meeting between
performer(s) and fans; If you love the jazz standards performed by the 20th Century's Best
Female Vocalist, then this dvd should be yours.

I love jazz..and to watch a ella Fitzgerald show was really nice. My sister owns this program. I love how sweet her voice is and it just takes you back in time.....great program.

Ella is adored all over the world, but nowhere more than in Europe. We are fortunate to have her 1957 concert in Belgium on DVD. One can see her weave her magic around the packed auditorium. Her rendition of "April in Paris" alone is worth the price. She works up a sweat swinging it! Then the in-studio tape of Ella in Sweden in 1963 shows how her gowns change but her voice remains constantly sweet. All the songs are hits.

The problem with so much of the available archival footage of vintage jazz performances is that it is usually truncated performances of dubious audio/visual quality. Not so here. The music on this DVD is stunning, not only in the elegant performances by Ella and her musicians (among whom, bassist Ray Brown can be heard with utter clarity, and his playing is jaw-droppingly beautiful), but visually, including sustained medium and close-up shots that made me realise, for the first time, that part of what made Ella special, besides her unmatched swing and musicality, was how nice she seemed, so kindhearted and gently humourous. She sings like an angel, particularly in the 1957 set, and you get the sense that that's how she was. You enjoy spending the time with her. With so many DVDs of live jazz performances only to be viewed once or twice and then forgotten, this one, I guarantee you, you will watch many times. This DVD is incredibly soothing, to mind and body, and it is actually one of the great Ella Fitzgerald recordings, as great as any album she made, but with the visual dimension added. The version of "April in Paris" in the 1957 set is nothing if not definitive, and the 1963 set offers a slightly more energetic take on her persona (but what's with the great Tommy Flanagan's persistent deadpan?).