Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Jerome Kern Song Book
RARITY - Sealed
Vocals - Ella Fitzgerald [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ella Fitzgerald]
Trumpet - Don Fagerquist
Trombone - Dick Nash
Tenor saxophone - Plas Johnson
Woodwind - Harry Klee, Wilbur Schwartz
Violin - Victor Arno
Cello - Armand Kaproff, Eleanor Slatkin
Viola - Alex Neimann
Piano - Paul Smith
Guitar - Robert Bain
Double bass - Joe Comfort
Drums - Frank Flynn, Alvin Stoller
Arranger, conductor - Nelson Riddle
Music written by Jerome Kern (all tracks)
Lyrics by Otto Harbach (A1, A6, B4), Dorothy Fields (A2, A5, B2-B3), Jerome Kern (A2, A5, B2-B3), Oscar Hammerstein II (A3, B5-B6), Bernard Dougall (A4)
1LP, standard sleeve
Original Master Tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Speakers Corner
Original Label : Verve Records
Recorded January 5–7, 1963 at Radio Recorders Studio 10H, Los Angeles, CA
Engineered by Val Valentin
Produced by Norman Granz
Originally released in 1963
Reissued in 2006
Tracks :
Side A:
1. Let's Begin
2. A Fine Romance
3. All the Things You Are
4. I'll Be Hard to Handle
5. You Couldn't Be Cuter
6. She Didn't Say Yes
Side B:
1. I'm Old Fashioned
2. Remind Me
3. The Way You Look Tonight
4. Yesterdays
5. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
6. Why Was I Born?
Reviews :
Ella Fitzgerald is rightfully adored for her superb, often-definitive interpretations of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hart, and Gershwin tunes, which are well documented in her Song Book series. The addition of Sings the Jerome Kern Song Book to Fitzgerald's discography is welcome. Recorded in 1963, the album proves Fitzgerald's voice as golden as ever. Yet age was beginning to color her singing a bit, and that texture adds a beautiful dimension to songs like the dark "Why Was I Born?" and the yearning "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Nelson Riddle's charts are typically smart and swinging, with a lush, full sound that balances punch and lyricism. Fitzgerald's ebullient delivery and honey-rich timbre bring out the humor of "A Fine Romance," the wistfulness of "I'm Old Fashioned," and the tender romance of "The Way You Look Tonight," putting her distinctive stamp on each. It's sure to please fans of Kern and big-band standards, and for aficionados of Fitzgerald's other Song Book albums, this is a must. AllMusic review by Anthony Tognazzini
Rating :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.79 / 5 ; Encyclopedia of Popular Music : 4 / 5 ; The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings : 3 / 4 ; Record Mirror : 4 / 5