Track Listing

1. Something's Gotta Give - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra
2. Love Is Here To Stay - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle
3. Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
4. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
5. The Lady Is A Tramp - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
6. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Ella Fitzgerald, The Duke Ellington Orchestra
7. Miss Otis Regrets (She's Unable To Lunch Today) - Ella Fitzgerald
8. 'S Wonderful - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle
9. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea - Ella Fitzgerald, Billy May & His Orchestra
10. Love For Sale - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
11. They Can't Take That Away From Me - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle
12. Midnight Sun - Ella Fitzgerald
13. Hooray For Love - Ella Fitzgerald, Billy May & His Orchestra
14. Why Was I Born? - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra
15. Cotton Tail - Ella Fitzgerald
16. Every Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #54025 in Music
• Released on: 1993-11-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds
• Running time: 62 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Songbooks recorded by Ella Fitzgerald during the 50s and 60s make up one of the great historical landmarks of jazz. First off, they are, like the Capitol recordings by Frank Sinatra--irresistible. These are some of the best popular songs ever written, sung by one of the finest voices jazz has known. The arrangements and bands, written and led by people like Billy May, Nelson Riddle and Duke Ellington were without flaw. The tracks include one of the most expensive assemblies of jazz stars one could imagine--including the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Buddy de Franco, Ben Webster, Harry Edison, Barney Kessel, Stuff Smith, Willie Smith and Bob Cooper. Impresario Norman Granz, whose idea it was, organised the sessions without caring about the cost, and so every aspect of the recordings is the best possible. The original books spread over about 20 LPs or a dozen CDs. This CD crystallises the best, from the elegant, as typified by the heart-breaking "Miss Otis Regrets", to the frantically hot, when Ben Webster and Stuff Smith tumble over themselves on "Cottontail". Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" was a hit in 1957 that came to symbolise Ella's work for a generation. --Steve Voce

CD Description
Considering the enormity of the task, the good compilers atVerve have done a fine job picking the "best" of Ella Fitzgerald's massive seven-composer Songbook series. In fact, there are more than few other collections drawn from the Songbooks, two of which, BALLADS and LOVE SONGS, previously combined with the more general THE BEST OF THE SONGBOOKS to make up a limited edition 3-CD box set. All three titles are now only available as individual discs.
That said, a representative sampler like this is an excellent place to begin exploring Fitzgerald's great recordings for Verve. The opener "Something's Gotta Give" (Mercer), "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" (Arlen) and "Cottontail" (Ellington) capture Ella at her most virtuosic, scat-singing to the point of abandon but still utterly relaxed and musicianly. On the slow side, fans of the Gershwins' "Love Is Here To Stay" should delight in the singer's near-definitive version as well as the other selections from her monumental Gershwin set, "'S Wonderful" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me".

Customer Reviews

Perfect intro to a wonderful songstress
I bought this CD for my wife who is already a huge Ella fan. If you can not afford to go 'the whole hog' and buy all of the Songbooks, then this is the perfect buy for you. It is all of the best!