Ella Fitzgerald - The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books

The epitome of so much that is American music

The reason why you won't find a single review that gives this collection less than five stars is because this is just a stunning, amazing, extremely satisfying collection of music. The greatest music composers and lyricists of our time, each represented and sung by one of the great female jazz vocalists of ALL time, combines to make 16 CD's of classic jazz. I hemmed and hawed over buying this because of the price and bodaciousness of the collection, but with The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings: Eighth Edition (Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings) making Ella singing Cole Porter one of its core collection selections, I wasn't sure I should buy just the Cole Porter portion, or if I should buy the whole giant set. I feared buying just the Cole Porter and being wowed and then having to kick myself for not buying the set, but I also feared buying the whole set and being stuck with 10, 12, or, God forbid, 16 CD's I was hardly going to listen to. I leapt in and bought the whole set, and I think it was worth every dollar. Jazz music collector's MUST have this whole set. Yes: MUST! Casual jazz fans and plain old good music lovers might get by with just certain portions, but trust me and the other thirty some odd reviewers who gave this five stars: You simply will not be disappointed with anything in here and this provides hours and hours of great jazz listening you, your loved ones, party guests, and people passing by while washing your car, will appreciate and enjoy. May 18, 2008

A national treasure!

Ella Fitzgerald's interpretations of Great American Songbook gems by Arlen, Gershwin, Porter, Duke Ellington, Rogers and Hart, Mercer, and Kern are timeless. Her impeccable phrasing, sense of humor, and chameleonlike ability to inhabit a song, whether sultry or playful, is teamed with tight orchestrations and flawless remastering on The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks on Verve.

I first became interested in the American Songbook when my cousin gave me a copy of Rod Stewart's It Had to Be You... The Great American Songbook. My collection quickly expanded to include all of Frank Sinatra's early works on Brunswick with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey and his Columbia works (1942-1953) and 1940s songbook collections by Jo Stafford, Doris Day with Les Brown, and Peggy Lee with Benny Goodman. I first purchased several of Ella Fitzgerald's songbook CDs individually (Gershwin, Porter, and the best of Berlin), and was looking to purchase her Duke Ellington songbook, which retails for about $30. As a member of BMG Music Club, the entire Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks was $89, so I opted for the box set even though I already owned five of the CDs.

The 16 CDs are housed in a compact fabric-covered box in individual slipcases (for single CDs) and small cardboard boxes with the original LP artwork and reproduction LP liner notes. My only gripe is the cramped quarters; I switched the CDs to jewel cases for easier access, since it's a pain to constantly have to eject all the cardboard slipcases in search of one CD. The liner notes come in a small fabric-covered hardcover book.

You'll find well-known and oft-recorded hits such as Night and Day, Blue Skies, I Got Rhythm, and I Got It Bad, but there are lesser-known gems that are equally entrancing, such as the dreamy, nostalgic My Heart Stood Still(Rogers and Hart), or her starry-eyed The Way You Look Tonight, with its soft sweep of strings and mellow piano. There are even spirited renditions of Wizard of Oz songs such as Over the Rainbow and Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead. Ella's jazzy, punchy delivery on Ding Dong is a satirical, big band romp.

The Duke Ellington discs (three in all) were as stellar as I'd dared to hope; tight backing, Ella's dead-on scat singing that lets her jazz it up more than on the "canonical" standards. Rockin' in Rhythm features Armstrong-style muted trumpet, a pounding "Indian" bassline, and an extended scat melody. Ella's take on I'm Beginning to See The Light is much more playful and sultry than earlier recordings by Jo Stafford and other 40s singers of her ilk.

Ella imbues each song with its own magic, bringing a sparkle to even the most tired of covers. The execution is flawless and the sound is timeless. Each time I listen I discover some new nuance, a turn of phrase here, a cleverly punctuated passage there. If you only buy one box set of standards, this should be in your library. March 14, 2008

Ella Foreva'

Yes, I know it's expensive. But hey, it's well worth the money! This CDs feature THE greatest singer of all time at her prime, singing some of the best songs in history. 16 hours of music and not a single mediocre song - you couldn't possibly regret buying this album. November 9, 2007

there aren't words enough

There truly aren't words enough to describe the quality of this set in every aspect.The packaging is superb.The liner notes are impressive. It is the complete song book recordings made famous by Ella all in one place. Over 15 hours of pure magic ! I have always agreed with all the praise given Ella concerning her "jazz voice" , with all the scat singing and improvisational interpretations of songs , but I have always felt that her "pop" singing was under-appreciated in the grand scheme of things. This set will make anyone reassess her talent. A great voice is a great voice. What is really impressive is that Ella was obviously just as comfortably adept at singing in either style. A remarkable release. October 26, 2007

Better than I hoped for. Well worth the money though I did think about it for a while due to the cost.

Better than I hoped for. Well worth the money though I did think about it for a while due to the cost.If you like Ella and classic songs by some of the greatest songwriters of the twentieth century this is the perfect collection. October 6, 2007

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