Forever Ella – fitting tribute to the First Lady of Song

Forever Ella, released in the UK on Monday and readily available as a supermarket sub-£10 impulse buy, is a fitting tribute to mark today’s 90th birthdate of the magnificent First Lady of Song.

The 20 track CD (not to be confused with an equally excellent but very different 1995 compilation of the same name – they share only three tracks) covers Ella’s main bases, with six tracks from the Cole Porter songbook and most of the other tracks from the other songbook projects, plus a couple of Louis Armstrong duets.

If you bought Gold, the wonderful last (2CD) Fitzgerald compilation, you already have half the songs on Forever Ella. On the other hand, collectors are catered for by new orchestral backing by the London Symphony Orchestra on Cry Me A River, and new remixes of the last two tracks.

Verve has developed the attractive cartoon Ella cover artwork which made Gold and the latest Ella/Louis Armstrong compilation stand out on the shelves, though they’ve changed the colour palette from blue to yellow. Gorgeous.

If you don’t possess any Ella Fitzgerald recordings, make Forever Ella your first. It’s a beauty.

Best price I’ve seen: amazon.co.uk (£8.99). If you can wait a few months, you’ll probably be able to pick it up for about £6 with the cat food and cornflakes.


Tracklist
1. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
2. Cry Me A River
3. Manhattan
4. Best Is Yet To Come
5. I Get A Kick Out Of You
6. Cheek To Cheek
7. Don't Fence Me In
8. Get Happy
9. Night And Day
10. Let's Face The Music And Dance
11. Summertime
12. Someone To Watch Over Me
13. Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
14. They Can't Take That Away From Me
15. Let's Fall In Love
16. You Do Something To Me
17. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)
18. Fine Romance
19. Wait Till You See Him
20. Angel Eyes



Gerry Smith

The best of early Miles Davis, 1949-61

Jazz Library, the excellent new Friday night series on BBC Radio 3, managed to last about two months without featuring Miles, but eventually succumbed last week with a lovely programme analysing the recordings of Davis, 1949-61.

Presenter Alyn Shipton drew on the innumerable insights of fellow trumpeter Guy Barker for the discussion of the Gil Evans collaborations, and broadcaster Brian Morton for the later material. I’m already looking forward to the inevitable Jazz Library sequels covering later Miles recordings.

The Jazz Library series is a revelation - a fine intro for beginners exploring the best of the back catalogue.

You can hear this fine programme via the web until this Friday:

www.bbc.co.uk/radio3


Running order:
* All Blues
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane

* Boplicity
Album Birth of the Cool

* Blues for Pablo
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and Gil Evans

* Studio Discussion
Artist Miles Davis / Gil Evans
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and Gil Evans

* Springsville (overdub take 1)
Artist Miles Davis / Gil Davis
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and Gil Evans

* Bess You Is My Woman Now
Artist Miles Davis / Gil Evans
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and Gil Evans

* Solea
Artist Miles Davis / Gil Evans
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and Gil Evans

* Diner Au Motel
Album L'Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud

* Straight No Chaser
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane

* Oleo
Artist Miles Davis
Album In Person: Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk Complete

* So What
Artist Miles Davis / Gil Evans Orchestra
Album Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall

* Some Day My Prince Will Come
Album Complete Columbia Studio Recordings of Miles Davis and John Coltrane



Gerry Smith

ON AIR: Uncle Bob, Miles, Dinah Washington, Ella

Must-record broadcasts for grown-ups:

Today:
2100 BBC 6Music: Bob Dylan, Theme Time Radio Hour
2230 BBC Radio 3: Jazz Library, Miles Davis – first two decades
0010 BBC Four (TV): Dinah Washington profile

Saturday:
1600 BBC Radio 3: Ella Fitzgerald appreciation


Gerry Smith