The Best of Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. She was one of the most influential jazz singers of the 20th century. She started out her career as a member of the Chick Webb Orchestra and rose to fame with her solo recordings and live performances. She is known for her beautiful voice and her ability to scat sing.

Some of her most famous songs include “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Lady Be Good,” and “How High the Moon.” She recorded more than 200 albums and won 13 Grammy Awards. She died on June 15, 1996, at the age of 79.

Her Life and Music

Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular and influential jazz singers of the 20th century. She was born in 1917 in Virginia and began her career in the 1930s. She rose to prominence with her performances at the Cotton Club in New York City, where she sang with some of the greatest jazz musicians of her time, including Duke Ellington and Count Basie.

Fitzgerald’s style was unique and instantly recognizable. She had a beautiful voice that could convey both joy and sadness, and she was able to Scat – sing improvised solos using nonsensical syllables – like no one else. Her vocal prowess earned her the nickname “The First Lady of Song.”

Fitzgerald recorded more than 200 albums over her career, winning 13 Grammy Awards. She headlined at some of the most prestigious venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall and The London Palladium. In 1958, she became the first African American woman to win a Grammy Award.

Ella Fitzgerald died in 1996, but her music continues to live on. She is considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time.

Fitzgerald’s Early Years

Ella Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Virginia. Her parents separated when she was just an infant, and she and her mother moved to Yonkers, New York. Raised in a strict religious household, Fitzgerald grew up singing in her local church choir. When she was 15 years old, Fitzgerald won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and began seriously considering a career in music.

Fitzgerald’s big break came in 1935 when she was hired to sing with bandleader Chick Webb’s orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. She quickly rose to prominence, becoming one of the most popular singers of the Swing Era. During her time with Webb, Fitzgerald recorded such hits as “A-Tisket A-Tasket” and “Blue Moon.” After Webb’s death in 1939, she took over as leader of his band and renamed it Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra.

Fitzgerald continued to enjoy success throughout the 1940s and ’50s, recording such classics as “Cheek to Cheek,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Mack the Knife,” and “How High the Moon.” In 1956, she became the first African American woman to win a Grammy Award for her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book. She went on to win 13 more Grammys during her lifetime. Fitzgerald also toured extensively throughout her career, performing with such notable figures as Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Peterson, and Dizzy Gillespie.

Ella Fitzgerald died on June 15, 1996, at her home in Beverly Hills, California. She was 79 years old.

The Swing Era

Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, and died in 1996 in Beverly Hills, California. She was an American jazz and song vocalist who interpreted much of the Great American Songbook.

During what is known as the swing era (1935–1946), Fitzgerald rose to prominence with her velvety voice and perfect pitch. She first came to national attention with her performance at the Harvard University Freshman Smoker in November 1935, where she sang Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” with such style and phrasing that she brought down the house.

She went on to toured with the Chick Webb Orchestra, replacing Webb’s previous singer, Timme Rosenkrantz. After Webb’s death in 1939, Fitzgerald took over as leader of the band, which became known as “The First Lady of Swing.”

In 1942, Fitzgerald had her first major hit with a reworked version of “A-Tisket A-Tasket,” which she co-wrote with Van Alexander. The song became one of her signature tunes and helped increase her popularity.

Fitzgerald continued to tour and record throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, becoming one of the most popular jazz vocalists of all time. During this period, she collaborated with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie.

The Songbook Series

Ella Fitzgerald’s “The Songbook Series” is a collection of the greatest jazz singer’s recorded works. The series includes live performances and studio recordings of Fitzgerald performing songs by Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Irving Berlin, and other great American songwriters.

Her Later Years

In the late 1950s, Fitzgerald’s career entered a decline from which it would never fully recover. She began to withdraw from public life, giving her last concert in 1964. Her quality of recordings also suffered as she was forced to record for a variety of labels of increasingly poorer quality, resulting in commercial failures. However, her live performances retained much of their former glory and she continued to be regarded as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time.

Her Legacy

Ella Fitzgerald is considered one of the most important and influential jazz singers of all time. She was born in 1917 in Virginia, USA, and died in 1996. During her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy Awards and sold over 40 million records. She is known for her beautiful voice, her perfect pitch, and her ability to scat sing (improvise using nonsense syllables). She popularized many songs, including “Summertime” and “A-Tisket, A-Tasket”. She collaborated with many famous musicians, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman.

Recommended Recordings

Ella Fitzgerald is often hailed as the greatest jazz singer of all time, and with good reason. She had a tremendous vocal range, impeccable timing, and a gift for improvising that set her apart from her contemporaries. If you’re looking to add some of her best work to your collection, here are a few recommendations:

-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956)
-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957)
-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (1958)
-Ella in Hollywood (1961)
-Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! (1962)

The Best of Jazz: Ella Fitzgerald

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