Artist: Ella Fitzgerald
Title: Live At Montreux 1969 (Mercury Studios)
You might like if you enjoy: Ella Fitzgerald, vocal jazz music
Tell me more: A truly historic and essential recording, Ella Fitzgerald: Live At Montreux 1969 is being released by Mercury Studios and will be available on audio CD and LP on Jan. 20, 2023. Originally released on DVD in 2005, this marks the first time this concert recording is being made available on audio formats.
Live At Montreux 1969 captures the "First Lady of Song" in the first of her five legendary performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Fitzgerald's breathtaking singing and complete command of a diverse set of 14 songs thrills with every note. There are classic jazz favorites already familiar to audiences of the time ("Give Me The Simple Life," "I Won't Dance," "That Old Black Magic"), as well as her artful versions of rock material (including a soulful take on Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" and joyful reading of The Beatles' "Hey Jude"). Her signature scat delivery is featured on the dazzling "Useless Landscape," a number further defined by the virtuoso playing of pianist Tommy Flanagan (along with bassist Frank De La Rosa and drummer Ed Thigpen). Her bewitching version of Dionne Warwick's "This Girl's In Love With You" and an explosive performance of "A Man And A Woman" are other highlights on the enthralling collection. The concert encore includes the impressive rapid-fire "Scat Medley" and beautiful "A House Is Not A Home."
Robert Kinsler
