Ella Fitzgerald - At Newport (1957)

"Ella Fitzgerald - At Newport" presents recordings from the Newport Jazz Festival, July 1957.

 Unfortunately, Ella Fitzgerald had some problems with her band members. It's unclear how much time Fitzgerald had spent with her trio, though she makes her unhappiness known while trying to jump-start them to a quicker tempo on "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" and "April in Paris." Finally, she gets the band in line, delivering crowd-pleasing renditions of "Lullaby of Birdland" and the terrific scat piece "Air Mail Special," which must have set the park on fire.

Though it's far from a perfect set for Ella Fitzgerald, "At Newport" says more about her respective career than any great show could.

Ella Fitzgerald - At Newport (1957)
(new link with all tracks, 256 kbps, cover art included)