RSSElla Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
- Ella & Louis [Ober Entertainment/20th Century Masterworks, 2021] A+
See Also:
- Louis Armstrong
- Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
- Louis Armstrong & Friends
- Ella Fitzgerald
- merge all
Consumer Guide Reviews:
Ella & Louis [Ober Entertainment/20th Century Masterworks, 2021]
Now 68 years old in the latest and probably last of this legendary masterpiece's several manifestations, this 78-minute 2021 release differs from Verve's vinyl original by comprising not a mere 11 selections but 16 like a good little CD should. Hence the original song sequence is reprised in order from "Can't We Be Friends" to "April in Paris" only to be followed by "Autumn in New York," "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm," "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," "Love Is Here to Stay," and the irresistibly explosive, historically undeniable closer "Stompin' at the Savoy"—all five, I'll note for what it's worth, far more classic than "Under a Blanket of Blue," the only obscurity and the nearest thing to a duff song here, which of course is perfectly OK even so for those of us who can always make room for another forgotten treasure. Both these great artists' voices are by now so familiar that I'll do no more than mention what a nice contrast Armstrong's gravel-strewn humor makes to Fitzgerald's warm precision—which complements his trumpet exactly as it should. And both of their reputations are so stellar that I'm assuming that anybody who doesn't own one version or another of this titanic work of art will rectify this oversight posthaste—and that many could happily do with another. A+