Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis (2LP, 45RPM, 180g)
Louis Armstrong - trumpet, vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Louis Armstrong]
Ella Fitzgerald - vocals [click here to see more vinyl featuring Ella Fitzgerald]
Oscar Peterson - piano [click here to see more vinyl featuring Oscar Peterson]
Louie Bellson (drums), Ray Brown (bass), Barrett Deems (drums), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ed Hall (clarinet), Dale Jones (bass), Billy Kyle (piano), Buddy Rich (drums), Trummy Young (trombone)
Written by Paul James (A1), Kay Swift (A1), Irving Berlin (A2, C3), John Blackburn (A3), Karl Suessdorf (A3), George & Ira Gershwin (B1, C1), Jerry Livingston (B2), Al J. Neiburg (B2), Marty Symes (B2), Walter Gross (B3), Jack Lawrence (B3), Mitchell Parish (C2), Frank Perkins (C2), Hoagy Carmichael (D1), Ned Washington (D1), Vernon Duke (D2), E.Y. "Yip" Harburg (D2)
2 LPs, standard sleeve
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Verve
Recorded August 16, 1956 in Capitol Studios, Hollywood, CA
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound
Producer : Norman Granz
Originally released in 1956
Reissued in 2011
Tracks :
Side A:
- Can't We Be Friends
- Isn't This a Lovely Day
- Moonlight in Vermont
Side B :
- They can't take that away from Me
- Under a Blanket of Blue
- Tenderly
Side C :
- A Foggy Day
- Stars Fell on Alabama
- Cheek to Cheek
Side D :
- The Nearness of You
- April In Paris
Awards:
TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
2013 Stereophile Magazine Record to Die For
Reviews :
"All hail Analogue Productions, the audiophile record company in Salina, Kansas, for hiring the best engineers to invent a new formula for pressing vinyl. The results are simply staggering. Check out the 45rpm remaster of the 1956 Ella & Louis (Fitzgerald & Armstrong). If you have a good stereo, you'll swear they're in the room!" — Fred Kaplan, Slate, December 2011
« Ella and Louis is an inspired collaboration, masterminded by producer Norman Granz. Both artists were riding high at this stage in their careers, and Granz assembled a stellar quartet of Oscar Peterson (piano), Buddy Rich (drums), Herb Ellis (guitar) and Ray Brown (bass). Equally inspired was the choice of material, with the gruffness of Armstrong's voice blending like magic with Fitzgerald's stunningly silky delivery. Outstanding are Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek" and "Isn't This a Lovely Day," and everything else works like a dream, with the golden star going to the Gershwin brothers' "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Gentle and sincere, this is deserving of a place in every home. » AllMusic Review by Rovi Staff
"Ella was the most popular female jazz singer in the U.S. for over a half century, selling over 40 million albums. Louis was considered one of the founders of jazz, and was known around the world as Satchmo. He had toned down his earlier whooping and shoveling sort of delivery a bit, but it’s still the same old Satchmo. The two perform 30 of their favorite songs together on this Blu-ray, in a musical match made in heaven. The Great American Songbook is the source of most of the tunes, and their delivery shows the world just how these songs should be sung." John Sunier, Audiophile Audition, Dec 29, 2013
Ratings :
AllMusic : 4.5 / 5 , Discogs : 4.6 / 5 , Rate your Music : 3.81 / 5
Michael Fremer : 8 / 10 for Music, 9 / 10 for Sound