Without question, the two best Ella CDs available (particularly if you hate the orchestral backgrounds of the Songboooks) are "Pure Ella" (a 1950s classic, Ellis Larkin on piano as the only accompaniment) and the XRCD of the later Pablo session "Take Love Easy" with Joe Pass on guitar. Both offer exquisite sound and timeless performances. Another favorite of mine on LP is the Ellington small group Songbook-- don't know if that's made it to CD or not, but the LP sound is stunning.
Favorite Ella Recordings
Ella Fitzgerald's career spanned many decades, and her vocal style varied markedly over the years. So too her choice of accompaniment, ranging from simple piano to full orchestra. Her recorded catalog is staggering in size.
Although I've purchased and enjoyed several albums, I feel I'm shooting in the dark. I need help from some of the experts out there to narrow my choices.
What I'm looking for is the smaller group, more intimate albums, that have what I'll call the "timeless" feel to them. Maybe I'm not describing this properly, but some of her work has arrangements that died (properly!) before I was born. While I can usually filter this out if the vocal is really good, my wife and kids think I've fallen off the planet when I play them.
Decent remastering is always a plus. My system does a great job with vocals, and a good transfer definitely enhances the experience.
CD format only please (yes I know analog would be preferred, but that's not my system (at least for now!)
Thanks!
Although I've purchased and enjoyed several albums, I feel I'm shooting in the dark. I need help from some of the experts out there to narrow my choices.
What I'm looking for is the smaller group, more intimate albums, that have what I'll call the "timeless" feel to them. Maybe I'm not describing this properly, but some of her work has arrangements that died (properly!) before I was born. While I can usually filter this out if the vocal is really good, my wife and kids think I've fallen off the planet when I play them.
Decent remastering is always a plus. My system does a great job with vocals, and a good transfer definitely enhances the experience.
CD format only please (yes I know analog would be preferred, but that's not my system (at least for now!)
Thanks!