Something to Live for

Ella Fitzgerald | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 2, 1999)
• Original Release Date: November 2, 1999
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00002MYVB
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,374 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

With a voice that could pretzel and scat and skitter and bellow, Ella Fitzgerald was bound to end up in myriad musical settings. The trouble with Ella's output is exactly its breadth, especially when creating an anthology out of three prime decades of her career. This two-CD set (released as a companion to the American Masters biography aired on PBS) anthologizes for the first time her work done for Decca (from 1935-65) and, later, Norman Granz's Verve Records. The early material, and lots of the later stuff, is infectious, with Fitzgerald chirping and leaping with all the vigor of her youth. "Perdido," a 1949 cut from Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic, features a grainy but spry band with Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker, and Fitzgerald singing away from the microphone before chiming in and driving the piece homeward. There are odd spots, like the obviously commercial Nelson Riddle-backed "Man I Love" and "Yesterdays" and the crisp "Angel Eyes" with Barney Kessel on guitar. Ella also freeplays her way through "Mack the Knife" from her fabled Berlin appearance in 1960 and then does wonders with "Duke's Place" backed by the Ellington orchestra. You might find yourself adjusting to the ever-changing instrumental contexts Fitzgerald sings in front of, but overall, you're likely to find yourself charmed by this set. It's bold, and in some ways faulty, in its reach. But at least it reaches high. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I LOVE ELLA!!!, January 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Something to Live for (Audio CD)

This is only one of the best things in my life, listening to Ella Fitzgerald sing!! This double CD is better than great. Oh my God, I have listened to 'Round Midnight and Dukes Place too many times to count! EVERY song is special and I cannot seem to get enough of Ella singing. I first really listened to Ella sing "Azure" a Duke Ellington composition. I was amazed, joyful, smiling, what a voice. If you love Ella, you'll love this CD (I also have the VHS of the same name-poignant).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This collection is more about the singer than the songs, July 25, 2005

By 

Mr Likeable (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Something to Live for (Audio CD)

Ella is terrific, and this collection showcases her virtuosity. If you're looking for virtuoso vocal work, look no further and buy this!
But I find this set - and some of Fitzgerald's other collections - a little frustrating. Don't get me wrong - it's easy to cull a very, very nice iPod playlist from these songs.
But if you specifically want to listen to great interpretations of great songs, there's quite a bit of filler here. It seems that quite a few of Ella's performances become "about the singer and the singing" rather than remaining true to the substance of the songs. "Mack the Knife" is, of course, a famous case in point as Ella replaces forgotten verses with an improvised commentary on the fact that she has forgotten them. But too many of the songs on this collection follow a similar path: the core of many of the songs are replaced by demonstrations of vocal skill, and large chunks of lyrical content are shunned, only to be replaced by Ella's (admittedly excellent) scat - or by sung descriptions of singing. Enough I say!
In summary: If you're looking for documentation around one of the greatest live-show singers of all-time, then this is a nice document. If, however, you're looking for magnificent delivery of magnificent songs - where the songs are truly revered - I'd have to suggest that this package - and quite a bit of Ella's material - comes up a little short. And that's the criteria on which I like to make my purchases. I hope this helps your selection, and ultimately: this is a collection that includes some awesome interpretations of awesome songs.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing encapsulated legacy, May 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Something to Live for (Audio CD)

This is the voice I most associate with the 40's and any WWII films I've ever seen. If it's not Ella singing, its probably someone trying to sound like her. Airmail Special is probably one of the best examples of her effortless ability with Bebop. Also notable is her improv rendition of "Mack The Knife" which she doesn't remember all the words to! Genius is the only word to describe her, since she had no training and never warmed up before performing.