Mack the Knife: The Complete Ella in Berlin [Live]

Ella Fitzgerald | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000046QI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,191 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #35 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Classic Vocalists
  • #39 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > General AAS
  • #39 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Swing General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

A 43-year-old Ella rolls through her typical routine in feisty fashion on this 1960 recording, which documents the opening show of her European tour. There's the Satchmo impersonation (a joyous "Mack the Knife"), the lengthy scat showcase ("How High the Moon," on which she quotes Charlie Parker's "Ornithology"), and a bevy of Gershwin and Porter tunes. Supported by pianist Paul Smith's quartet (with the elegant Jim Hall on guitar), Ella's voice sounds earthier than usual and her phrasing is as appealing as ever. She's sublimely tender on "Misty" and wonderfully sultry on "Too Darn Hot." The CD reissue includes two unreleased tracks from the Berlin concert plus two 1956 gems (including a stylish "Love for Sale") that were mistakenly pressed on this release. Upon its initial release, the album picked up two Grammies and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Pop chart; its acclaim was well deserved. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one that made an Ella fan out of me..., August 14, 2002

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mack the Knife: The Complete Ella in Berlin (Audio CD)

I was in 10th grade, and read a review of this in ..., which I was not supposed to be reading at all. I bought it because I wanted to be like Hugh Hefner and like jazz and be cool, instead of what I was, a nerdy shy kid who had not bloomed and whose family was more "upper poor" than "lower middle class." It was 1960. When I listened to Ella, singing in Berlin, the focal point of the Cold War, standards like "How High the Moon" and "Mack the Knife" and "Too Darn Hot" I just transcended my immediate environment and for 40 minutes I was worthy of that ...Magazine. Imagine this orphan black woman, holding the concert stage in Germany only 15 years after the Nazi disaster, and having her audience eating out of her hand. Remarkable event, memorably preserved. Read all the reviews, then decide if this is worth adding to your CD shelf. I know MY decision!

35 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars NOT Ella's Best Live Recording, May 8, 2001

By 

Peter (East of Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mack the Knife: The Complete Ella in Berlin (Audio CD)

Yes, you heard it right. I know I will get hate mail for saying this, but I will go out on a limb to say Ella has produced BETTER live recordings captured on CD elsewhere. This is no reflection that her Berlin concert was bad. Perhaps Ella has been a victim of her own brilliance for always achieving near perfection in her live performances.

Listening to this CD, the obvious highlight is the oft talked about title track, "Mack the Knife", where Ella forgot the lyrics a minute into the song and made up the rest of the words without skipping a beat and perfectly improvising to the song's melody a la Fitzgerald. It's a miraculous feat that has entered the jazz hall of fame and folklore as one of the greatest moments not only in jazz, but in music history. "Mack the Knife" solidified Fitzgerald's standing in the music biz for the rest of her life, helping her escape the shadow of overwhelming sentiment and praise for Billie Holiday after Lady's premature death from a lifetime of drug and emotional abuse. The other great track here is the 8-minute track "How High the Moon" that Ella scats with a frenetic, pulsating charm that leaves you breathless at the finish line.

But aside from these two standout tracks, the rest of the CD isn't all that memorable. The marvels of modern CD technology has unmasked a detected fatigue in Ella's voice that she somehow cannot hide. Maybe it was the killer tour schedule (mentioned in liner notes) that did her in, but it's definitely noticeable. If you're mostly curious about the two great tracks, "Mack the Knife" and "How High the Moon", I would recommend purchasing those tracks elsewhere on many of Ella's compilations (Compact Jazz on Verve being one). For the best Ella live recording, I strongly recommend "Ella in Rome: the Birthday Concert", which is still in print and captures a fresh, invigorating Ella nailing down 15 outstanding tracks (though no "Mack the Knife" on that one).

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the praise is so well deserved, and I have to add!, August 21, 2002

By 

"jydann" (Madison, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mack the Knife: The Complete Ella in Berlin (Audio CD)

I love Ella Fitzgerald, and I rarely do I go a day without listening to an Ella CD since I've been introduced to her outstanding talent. I went out on a whim and bought this album, expecting great Ella as usual. But how wrong I was! I have never been so crazy about an album as I am about this one. Every song is out of this world and the accompaniment is just as wonderful. Standouts include "That Old Black Magic", "Too Darn Hot", and my personal favorite "How High the Moon?" Whoever said Ella lacks feeling in her delivery needs to listen to this album, and recognize that melodrama does not always equal feeling. Ella epitomizes sunniness and spontaneity in this live album that I wouldn't give anything less than five stars. If you love Ella, do yourself a favor and buy this album -- thinks ranks as one of her top recordings.