Ella Fitzgerald

[Cyril]

A Century of Song....

 

[Enterprise Server]

Really not much to say other than she was an amazingly gifted vocalist....

 

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Enterprise Server

[Cyril]

The Dutch Jazz Archive has a new CD, to honor the 100th anniversary of Ella !!

In Dutch: https://www.jazzarchief.nl/nieuws/ella-fitzgerald-100-jaar-nieuwe-cd/

 

[Gheorghe]

I´m so glad I caught her live and can say I don´t know her only from records. Imagine, Ella and Diz 100 years old, and I saw them every year they did Europe, the usual festival-routine.

So you could catch Ella and Diz every year. And sometimes it seems to me it was yesterday, time flies.

The last time I saw her was in 1983 and she still had it all, beautiful voice, fantastic..... !

But I saw a very late version of "You are the sunshine of your life", very near the end of her life, but it´s amazing how beautiful she does it, just wonderful, and believe me I had to cry when I saw and heard it, it really moved me.

Anyway, Ella and Diz are among my favourites. It was my time......

[Ken Dryden]

I'm glad that I got to hear Ella perform in concert, backed by Count Basie and his orchestra, in the late 1970s. Thanks for the tip about the new Dutch Jazz Archives release, I was just about to place an order and I'll add it.

 

[medjuck]

By the time I got to see her live she was in a wheel chair.  It was at the Hollywood Bowl and she shared the bill with a large Benny Carter orchestra.  So glad I went. The only time I've ever paid scalper prices. 

 

My late friend Josef Skvorecky, a Czech novelist, got into jazz because he heard Ella singing A Tisket (sp?) in the late '30s.  After the Russians invaded in '68 he ended up in Toronto and finally got to see her in performance at the Imperial Room in The Royal York Hotel.  (This story always makes me happy. ) 

[sidewinder]

1 hour ago, medjuck said:

My late friend Josef Skvorecky, a Czech novelist, got into jazz because he heard Ella singing A Tisket (sp?) in the late '30s.  After the Russians invaded in '68 he ended up in Toronto and finally got to see her in performance at the Imperial Room in The Royal York Hotel.  (This story always makes me happy. ) 

Fascinating !

About 25 years later I was in that very same room (I think) doing corporate equipment demos. Little did I know .. !

[medjuck]

I think lots of interesting people played there:  Marlene Dietrich, Duke Elington (though that may have been the King Eddie-- I'm not near my reference materials to check it out.  

Just found this in Wikipedia:

 

"Famous legendary performances by popular entertainers included: Marlene Dietrich on her farewell tour, the last performances of Johnny Hodges with the Duke Ellington Orchestra...Count Basie, Woody Herman, Pearl Bailey, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald, and the first appearances doing comedic impressions in 1982 of future Canadian star, Jim Carrey."

I have to admit I was never there though I lived in Toronto for 15 years.  Apparently they once refused admission to Bob Dylan for not wearing a tie so they probably wouldn't have let me in even if I could have afforded to go. ( I was refused admission to the Colonial Tavern once for wearing jeans  when I went to see Ornette Coleman! Had to wait till I moved to Santa Barbara to first see him.) 

Edited April 28, 2017 by medjuck

[Royal Oak]

Ella's 100th birthday even made it to the BBC this week, with a feature on The One Show. Sky Arts also showed a 1965 concert from London last night.

[gmonahan]

I saw her in the early 70s. She was wonderful. I remember she asked the engineers to bring up the house lights "so I can see this wonderful audience." Of course, it was because the bright spots hurt her eyes, but I thought that was a cool (and sweet) way to solve the problem. She sang beautifully, as she always did. Just had a trio with her. Pure Ella.

 

 

gregmo