The Complete Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong

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Customer reviews

review by: late-to-jazz musician date: 2008-05-24 rating:
A valuable, historic collection of tunes
This 3-CD set is in my collection because I didn't have any Louis Armstrong or any Ella Fitzgerald at the time I bought it, so I envisioned my purchase of this compilation as a "two birds with one stone" sort of acquisition. I didn't know what to expect because, while I knew enough about the artists, I couldn't help but think any Louis Armstrong recording was going to bring on images of a hand-cranked Victrola and scratchy, one dimensional sound. This is anything but. The recordings are, for the most part, crisp and clear. No one will ever mistake them for modern recordings, but no music fan could turn his or her nose up at the more than adequate renderings achieved here. In addition to a lot of great Louis, great Ella, and some classic versions of a number of jazz and swing era standards, the third CD in the set includes all of Porgy and Bess. I consider this a great plus, not only because it gives you Ella, Louis and Gershwin, but also because I think it is better to have this classic version than have to weed through all the Broadway and "original cast" soundtracks to get all of Porgy and Bess on one recording. One thing I don't like about the set is the miniature "expand-a-folder" type cardboard case (like this Expo Expandable Organizer- Clear), which, while highly original, isn't all that useful and doesn't look good smack dab in the middle of my collection of CD cases. This is, however, a minor quibble. To be honest, since my music collection has grown so much over the past few months, I don't get this one down from the shelf nearly as often as I used to. Nonetheless, if you think you might love some classic jazz songs by classy jazz performers and your collection is lacking some Fitzgerald/Armstrong material, this might be a compilation that catches your fancy without breaking the bank. This also makes a perfect companion set to go with The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books and The Hot Fives & Sevens, giving you all the Ella and Satchmo you'll ever need. I recommend all jazz fans grab this up without hesitation.

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review by: date: 2008-05-05 rating:
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
This collection is a chronicle of two amazing careers at their peak. The orchestral scores are arranged by the best to showcase Ella and Louis at their vocal best in 1956. Ella's smart and creative vocalizations are captivating and proof of why she is still a favorite in the 21st century. Louis who created the art of scat with his raspy voice shows how is it done to perfection along with his inimitable virtuosic jazz trumpet playing. This three CD collection never gets old to the ears and is a must for every Ella and Louis fan.
-Dr. Philip J. Rogers, Professor of Music; Atlanta, GA.

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review by: music aficionado date: 2008-02-07 rating:
This is one you must pick up before cds are extinct
The sound is amazing ! The performances are stellar ! The thought of crystal -clear , pitch-perfect Ella trading verses with gravel road Louis is just something that shouldn't have worked on so many different levels....but it did , and it did with Heavenly results. Add the special trumpet powers of Armstrong , and you will not find a better 219 minutes of music in any genre. Two H-U-G-E talents of jazz , having fun together----and the enjoyment is all for we listeners.

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review by: date: 2007-03-11 rating:
I'll say it too...truely great in every way!
This album is so musically beautiful it makes me cry. It's pure, unadulterated, unpretentious, mature, and always totally fresh. Two of the greatest musical artists of the 20th century, Ella and Pops, are here together supported by what represents the very best instrumetalists on the planet at the time like Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich to name a few. You can't do better than that. It was just such a rare outing. You can hear how relaxed everyone is and you can feel the joy of the performances. Louis is especially in the best form for this time period aka 1956. Everything is here, the best tunes, the finest swing performances, thoughtful arrangements, and a sensitive clean production. As soon as you hear the first few bars of the first tune "Why Can't We Be Friends" with Ella's pure and beautifully sweet crooning, you'll know you're in for something special. A privilege to have such a record of true greatness.


review by: Boebi date: 2007-01-30 rating:
2 of the best
What a pleasure to sit down and listen to such great artists, they certainly do not come like that today. Great sound to, it's like one is there, job well done by the sound people. I saw Louis Armstrong in Holland in 1959 and it will always be for me the best jazz concert I have ever been to. I recommend this CD to anyone.
Aalf J Molenberg.

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