Track Listing

1. Manhattan - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
2. With A Song In My Heart - Ella Fitzgerald
3. Every Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
4. Let S Face The Music And Dance - Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Weston & His Orchestra
5. The Man I Love - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle
6. A Fine Romance - Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Louie Bellson
7. Blue Moon - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
8. Mack The Knife - Ella Fitzgerald, The Paul Smith Quartet
9. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) - Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong
10. Love For Sale - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
11. It's All Right With Me - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
12. What Is This Thing Called Love? - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
13. But Not For Me - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra
14. 'S Wonderful - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle
15. I Could Write A Book - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
16. Let S Fall In Love - Ella Fitzgerald, Billy May & His Orchestra
17. The Lady Is A Tramp - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
18. My Funny Valentine - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
19. Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
20. There's A Small Hotel - Ella Fitzgerald, Buddy Bregman Orchestra
21. Love Is Here To Stay - Ella Fitzgerald, Nelson Riddle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #60116 in Music
• Released on: 1996-07-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 78 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Given the sheer scale of Ella Fitzgerald's career, no definitive compilation is possible, but the 77 minutes featured on this release are, as the title has it, "essential". In 1956 Ella moved to Verve, and her album The Cole Porter Songbook was her first release for the label. It was such a success that for the next eight years Fitzgerald recorded a definitive series of songbooks, creating in the process a unique chronicle of the finest melodies of not only Cole Porter, but of Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart, George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and others. It is from those great albums that this anthology has been compiled, and with such a treasure-trove of American song to chose from, every selection is a superbly performed classic. Fitzgerald can be warm and tender, sardonic and blue, but is always a dazzlingly "sophisticated lady" (a track which actually appears on Verve's lavish For The Love Of Ella Fitzgerald double-set). Whether swinging or lamenting, and with every detail of the original tapes brought to life via exceptional remastering, Ella is in fine voice backed by impeccable arrangements. It is indeed, "'s wonderful" and the only response is to be "bewitched". --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

I'd give ti six if I could
What can anyone say about Ella that has not already been said. The richness and sheer quality of voice that she possesed make her stand out head and shoulders among the rest. I remember hearing Peggy Lee say that Ella sets the standard that we all try to reach. That's saying something coming from one of the best.

All the recordings on this CD are from Ella in her prime. The songbook series that she recorded has to be one of the most important in the history of popular music. Here we listen to some of the best songs ever written, arranged by the best arrangers, and backed by the best musicians. What more can you want?

Buy it, curl up on the sofa, and be transported to another world.

Classical jazz and such a soulful voice
Ella Fitzgerald was most definitely a diva in her time and in my account still is today. This cd epitomises everything she represented. This album is exactly as it says, 'Essential' Ella. It contains classics such as Lets fall in love and Mac the knife. I'd recommend it to everyone, especially Frank Sinatra fans such as myself. It's not only a classic collection of her greatest songs but a marvelous representation of her what she stood for... Jazz and a whole lotta soul! Enjoy!