Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Songbook

We all have a tendency to think that Sinatra put down the official american songbook soundtrack (please **** off, Rod Stewart, Jaimie whatsit, Bubley and all the rest of you new converts) but Ella's recordings sit side by side with the Chairman of the Board's.

None of Ella's fantastic scat here. Just plain straight forward singing of the songs of one of the 20th century's greatest composers with wonderful arrangements and a fantastic diction which makes printed lyrics unnecessary.

We can all complain about the Cole Porter songs that are missing from this set, but it is wonderful. A couple of tracks with 1950s latin feel have aged enormously, but the majority is just plain brilliant.

If you are a musician you will agree tha Cole Porter's are amongst the most difficult standards to play. Ella will give you a lesson in simplicity that you will never forget.
Just listen to Miss Otis Regrets. This is clearly a desert island disc.


Ella & Cole Porter - Need I say more   February 6, 2005
 15 out of 15 found this review helpful

Ella is always a pleasure to listen to, but Ella with classy material is something special. This is what you get on this double album. The "Song Book" series is renown and this is arguably the best.

I own the earlier CD releases as well as this later double album. There is a difference in the sound as a result of the re-mastering but I would not like to say which sounds the better. I do wonder why Verve bothered to re-master when the originals still sound wonderful but do not let this consideration of fine judgement prevent you from buying a great album.


A great collection messed up by an engineer   May 2, 2001
 61 out of 70 found this review helpful

This was one of the great recordings of all time showing off the range, depth and expression of Ella's astonishing voice. Unfortunately this re-master has lost all the warmth and subtlety that could be found on the original CD. (Yes, I do know it was originally on record.) It has brought Ella's voice forward and thinned it out. The whole balance has been tilted upwards with the brass sounding sharp and the violins almost without timbre. Most tragically of all, the unequalled expressive qualities of her voice, that knowingness, have been largely stripped away leaving only a singer with an astonishing ability to hit the right note.

Such a failing draws one towards the conclusion that the engineer was either not a fan of Ella or simply didn't understand her qualities. In short, the collection has been ruined. Because this is an album that should be in every record collection, my advice is to scour the secondhand record shops for the individual CDs. That suggestion becomes an imperative if you have spent money on your hi-fi system and are expecting more rather than less from this re-master.


Vintage Ella at its very best - a must for jazz romantics!   March 29, 2001
 13 out of 16 found this review helpful

The lightness and joy with which she sings Cole Porter is effortless and exquisite with just a slight swing. Buddy Bregman's orchestra provides just the right balance of backdrop. A comprehensive set which includes all of the major tracks (I get a kick out of you, Let's do it, I love Paris, Easy to Love, You're the Top, Love for Sale, etc), plus the special bonus of previously unissued alternative takes - including Ella's comments when recording 'Let's do it'.

Beautifully remastered, this set of disks has great sound quality on an average system.

A must for all jazz fans and romantics alike.

If you like Nat King Cole and haven't discovered Ella yet, you could do worse than to start with this set.