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We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0602517320642
Label: Verve
Manufacturer: Verve
MPN: 000883302
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Verve
Release Date: June 05, 2007
Studio: Verve
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Editorial Review:
Covering songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald is a daunting endeavor, since only Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan challenge her place as the premier female jazz vocalist in history. But the late Fitzgerald inspired and influenced a wide array of talented acolytes--from Natalie Cole to k.d. lang to Dianne Reeves--many of whom gather on this spirited, Phil Ramone-produced tribute to partially benefit the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. Cole, backed by an eager gaggle of call-and-response male worshippers, breathes fun new life into the swingy "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," while Chaka Khan, showcasing the breadth of her range, delivers a transporting rendition of the enchanting jazz blues "Lullaby of Birdland." (The two also team up for a delicious scat-fest on "Mr. Paganini.") If lang is equally transfixing on the ballad "Angel Eyes," it's newcomer Ledisi who steals the show with "Blues in the Night," her expansive soprano often mimicking a muted or full-tilt trumpet, one of Fitzgerald's hallmarks. Performances from Etta James and Nikki Yanofsky also rivet, even if Diana Krall and Hank Jones's "Dream a Little Dream of Me" comes across as a little too sleepy, and Gladys Knight is probably not the best singer for "Someone to Watch Over Me." The album surprises with a live duet ("You Are the Sunshine of My Life") between Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder, recorded at the 1977 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Although it seems tacked on, it doesn't grate nearly as much as Michael Bublé's "Too Close for Comfort," so slick it would put an eel to shame. Skip over that transgression, and turn to the antidote of Lizz Wright's sultry take on the melancholy "Reaching for the Moon," which plumbs emotional depths not even the ever-joyous Great Lady managed to attain. --Alanna Nash
A star-studded album from legendary producer Phil Ramone pays tribute to one of the most celebrated female vocalists of all time, Ella Fitzgerald.
This CD includes performers such as Stevie Wonder, Diana Krall, Michael Buble, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Ledisi, Lizz Wright, Queen Latifah, Etta James, Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Dianne Reeves and more.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Lady will always be good
Various artists have gotten together in tribute to The First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald. The selections are among Ella's biggest hits - and singers with chops, we've got. Dianne Reeves providing a very nice Lady Be Good, and Queen Latifah contributes The Lady is a Tramp. Natalie Cole does a delightful A Tisket, A Tasket, and Chaka Khan does a great job on Lullaby of Birdland. But when the two combine their talents on Mr. Paganini, standing ovations are in order.
Relative new singer, ... Read More
Rating:  - Rediscovering the music of "The First Lady of Song".
My memories of the late Ella Fitzgerald are sketchy at best. I certainly do recall her numerous appearances on the Ed Sullivan show in the 1960's and I do own a vinyl collection of her greatest hits. However, jazz has never been one of my favorite genres. Recently I came across the 2007 Verve release "We All Love Ella". I must say that this disc certainly piqued my curiosity. And after listening to "We All Love Ella" I find myself longing to hear more of this stuff.
A good many of the artists ... Read More
Rating:  - We all love Ella; we sorta like this CD
Listening to Ella Fitzgerald is like sinking into a hot tub with a tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries next to you. Fitzgerald was brilliant at what she did, in the way she made her voice a blend of the warm, the rich and the knowing--she was seductive, but also smart. This CD, made with love and the best intentions, tries to match her, but just can't; it's like pygmies trying to match an Amazon goddess. Natalie Cole is in fine, silvery voice, but lack's Ella's velvety richness; Queen Latifah and ... Read More
Rating: - A first class sophisticated jazzy tribute!
This is one of the finest tribute albums I've ever heard. I'm usually skeptical about tribute albums and find many of them to be just commerical product capitalizing on the death of someone or mismatches of styles. This one is first class all the way. Artists like Natalie Cole, Queen Latifah, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble, Diana Krall and many others sound naturally comfortable with this album which sounds ideal for a Manhattan Martini get together. Sophisticated productions by Phil Ramone make ... Read More
Rating: - fine tribute to the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald
We All Love Ella is a touching tribute to The First Lady Of Song. This album gives us a terrific fifteen classic Ella Fitzgerald ballads covered by some of the best artists currently in the business. Just one listen proves it!
The CD track set starts with a bouncy rendition of "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" by Natalie Cole. The bass works well and so do those horns and percussion! Natalie swings brightly on "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." Chaka Chan truly does prove her wide vocal range with a pretty awesome rendition ... Read More
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