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Crotchet Superbudget

ELLA FITZGERALD VOL.2 1936- 1939 Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb & His Orchestra. NAXOS JAZZ LEGENDS 8.120611

Tracks 2,3,4,5, & 16 as Ella Fitzgerald & Her Savoy Eight.
Collective Personnel : Mario Bauza, Bobby Stark, Taft Jordan, Dick Vance, trumpets; Sandy Williams, Claude Jones, Nat Story, George Matthews, trombones; Pete Clark, Edgar Sampson, Elmer Williams, Wayman Carver, Ted McRae, Louis Jordan, Chauncey Horton, Garvin Bushell, Hilton Jefferson, reeds; Don Kirkpatrick, Tommy Fulford, piano; JohnTrueheart, Bobby Johnson, guitar; Bill Thomas, Beverly Peer, Chick Webb, drums.
All tracks recorded in New York.
1. I Found My Yellow Basket
2. Organ Grinder's Swing
3. ( This Is ) My Last Affair
4. All Over Nothing At All
5 . It's My Turn Now
6. Crying My Heart Out For You
7. A Little Bit Later On
8. ( If You Can't Sing It ) You'll Have To Swing It ( Mr. Paganini )
9. Everybody Step
10. I Got A Guy
11. I'm Just A Jitterbug
12. Rock It For Me
13. The Dipsy Doodle
14. I Let A Tear Fall In The River
15. Chew Chew Chew Chew ( Your Bubblegum )
16. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
17. Ella
18. Wacky Dust
19. Coochi-Coochi-Coo
20. 'Taint What You Do ( It's The Way That You Do It )

This disc is the companion volume to the one I reviewed earlier this year and, as such, contains more excellent performances from the young Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice is still possessed of that girlish quality which lent an added attraction to her work from these years but she is already an accomplished performer in her use of clear diction and careful timing and the subtle nuances in her phrasing. There is a certain feeling of joy which permeates even the most trite numbers on this compilation.

The selections are an interesting mixture. There are the formulaic novelty songs such as "I Found My Yellow Basket " which is obviously designed as a follow up to the successful "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." " Organ Grinder's Swing" is a risqué bluesy tune that has been performed many times before and since, usually by much more earthy vocalists. The real source of delight to be found here is in Miss Fitzgerald's intelligent readings of such classic standards as "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" and "All Or Nothing At All". Possibly there are too many novelty numbers here for my personal taste, but it must be remembered that these pieces were meant to be listened to separately and not in an album format.

The accompanying musicians were obviously amongst the best on the scene when these records were made and there is much slick section work to be heard along with highly pertinent and effective soloing. This is a must for the Ella Fitzgerald follower and is quite a reasonable purchase in terms of price and quality for the more casual listener.

Dick Stafford

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