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Ella Fitzgerald.
April 23, 2008 from WDUQ - April is Jazz Appreciation Month, designated by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History as a time to celebrate the life and legacy of jazz. Many legendary jazz artists were born in April, which made it a natural for the designation.
To celebrate JAM, WDUQ will post a weekly music list celebrating a notable jazz artist born that week. This week: vocal legend Ella Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald is one of the most recognized voices in jazz history. As a teen, her dream was to be a dancer, but fate had different plans for her. At age 16, she was planning to perform a dance at Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre Amateur Night, which always took place after a headlining performance. The headline act that night included professional dancers — a tough act for an amateur to follow. Instead, Fitzgerald decided to sing. She captivated the crowd and won the contest. From then on, she would win countless fans throughout her career, in the process becoming the First Lady of Song.
This 1938 recording of "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" sold more than a million copies when it was first released. Who would have thought that a traditional children's tune could turn into such a swinging jazz standard? Fitzgerald fronts Chick Webb's Orchestra here.
Fitzgerald recorded many albums highlighting the song books of great American composers. This rousing number is straight off a page from the Johnny Mercer song book. Try to sing along, and you'll realize what a master of timing and phrasing she was.
If you're looking for a song that defines swing, this is it. Fitzgerald sings and scats her way through a signature Duke Ellington tune with seeming effortlessness. Stuff Smith is featured on violin.
"Blue Skies" sounds as happy and carefree as a sunny summer day. Her talent for scatting as naturally as breathing is highlighted on this tune. This song was originally released on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book.
Fitzgerald brought a depth of emotion to every song she sang, whether it be happy or sad. This version of Billy Strayhorn's classic composition is reflective and melancholy. She sings here with Ellington and his Orchestra.
WDUQ, Pittsburgh, broadcasts a range of jazz, from classic artists of the 1940s through today's up-and coming musicians.
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