"C'est Magnifique" ("It's Magnificent") is a popular song written by Cole Porter for his 1953 musical "Can-Can".
Twelve Nights in Hollywood
Verve Music Group
2009
Ella Fitzgerald needs no introduction to most jazz fans because the "First Lady of Swing" had a remarkably productive recording and performing career that spanned from the mid '30s until around 1990, when multiple health problems forced her into retirement. Ella was 44 in 1961, recording several albums a year for Verve and managed by impresario Norman Granz, who was very interested in seeing that the singer earned a hefty income from concert bookings and record royalties.
This four-CD set consists of live performances made at the Crescendo over 10 nights in 1961, plus a two-day return to the club the following year, during which Granz arranged to record every set. This vast volume of tape produced only one LP, Ella in Hollywood; while some of the songs within it are repeated, none of the issued performances are included in this boxed set. 74 previously unheard selections are the set's bounty. It is peculiar that this relatively small venue had an unusually loud audience response on the earlier album; there is no such artificial applause added to this collection. Although Fitzgerald rarely was recorded in a club setting, she reacts to the intimacy of the venue by connecting with her audience as if she is performing for a small group of close friends. The listener feels like they are at a front-and-center table, taking in Fitzgerald's effortless swing and energy, with her matchless scatting plus lots of fun ad-libs and song quotes, along with recognizing friends and fellow celebrities in the audience.
The energetic interpretation of "Lover, Come Back to Me" signals that Fitzgerald is on fire from the opening of the show. Her slowly savored take of "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" interpolates both "Am I Blue" and "Blue and Sentimental" in a bluesy setting. Extended workouts of "Perdido," "Take the A Train" and "How High the Moon" feature her matchless scat singing, with the latter song including numerous interpolated song quotes (often messing with the lyrics such as "Sweat Gets in My Eyes") and her campy imitation of a bowed bass. She milks the childish humor in her long-popular hit "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" and swings through an engaging take of "Lullaby of Birdland." The breezy "Joe Williams Blues" is another obscurity in Fitzgerald's discography, as only one other version has ever been released; she never runs out of ideas in her seven-plus minute workout, detouring into "Alright, Okay, You Win," "Fever" and even "Georgia on My Mind" while also scatting up a storm.
Fitzgerald reprises her cheerful rendition of Steve Allen's "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" (though her studio version recorded earlier in the year remained unreleased until the expanded 1989 reissue of Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie). When she recognizes Mack David in the audience, she decides to tackle an impromptu version of "Candy," which she claims not to know and jokes that "Those are the only records of mine that sell." She has trouble remembering the words and continues "The lyrics are not handy / I'm messing up your song" to the delight of the audience. The grand finale consists of Fitzgerald's hilarious series of vocalist impressions in "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home," which prompts a brief encore of the piece.
Pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks and drummer Gus Johnson make up Fitzgerald's band on discs 1-3, while pianist Paul Smith and drummer Stan Levey join Middlebrooks on the final disc. The musicians primarily serve a supporting role, as Fitzgerald is the show, though their accompaniment is flawless throughout the collection.
The audio is generally excellent (minor miscues like a bumped microphone), with detailed notes and lots of photos in the package, though some fans may be disappointed with the open-top CD cardboard sleeves, which leave the discs exposed to dust and possible scratching.
Fitzgerald was always at her best performing live (and thus many of her finest albums are concert recordings). Fans of jazz, vocals and just excellent showmanship will enjoy this limited edition boxed set, which is clearly music for the ages.
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100 videos
Ella could sing the phone book it would have been magnifique
Ella aurait pu chanter l'annuaire téléphonique c'eut été magnifique quelle voix merveilleuse quel
charme quelle gaité à écouter un jour de cafard et la vie repart c'est magnifique Tks to Ella
andrebontemp 1 week ago
c magnifique, effectivement, une voix inégalable ... Quelle expression, c magnifique !
kimberlite10 3 months ago
è sempre la mia Regina !!!
francodeicaliffi 6 months ago
The best singer that ever lived... point final!
Jepppe99 1 year ago 2
La reine est magnifique!!!! Unbelievable!!!!!
bbrigittebel1 1 year ago