ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG - Ella & Louis (Verve Acoustic Series) - LP - 180g Vinyl

LP - 180g Black Vinyl. Mastered from the original tapes housed in Deluxe Packaging.

After appearing together at an all-star concert the night before, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong went into an L.A. studio to record this gem of an album. Despite having little to no time for rehearsals, the sublime artistic mastery of Ella and Louis and the instant chemistry they achieved resulted in one of the few truly indispensable recordings in all of jazz.

The very fact that America's biggest jazz label called one of their albums quite simply Ella and Louis indicates that we are talking about something very special here. And surely enough has been said - "Satchmo" and the grande dame of jazz certainly need no further introduction. In the '50s just the mere mention of their forenames was enough to light up the eyes of jazz fans.

A glance at the tracklist reveals that tranquility rules the day: wild stomps and improvised scats will neither be sought nor missed. Of prime importance to the jazz ballad is a feeling of "letting oneself drift" in the inspiration which gushes forth from the minds of genial American songwriters. This is no contest - for the artists all pursue a common goal with extreme sensitiveness.

The background combo, made up of first-class musicians and led by Oscar Peterson, performs with great concentration and almost obtrusive unobtrusiveness. Verve's highly successful producer Norman Granz decided quite deliberately to make the recording in the studio instead of at a live session. And success has verified his judgment, for such vocal jazz knows only gentle tones - but the result is all the more intensive for that.

Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180- gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Originally released in 1956.

Tracklist:

A1. Can't We Be Friends
A2. Isn't This a Lovely Day
A3. Moonlight in Vermont
A4. They can't take that away from Me
A5. Under a Blanket of Blue
A6. Tenderly

B1. A Foggy Day
B2. Stars Fell on Alabama
B3. Cheek to Cheek
B4.The Nearness of You
B5. April In Paris