Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella And Louis & Ella An

Ella And Louis

Tracklist:
01. Can't We Be Friends
02. Isn't This A Lovely Day
03. Moonlight In Vermont
04. They Can't Take That Away From Me
05. Under A Blanket Of Blue
06. Tenderly
07. A Foggy Day
08. Stars Fell On Alabama
09. Cheek To Cheek
10. The Nearness Of You
11. April In Paris

Ella and Louis is an inspired collaboration, masterminded by producer Norman Granz. Both artists were riding high at this stage in their careers, and Granz assembled a stellar quartet of Oscar Peterson (piano), Buddy Rich (drums), Herb Ellis (guitar) and Ray Brown (bass). Equally inspired was the choice of material, with the gruffness of Armstrong's voice blending like magic with Fitzgerald's stunningly silky delivery. Outstanding are Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and "Isn't This a Lovely Day," and everything else works like a dream, with the golden star going to the Gershwin brothers' "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Gentle and sincere, this is deserving of a place in every home. --Rovi Staff

Louis Armstrong - vocals, trumpet
Ella Fitzgerald - vocals
Ray Brown - bass
Herb Ellis - guitar
Oscar Peterson - piano
Buddy Rich - drums

Ella And Louis Again

Tracklist:
01. Don't Be That Way
02. Makin' Whoopee
03. They All Laughed
04. Comes Love
05. Autumn in New York
06. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)
07. Stompin' at the Savoy
08. I Won't Dance
09. Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You
10. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
11. These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
12. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
13. Willow Weep for Me
14. I'm Putting All My Eggs in One Basket
15. A Fine Romance
16. Ill Wind
17. Love Is Here to Stay
18. I Get a Kick out of You
19. Learnin' the Blues

Recorded in 1957, Ella & Louis Again re-teams Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong after the success of their first album and a popular series of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl the previous year. Stylistically, Fitzgerald and Armstrong had very different histories; he started out in Dixieland before branching out into classic jazz and swing, whereas Fitzgerald started out as a swing-oriented big-band vocalist before becoming an expert bebopper. But the two of them have no problem finding common ground on Ella & Louis Again, which is primarily a collection of vocal duets (with the backing of a solid rhythm section led by pianist Oscar Peterson). One could nitpick about the fact that Satchmo doesn't take more trumpet solos, but the artists have such a strong rapport as vocalists that the trumpet shortage is only a minor point. Seven selections find either Fitzgerald or Armstrong singing without the other, although they're together more often than not on this fine set. --Alex Henderson

Louis Armstrong - vocals, and trumpet on tracks 5, 7, 9, 13, 17 and 19.
Ella Fitzgerald - vocals
Ray Brown - double bass
Herb Ellis - guitar
Oscar Peterson - piano
Louie Bellson - drums