1959 · Album
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books
Recorded 1956-1958 · Verve Records · Produced by Norman Granz
The Voice That Sang Everything
Ella proves she can inhabit any songwriter's world and make it entirely her own.
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books represents Ella at a point where she'd already proven everything about her technique—her phrasing is perfect, her intonation flawless, her sense of swing unshakeable. So these albums aren't about her learning to sing. They're about her choosing to spend months inside the worlds of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington, track by track, song by song. What makes this project different from her earlier work is the scope and the deliberateness. She's not just singing great songs; she's systematically documenting what each composer's catalog sounds like when filtered through her ears.
The sound is clean and straightforward—lush orchestral arrangements that never overshadow her voice, recorded with the kind of clarity that lets you hear every nuance of how she phrases a lyric. On the Gershwin material, you notice how she finds swing in songs most singers treat as ballads. The Porter songs showcase her ability to handle sophisticated chord changes without ever sounding academic. What's striking is that she doesn't reinvent these songs; instead, she inhabits them so completely that her interpretations feel definitive. This is interpretive singing at its most confident.
If you're new to Ella, you might want to start somewhere else—maybe a single album that shows off her range without overwhelming you. But if you've already fallen in love with her voice, these Song Books are essential. They're the fullest expression of what she could do during her peak years, and they'll occupy you for a long time. This isn't a record to play once; it's more like having access to a masterclass in how to sing popular songs with intelligence and joy.
Who's playing
Joe Mondragondouble bass
George Robertsbass trombone
Paul Smithpiano
Barney Kesselguitar
Bob Coopertenor saxophone
Herb Gelleralto saxophone
Chuck Gentrybaritone saxophone
Ted Nashtenor saxophone
Bud Shankalto saxophone
Pete Candolitrumpet
Harry “Sweets” Edisontrumpet
Maynard Fergusontrumpet
Conrad Gozzotrumpet
Milt Bernharttrombone
Joe Howardtrombone
Lloyd Ulyatetrombone
Alvin Stollerdrums
Corky Haleharp
Robert La Marchinacello
Edgar Lustgartencello
Where next?
More by Ella Fitzgerald
Wishes You a Swinging Christmas 1960
Ella and Louis 1956
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book 1956
Ella And Louis Again 1957
The musicians on this record
Barney Kessel, Volume 1: Easy Like 1956
Barney Kessel
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
♫
Shifting Winds 1955
Bob Cooper
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
