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BIOGRAPHY
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Ella Fitzgerald is often bracketed with Billie Holiday, her contemporary, as among the greatest of jazz vocalists, but although she could, and did, swing and scat with the best of them, her repertoire was not jazz dominated. Holiday is generally defined as the more emotional and sensual of the two, implying her greater depth and sophistication, while Fitzgerald is considered to have greater simplicity and directness. Her dexterity was considered equal to that of the best horn players, and Bing Crosby was not alone in saying she had "the best ear of any singer ever" and called her "the greatest."
Duke Ellington said that Ella's skill (she is commonly referred to simply as Ella) "brings to mind the words of the maestro, Mr. Toscanini, who said concerning singers, 'Either you're a good musician or you're not.' In terms of musicianship, Ella Fitzgerald was beyond category." Mel Torme marveled that "Anyone who attempts to sing extemporaneously -- that is, scat -- will tell you that the hardest aspect is to stay in tune. You are wandering all over the scales, the notes coming out of your mouth a millisecond after you think of them. ... Her notes float out in perfect pitch, effortlessly and, most important of all, swinging." Ella loved Louis Armstrong, and the three albums and many radio checks she made with him can be placed with her best work. The respect and affection these artists had for each other shines through their recordings, and their PORGY AND BESS album remains essential to any jazz collection.
A favorite guest artist on television programs -- Dinah Shore and Bing Crosby featured her often -- Ella was in particularly good form on the SWING INTO SPRING programs of 1958 and 1959, and in a program produced by Norman Granz on PBS in November 1979, which featured Count Basie and his Orchestra, Roy Eldridge, Zoot Sims, Joe Pass, and many other leading jazz artists. She also made a number of cameo appearances in movies, and was featured more substantially in PETE KELLY'S BLUES (1955) and ST. LOUIS BLUES (1958).
Ella Fitzgerald came of age in a period that respected elegance and artistry. She continued to hone her craft throughout her long career, and her fans instinctively appreciated her note-perfect musicianship and precise technique that was so admired by the cognoscenti. Her long career saw her singing in numerous and varied settings and winning fans across several generations. She rose from simple origins to become a good will ambassador for America.
In 1947 Ella married bass player Ray Brown and the couple adopted a son, Ray Brown, Jr., before divorcing in 1953. She suffered some eye trouble in the 1970s, but continued to perform happily at concerts and festivals until the late 1980s when she grew debilitated as a consequence of the diabetes from which she had suffered for a number of years. In 1992, she had to have a toe removed as a result of the disease, and gave the final concert of her career in Palm Beach, Florida, in December of that year. The following year both her legs were amputated, and she died three years later at the age of 78.
-- Frank A. Salamone
Source: ST. JAMES ENCYCLOPEDIA OF POPULAR CULTURE. Eds. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. p107-109. 5 vols. Reprinted by permission of The Gale Group.
Top banner photos: Ella Fitzgerald (photo by James W. Blackman), members of Take 6, and Patti Austin (photo by Lester Cohen).
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Natalie Cole co-hosts the concert with Quincy Jones. |
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Stevie Wonder peforms "Too Close for Comfort." |
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The DVD and CDs are not available from the GP Shop. |
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