Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
Studio album by
Ella Fitzgerald
Released1957
RecordedJune 25 – October 17, 1957
GenreJazz
Length166:32
LabelVerve MGV 4008-2 (Volume 1) and MGV 4009-2 (Volume 2)
ProducerNorman Granz
Ella Fitzgerald chronology
Ella and Louis Again
(1957) 		Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
(1957) 		Ella and Her Fellas
(1957)
Duke Ellington chronology
All Star Road Band
(1957) 		Ella Fitzgerald sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
(1957) 		Ellington Indigos
(1957)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Disc[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[5]

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by Duke Ellington and his orchestra, focusing on Ellington's songs.

Part of Fitzgerald's "Song Book" series, it is the only one where the composer is also featured as a performer and the first occasion Fitzgerald recorded with Ellington. It is also the entry in the Song Book series that provided her with the most opportunities to exhibit her skill at scat singing.

The greater part of disc three is devoted to two original compositions by Billy Strayhorn, inspired by Fitzgerald's life, character, and artistry. Fitzgerald's performance on this album won her the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance, Individual, at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards.[6]

The album was released in two volumes: The first volume comprised Fitzgerald with the Ellington orchestra, the second of Fitzgerald with a small group setting.

This album marked the start of a fruitful artistic relationship for Fitzgerald and Ellington. The 1960s would see them perform on the Côte d'Azur for the album Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur (1966), and in Sweden for The Stockholm Concert, 1966. Their only other studio album is Ella at Duke's Place (1965).

  1. ^ Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book at AllMusic
  2. ^ Hall, Tony (25 October 1958). "But aren't we hearing too much of her?". Disc. No. 38. p. 15.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 490. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 69. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  6. ^ "1958 Grammy Winners". Grammy.com. Retrieved 21 August 2016.