Ella Fitzgerald: At The Opera House

ELLA FITZGERALD, vocal on all tracks, plus: 1-9: OSCAR PETERSON (p), RAY BROWN (b), JO JONES (d). On 9 Roy Eldridge (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Sonny Stitt (as), Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Flip Phillips (ts) added. Chicago Opera House, Chicago, September 29, 1957. 10-18: OSCAR PETERSON (p), RAY BROWN (b), JO JONES (d). On 17-18 Roy Eldridge (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Sonny Stitt (as), Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, Flip Phillips (ts) added, and Connie Kay (d) replaces Jones. Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, October 7, 1957. 19: BONUS TRACK Lou Levy (p), Herb Ellis (g), Wilfed Middlebrooks (b), Gus Johnson (d). Playboy Jazz Festival, Chicago, August 9, 1959.

01 IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME 2:31 02 DON’CHA GO ‘WAY MAD 2:42 03 BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED 3:01 04 THESE FOOLISH THINGS 3:45 05 ILL WIND 2:47 06 GOODY GOODY 1:54 07 MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT 3:05 08 THEM THERE EYES 2:08 09 STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY 5:14 10 IT’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME 2:45 11 DON’CHA GO ‘WAY MAD 2:31 12 BEWITCHED, BOTHERED AND BEWILDERED 3:22 13 THESE FOOLISH THINGS 3:49 14 ILL WIND 2:53 15 GOODY GOODY 1:55 16 MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT 3:16 17 STOMPIN’ AT THE SAVOY 7:15 18 OH, LADY BE GOOD 4:24 19 HOW HIGH THE MOON 8:31*

DOWN BEAT original review: ELLA FITZGERALD AT THE OPERA HOUSE:
“Here, in a JATP set cut in performance at Chicago’s Opera House, is some of the best jazz singing Ella has done in years. Ella roars. She sings ballads with a fine jazz feeling. She scats like a tenor man digging in and wailing on a night when everything breaks just right. This LP should help explain why she keeps knocking over poll after poll as a jazz singer.” Dom Cerulli
“Incidentally, I submit that Ella’s performance of ‘Stompin’ at the Savoy’ is irrefutably the most incredible, brilliant jazz vocal performance ever put to wax.” Norman Granz (from the original liner notes)

Price: $16.98