There is no dearth of live Ella Fitzgerald recordings. What makes this two-disc documentation of a 1964 French festival appearance special is the chance, thanks to the addition of a wealth of previously unreleased music, to hear her performances of the same basic set from successive nights. Basking in the presence of trumpet giant Roy Eldridge, Ella breezes through an appealing, varied program that includes favorites such as Mack the Knife and A-Tisket, A-Tasket, big band classics including Shiny Stockings and Perdido, and contemporary tunes such as People and Can t Buy Me Love. As ever, Ella is best scatting and skittering her way into the audience s heart, particularly when she lets her hair down during her extended encores. And as supported by a rhythm section including pianist Tommy Flanagan, she s in very good form on such ballads as Mack Gordon s Somewhere in the Night as well. Viva la Ella. --Lloyd Sachs


Product Description
Spurred on by enthusiastic crowds and supported by what was probably the best band she ever toured with (featuring two certifiable jazz greats, pianist Tommy Flanagan and trumpeter Roy Eldridge), the First Lady of Song is captured at the peak of her power. For the first time, all the music recorded on both nights, much of it previously unreleased, is available in one package. High resolution, 96 kHz, 24-bit digitally remastered. New liner notes, photographs & original cover art. 2 CDs in a Gatefold digipak. 2002 release on Verve.

Tracklist:

CD1
1. Introduction
2. Hello Dolly
3. Day In, Day Out
4. Just A-Sittin and A-Rockin
5. I Love Being Here With You
6. People
7. Someone To Watch Over Me
8. Can t Buy Me Love
9. Them There Eyes
10. The Lady Is A Tramp
11. Summertime
12. Cutie Pants
13. I m Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
14. St. Louis Blues
15. Perdido
16. A Tisket, A Tasket #1
17. Mack The Knife
18. A Tisket, A Tasket #2
19. Honeysuckle Rose
20. Introduction
21. Hello, Dolly!
22. Day In, Day Out
23. Just A-Sittin and A-Rockin
24. I Love Being Here With You

CD2
1. People
2. Someone To Watch Over Me
3. Can t Buy Me Love
4. Them There Eyes
5. The Lady Is A Tramp
6. Summertime
7. Cutie Pants
8. I m Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
9. St. Louis Blues
10. Perdido
11. A Tisket, A Tasket
12. Goody, Goody
13. The Boy From Ipanema
14. They Can t Take That Away From Me
15. You d Be So Nice To Come Home To
16. Shiny Stockings
17. Somewhere In The Night
18. I ve Got You Under My Skin
19. Blues In The Night
20. Too Close For Comfort
21. Mack The Knife
22. When Lights Are Low / A Tisket, A Tasket
23. The Cricket Song
24. How High The Moon
25. A Tisket, A Tasket / When Lights Are Low