She was fantastic. I read once that Frank Sinatra said the only person he was nervous singing a duet with was Ella Fitzgerald because she was SO GOOD !!!
I saw and met Ella Fitzgerald at a local college where she gave a concert in 1974. I was only 14. After the concert, I was able to backstage and meet her. When I mentioned that my father had seen her in 1949 at a Jazz At The Philharmonic concert and that she was great then. A tall man next to her chimed in "she's great now!" . Thinking he had misunderstood me, I hurriedly replied that she proved she was great that evening. I learned later the tall man was Norman Granz, who was the producer of the Jazz At The Philharmonic concert tours that began in 1944. Ella gave me a big smile and commented that now she had young fans. I also met pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Keeter Betts. That's a memory I will have my whole life. Since Jazz is my first love, I am very happy you reviewed this video, and your review is, as usual, excellent!
M K My father thought Bing Crosby was great, but he thought the Beatles were terrible, so it is just the generation you are from or the type of music you like. Personally I liked Ella but Bing would put me to sleep
@@HamiltonRb I think you're looking st it from the wrong perspective. A singer xab put you to sleep but you can still recognise their impact, technique and musical interpretive wit
@@popland1977 I don't doubt he had talent but not my kind of music at all. He was so laid back & talked & sang so slow it would be like watching Mr Rogers, with a pipe & cardigan I was a teen in the 60's so more in tune with Beatles , Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who etc. Every generation has their own music they think is great, and I respect that.
In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe pressured the glamorous Hollywood club, Mocambo, to book Ella. "I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt," Fitzgerald said later, in 1972. "She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night." He agreed, and true to her word, "Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again."
Yes but yiu3ve actually missed out the essential element! It was because she was black that she couldn't get into the swisher clubs!!! So dearest MM took a really significant stand for her era. Good on her!
I LOVE Ella! She was the greatest jazz singer ever, IMHO. She's at least 10 years or more past her prime here, but still killing it. Thank you for your terrific history of this beautiful person. Bringing her to a new generation is very important and much appreciated!
@@plasticoflamingo2952 all I meant is that by then her voice didn't have the range that it did 10 or 20 years earlier. Great singer that she was, she used that to her advantage. Listen to her in her sessions with legendary guitarist Joe Pass that she recorded in her mid to late fifties. She uses her less-limber vocal chords to settle into beautiful, poignant, reflective pieces that break your heart. She was the consummate artist who aged beautifully and gracefully.
Ella Fitzgerald was THE best singer of her era (1940s - 1960s) - male or female. She was the Queen of Jazz and an all-time great singer. Her duets with Louis Armstrong are legendary. I’m so glad you did a video on this musical giant.
TN Moppy Laura There is now, it’s Angelina Jordan (14) and she went to school on Ella Fitzgerald, and she got an “A”. She won Norway’s Got Talent at 8, she auditioned at 7, and she won with 46% of the vote in the Finals out of 10 acts. Since then she has sung with some of the giants in the music industry today, Quincy Jones personally requested her to sing “Fly Me To The Moon”, a song he arranged for Frank Sinatra, at his 85th Birthday celebration at the O2 arena in London. So yes, Ella Fitzgerald is my all time favorite singer, but Angelina Jordan embodies the essence of Ella and many other giants in jazz, and she is still just 14!
There are a few videos out there of Ella and Mel Torme (another fav of mine) trading vocal runs off each other. They are master classes in the art of scat singing.
Fil, I so appreciate you taking us down a very important memory lane when you cover artists that helped form various genres of music. I feel it's important not to lose sight of these trailblazers. Miss Ella's voice was an amazing instrument. Growing up in the fifties I was lucky to experience those artist from jazz to blues and country to crooners on tv.
How about an analysis of Nat King Cole? Along with that beautifully smooth voice he was the first African American to have a tv varirty show. There are videos of his show you could use.
What!! She wrote "A-Tiskut a-Taskut"! We sang that as a nursery rhyme when I was little. In fact this whole video transformed me from a full-on grown up into a little kid sitting with my brother in front of the "hi fi". Our dad had so many of her albums and we loved them, especially the lyric- rich Cole Porter song book. Thanks for filling in her life, I wish it hadn't had so much hardship. But those fires forged her greatness.
I just checked up on "A Tisket, A Tasket." It was a nursery rhyme first recorded in the late 19th century. I remember watching cartoons where it was sung. But yes, both Al Feldman(later Van Alexander)and Ella composed the song in 1938; the nursery rhyme was the basis. You just reminded me of a rap song "Pop Goes The Weasel"--only "pop goes the weasel" is repeated 3X and then ends with "pop goes the weasel 'cause the weasel goes pop." It's amazing that nursery rhymes were musical influences.
Fil, your music analysis video of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald was absolutely brilliant. I'd agree with Virginia that your analysis was precise--especially how you explained your observations in Ella's performance video. You'd mentioned about her use of hand movements and a "visual scale" in mental imagery in order for her vocals to be accurate in pitch. I'd read that Ella had "perfect pitch;" perhaps she'd used these methods in her singing. Thanks for your great analysis of a true music legend, Fil!
She’s great. Thanks for reintroducing her to me. I realize how narrow my genres have been , then Fil comes along and teaches music classes. Thanks, so much. And her history, wow, she really had to overcome a lot of bad things. I give her lots of kudos.
You mentioned several times how well she could sing on key, she once asked Oscar Peterson if she was off key, Peterson responded that she couldn't sing off key if she tried
Without a doubt, as far as technical abilities on their respective instruments, Oscar and Ella are the best in history. No one else is in the conversation, for me. Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday? Great, great singers, but Ella was better. Errol Gardner, Art Tatum? Great, great jazz pianists, but Oscar was better.
Oh ELLA!!! An uber-diva in a class of her own. A total legend! She makes it look as though using her voice was just an easy Sunday afternoon stroll in the park. The key change part way through was beautifully seamless, as one would expect of such a great talent. I loved this analysis, thank you Fil!
Love the respect given to scat on this video. Mel Torme (who I discovered as a child watching Night Court) is unreal when he scats World on a String. There's actually an incredible video of Ella and Mel scatting together. It's easy to dismiss scat as gibberish, so thanks for going into detail about the degree of talent it takes to have that much control over vocal chords and key range.
Saw Ella a few years before she passed at the Kennedy Center, one of the highlights of my life. Her singing was still great. Ella is my favorite, then Billie Holliday.
Saw her three times, one time with Count Basie, a second time with her trio in Cologne in the Gürzenich hall, and a last time in the Duesseldorf Tonhalle with Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, NHO Pederson and Bobby Durham. My favorite? All concerts were amazing, but Basie and Ella, it could not get better. Freddie Green strumming his guitar behind her singing... even Oscar and Joe Pass... can't choose... Aren't we both lucky bastards to have seen her live? Cheers mate and all best, stay healthy.
I noticed the bar half a beat off too and watched her pick it right up. She’d been singing live for a lifetime by the ‘70s, so that was nothing to her. She was a real treasure. IS a treasure. I’m grateful for this video because I’ve never seen it before. You name it, she had it!
I get chills listening to her sometimes, sometimes even tears. Such astonishing virtuosity, always in the service of glorious music. Ella and Louis is one of my favorite collaborations of all time. Just remarkable...
Always admired Ella Fitzgerald vocals range and how she handle herself with dignity during segregated times such a classes lady. Pearl Bailey was another one with talents and class. excellent analysis on Ella and the time period that she grew up in, thanks Fil.
Ella's a treasure for sure... She's amazing... It don't mean a thing if it don't swing....her improvisation.. Jazz undertones.... Thanks professor ... I'll keep it in mind for the project Rock 🎸
Fil, you've probably blown the heads off a number of young subscribers who might not have known or heard about Ella. I don't know if you've ever heard the commercial Sinatra did to plug a set of Albums Ella did. It shows how much he thought of her. Mel Torme did a few tracks with her and their scatting is beyond remarkable. Thanks for sharing and analysing Ella... no-one ever came close to her, whether scatting, ballads, straight jazz or even pop. Cheers from down under, Michael
It may have been "Masterpiece Theater" in the late '50s? Ella, Benny, Dizzy, and Lionel in a quartet and Ella was just one of the instruments playing. As a young boy, I was just spellbound to see them together, playing their "instruments" together. Long ago and far back in my memory, but scat was so fantastic.
A tisket a tisket a green and yellow basket...many times I sang that song knowing she sang it but didn't know she wrote it. So many cool sounds. I'm so fortunate to be able to hear them. Thanks, Fil
FIL, THANKS FOR THIS GREAT VIDEO, AND YOUR COMMENTS, ELLA BORN TO SING, SHE COULD SING ANY STYLE OF MUSIC, WITH HER GRACE, THAT SHE HAD, A ONE OF OF KIND HERE, COUSIN FIGEL
Thank you for sharing this iconic jazz singer, and for such an obviously joyous walk down memory lane. My father was a jazz pianist in the 30s, before getting married and needing to find steady work. He was the only white guy in Denver allowed to play in the otherwise all black impro sessions after a jazz concert. In the late 60s, Uly (Ulysses) Livingston, who backed Ella on guitar, lived close to us in LA and would come over and improvise with my dad at our house. I am still in awe of these two just playing for the joy of it! I see that joy in you too Fil, thanks for that!
It's obvious Fil really loves doing this! His reactions are as enjoyable as the subject he's talking about! I really love the details we get, shows his mastery of the subject.
legend. greatest of the jazz singers of any time period. A little past her prime there. I was lucky to see her at the Newport Jazz Festival in the mid-'70s and a great memory. Looks like Joe Pass on guitar.
Thanks, Fil! I would like to recommend Ken Burns documentary, 'Jazz'. It gives a great background to the genre, but also tells of Ella's beginning, with wonderful old footage.
Yep, I grew up with Ella, too. She was all over TV and radio. I'm impressed by the way she vocally conducted an orchestra or combo. She didn't follow the music, she directed it. Incredible talent. She packed her sounds with energy and emotion, communicating without words, just human feelings. Truly beautiful.
Loved this analysis, Fil. Brings me back to my Dad's record collection in which Ella loomed large! Thanks for the explanation of hand and finger motion acompanying the singing!
Thanks Fil! Ella Fitzgerald... A classic voice through the ages!! now I'm putting in my one CD of her I'm listening today! Thank you for all the history on her as well I did not know her background....✌️❤️🤘😊
Thanks Fil, wonderful analysis. I doubt there will ever be another Ella. Pure joy and light from her vocal cords. And as you watch her you can see how happy and involved she gets by looking at her eyes.
She has always sounded so natural that, to me, it's always sounded like she never had to warm up; she could just open her mouth and those wonderful, natural tones just started popping out
Ella Fitzgerald " it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." For some reason it puts me in a good mood still today. My friends and I would get the lyrics stuck in our head all day ..😯👉👈😮doo wop doo wop doo wop! pow! Great Ella memories. Is it live, or is it Memorex?🍷TY Fil, a very fun and completely thorough analysis.🤘
It’s gotta swing! What an amazing lady with a huge personality! She flat sang that soul music! I love this so much!!!!Reminds me of my youth playing alto sax for 7 years. Terry Kath said he wished he lived in the swinging years because it was so different and almost elegant. That’s why they wore tuxedos on the New Years Eve special in 1975. Her performance is absolutely perfect. Love the horn section! Thank you Fil!! I really love this analysis. Gonna share this on Facebook, like I do to support you and music! In these times, you are a light in a semi- dark time.
Fil, can you analyze Etta James, I’d Rather Go Blind, live 1975 in Montreux? I probably spelled it wrong, but in lieu of your analysis of Ella Fitzgerald, it took me to that performance which is raw emotion. Thanks for considering my request!
ELLA ..".THE QUEEN"....👏👏👏👌👌👌♕♕♕ i....NO MORE WORDS...SUPER STAR ...🌟🌟🌟🎶♩🎵🎼 ...PERFECT VOICE🎤🎤🎤🎺🎺🎺🎺 NUMBER ONE OF JAZZ SINGER...Congratuations for this analisys and the video🌷🌷❤❤⚘⚘✔✔👊🤘
The recent Netflix bio of Ella is really excellent. In her later years she went back to her scat blues roots. But her recordings of the great American songbook throughout the 1950s are treasures. I love Ella. She was the greatest woman pop singer of the 20th century.
I'm glad I read your comment. I somehow got a recommendation off of Google for Fil doing Judy Garland, which I have not googled either. Decided to watch a few minutes, landed up watching the whole video, and came to RUclips, thinking no way he has done Ella. Proved me wrong. I love her, now I am going to watch Netflix. Thanks!
Legendary one of a kind singer! Major talent! There was only one Ella! FANTASTIC! Hats off to the incredibly tight amazing orchestra! Great analysis Fil! Thanks! 😎🎼🎵🎶🇨🇦
You really have to be a musician to understand the difficulty of what she is doing and the mastery of how she masters speed, accuracy, rhythm , how can someone not only be so accurate but how can anyone think so fast
What a nice surprise to see you analyzing my favorite singer's vocal habilities, Fil. I am so happy. I do love Ellie and your comments were great, as usual. She can improvise in a very particular way, very unique. Her voice is so beautiful, it sounds like magic. I love jazz and she had the best possible influences. Her singing is so natural. But as you pointed out she invested a lot in technique and practice. She developed her skills and had a long career. She managed to sing in almost all genres and her voice remained as sweet as usual through the years. What strikes me is that it seems she makes no effort to sing. She does it so naturally that she always sounds pleasant. It's impossible not to fall in love with her. Thank you Fil. You are awesome. I am always impressed with your deep knowledge about music. How you feel the complete/total/entire atmosphere of the musical scenery where the videos you analyse take place. You can notice the most subtle details os the performances and for that you have my most sincere aporeciation and love.
Just watched your Nat King Cole review and commented about Ella Fitzgerald being a singer you might review. I looked back at some of your past ones and found this one. So glad to hear some history of her life and timeless music.
Fine job Fil it looks like you have a appreciation for all kinds of music and it also refreshing to see a younger artist like yourself giving the greats their dues.
Dusko Goikovic, Ack van Royen, Art Farmer, Herb Geller, Jiggs Whigham, Ella, Joe Pass...what a Set of Jazz Stars. Thats the NDR Radio Big Band, the 1974 Studio Session in Hamburg/Germany. The Video Description says Ronny Scotts in London. Thats obviously wrong. Nice to see how young musicians, respect the old Cats. Great.
Fabulous singer. I was fortunate seeing her “front” the Duke Ellington orchestra. “Ev’ry time we say goodbye” The line “change major to minor” shows what an amazing voice she had. Thanks for that and that you are willing to look at all genres and ages.
It's a pleasure to hear artists like Ella Fitzgerald sing naturally her vocal range would be hard to Auto-Tune and would sound flat meaning without the feeling she add into her performance. keep up the excellent work Fil.
Ella was very special, her voice was so beautiful, one of a kind. If you're not familiar with a lot of Ella I highly recommend the Song Books. The Song Books are considered a cornerstone of 20th century recorded popular music, and as a whole, represent some of the finest interpretations of the greater part of the musical canon known as the Great American Songbook. All of these are essential imo: Ella Sings the Cole Porter Song Book, Rodgers & Hart Song Book, Duke Ellington Song Book, Irving Berlin Song Book, George & Ira Gershwin Song Book, Harold Arlen Song Book, Jerome Kern Song Book & the Johnny Mercer Song Book. The Verve Master Edition Cds sound great! Ella's duets with Louis Armstrong are great too. Love to see you break down some more songs by her, like Begin the Beguine, I Love Paris, Anything Goes, Too Darn Hot... so many great songs to choose from.
AND, for a real treat, search Ella Mack the Knife Berlin on RUclips. In 1960 she forgot the words in front of a live audience and totally improved and scatted her way through it. She was on top of her game vocally and was just having a great time. Unbelievable!
Classic!!!!!!! A must listen- she and Louis Armstrong sang and recorded the entire score of Porgy and Bess with a spectacular big band backing them. Thankyou for this analysis, Fil!
Her voice is amazing. What a concert that would be. She seems Like a real hoot . Oh my , she’s something special!❤️❤️❤️LOL . Ahhh what a precious soul!
Cool. I was hoping you covered Ella. Thank you. Just came from Patsy. A suggestion for another show would be the vocal evolution of Ella's voice. Fascinating. From Chick Webb (I think I've heard earlier) right up through the "Great American Songbooks" to the time you just covered, here, it's mesmerizing to hear the maturing and mastering of her voice.
What a great analysis. The video was fun, and Ella was great, as always. I've learned more listening to you than I did in school. You're an awesome teacher.
Love Ella! Thank you for being so open to sheer talent across so many genres.and how respectful and thorough you are in your analyses and research. Have learned a lot from you, Fil. Keep up the good work. Would love to see you do the True History of the Travelling Wilburys. Fascinating to watch and hear. Pretty rough but wow!
Ella rips it up here for sure! Such a sublime talent. I truly hope you will reach back to Sarah Vaughan, Billy Holiday and Dinah Washington just to start off a jump into jazz singers. Hearing you take this on is so satisfying and, to me, a laudable turn. Kudos Fil, and such a great detailed exploration into a great performer over all the twists and turns of her career. I grew up on 60's and 70's rock, but grew to eventually appreciate the raw talent of the popular singers that had come before. Great job!!!
Very interesting commentary on Ella. There is another superb live version of this with Duke Ellington on the Ed Sullivan show. As you'd expect in Jazz, there are differences in what Ella does with it, and the accompaniment is just Ellington on piano and band. Her version of Cry Me a River is another masterpiece which shows her improvising ability without losing the meaning and feeling of the song.
My favorite singer of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s.Thank you for mentioning Chick Webb. My parents played her albums a lot. Then, in the sixties, she was singing in New York. My mom took me. I was frozen in my seat. By the time she got to "Angel Eyes", I was quietly crying. From the sheer beauty of her voice and my absolute joy. ruclips.net/video/VBz1rXoSP9o/видео.html
Fil...Im spreading the word about your site to many people around the world...young people are following you now and appreciate everything you do ... Keep up the good work and stay safe...Hopefully one day you will review a dionne warwick song. Cheers!
Hi Fil! My local BBQ Jazzy Johns was forced to shut down like so many others. He actually worked with her, and Miles Davis. I wish you could meet him. These trombone players know how to "bend" notes.
Love your channel. It was recorded in a German TV studio in Koeln 1974. The big band is the Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass, which accompanied over the years musicians like Benny Goodman and Sammy Davis.
Now that I am older I have grown to appreciate more genres of music and I enjoyed this. I don't know the proper word for it but my biggest "complaint" is when a singer "extends" notes too far and "wobble " their voice. Although Whitney Houston had a great voice she is one example. As I said it is hard to describe in print. THANK YOU Fil for your vast appreciation and knowledge of music!
Good analysis. She was definitely in tune with instruments. Who doesn't remember the nursery rhyme "A Tisket-A-Tasket" . Stay well & healthy & get some rest. Have a good day Fil. ❤😚
Back in early 80's, I remember learning scales in elementary school by using the hand in front of us. On moving up a notch in the air as we sang each note. Do, Ra, Mi and so on. I was talking to someone about it a few years ago and they didn't know what I was talking about with my hands. I had thought every one did this in beginning chorus/music classes.
thanks Fil for taking the time to learn about Ella's life.
A huge Thank you to Phil for an eminent Analysis and introduktion to phenomenal Ella!
Excellent analysis of Ella Fitzgerald. What a great voice.
She was fantastic. I read once that Frank Sinatra said the only person he was nervous singing a duet with was Ella Fitzgerald because she was SO GOOD !!!
I saw and met Ella Fitzgerald at a local college where she gave a concert in 1974. I was only 14. After the concert, I was able to backstage and meet her. When I mentioned that my father had seen her in 1949 at a Jazz At The Philharmonic concert and that she was great then. A tall man next to her chimed in "she's great now!" . Thinking he had misunderstood me, I hurriedly replied that she proved she was great that evening. I learned later the tall man was Norman Granz, who was the producer of the Jazz At The Philharmonic concert tours that began in 1944. Ella gave me a big smile and commented that now she had young fans.
I also met pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Keeter Betts. That's a memory I will have my whole life.
Since Jazz is my first love, I am very happy you reviewed this video, and your review is, as usual, excellent!
Thanks!
“Man, woman or child, Ella is it!” - Bing Crosby
That band is effin HOT!!
M K My father thought Bing Crosby was great, but he thought the Beatles were terrible, so it is just the generation you are from or the type of music you like. Personally I liked Ella but Bing would put me to sleep
@@HamiltonRb I think you're looking st it from the wrong perspective. A singer xab put you to sleep but you can still recognise their impact, technique and musical interpretive wit
M K I think Nat King Cole was better.
@@MsAppassionata Millions of people would disagree with you but then it is a matter of personal taste
@@popland1977 I don't doubt he had talent but not my kind of music at all. He was so laid back & talked & sang so slow it would be like watching Mr Rogers, with a pipe & cardigan I was a teen in the 60's so more in tune with Beatles , Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who etc. Every generation has their own music they think is great, and I respect that.
In the 1950s, Marilyn Monroe pressured the glamorous Hollywood club, Mocambo, to book Ella. "I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt," Fitzgerald said later, in 1972. "She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night." He agreed, and true to her word, "Marilyn was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again."
Never heard this story before. Thanks for sharing.
Yes but yiu3ve actually missed out the essential element! It was because she was black that she couldn't get into the swisher clubs!!! So dearest MM took a really significant stand for her era. Good on her!
Over her 50 plus years. Ella has recorded over 200 albums. Ella is the absolute best. Ella Fitzgerald is quintessentially The First Lady Of Song.
I LOVE Ella! She was the greatest jazz singer ever, IMHO. She's at least 10 years or more past her prime here, but still killing it. Thank you for your terrific history of this beautiful person. Bringing her to a new generation is very important and much appreciated!
Past her prime? Nah, she was just gettin' warmed up!
@@plasticoflamingo2952 all I meant is that by then her voice didn't have the range that it did 10 or 20 years earlier. Great singer that she was, she used that to her advantage. Listen to her in her sessions with legendary guitarist Joe Pass that she recorded in her mid to late fifties. She uses her less-limber vocal chords to settle into beautiful, poignant, reflective pieces that break your heart. She was the consummate artist who aged beautifully and gracefully.
Ella Fitzgerald was THE best singer of her era (1940s - 1960s) - male or female. She was the Queen of Jazz and an all-time great singer. Her duets with Louis Armstrong are legendary. I’m so glad you did a video on this musical giant.
Nobody ever sung like Ella!!
TN Moppy Laura
There is now, it’s Angelina Jordan (14) and she went to school on Ella Fitzgerald, and she got an “A”. She won Norway’s Got Talent at 8, she auditioned at 7, and she won with 46% of the vote in the Finals out of 10 acts. Since then she has sung with some of the giants in the music industry today, Quincy Jones personally requested her to sing “Fly Me To The Moon”, a song he arranged for Frank Sinatra, at his 85th Birthday celebration at the O2 arena in London.
So yes, Ella Fitzgerald is my all time favorite singer, but Angelina Jordan embodies the essence of Ella and many other giants in jazz, and she is still just 14!
I REMEMBER THE TV COMMERCIAL IS IT LIVE OR IS IT MEMOREX? 😀😀😀
Barbara Downie the perfect pitch❤️
I totally forgot about this. Ella’s been a favorite of mine for years but I didn’t remember this from my childhood.
Thanks, Barbara. I was trying to remember what that commercial was for. I could only remember Ella shattering the wineglass.
Such a precise analysis of a singer whose voice and performance style loom large in American music. Thanks!
There are a few videos out there of Ella and Mel Torme (another fav of mine) trading vocal runs off each other. They are master classes in the art of scat singing.
Fil, I so appreciate you taking us down a very important memory lane when you cover artists that helped form various genres of music. I feel it's important not to lose sight of these trailblazers. Miss Ella's voice was an amazing instrument. Growing up in the fifties I was lucky to experience those artist from jazz to blues and country to crooners on tv.
What a songbird Ella was. Thanks for keeping this great swing music alive, Fil.
No problem!🙂
She could sing the phone book and it would still be amazing.
How about an analysis of Nat King Cole? Along with that beautifully smooth voice he was the first African American to have a tv varirty show. There are videos of his show you could use.
I looked up the definition of Cool and it said "Nat King Cole". Unforgettable.
What!! She wrote "A-Tiskut a-Taskut"! We sang that as a nursery rhyme when I was little. In fact this whole video transformed me from a full-on grown up into a little kid sitting with my brother in front of the "hi fi". Our dad had so many of her albums and we loved them, especially the lyric- rich Cole Porter song book. Thanks for filling in her life, I wish it hadn't had so much hardship. But those fires forged her greatness.
I just checked up on "A Tisket, A Tasket." It was a nursery rhyme first recorded in the late 19th century. I remember watching cartoons where it was sung. But yes, both Al Feldman(later Van Alexander)and Ella composed the song in 1938; the nursery rhyme was the basis. You just reminded me of a rap song "Pop Goes The Weasel"--only "pop goes the weasel" is repeated 3X and then ends with "pop goes the weasel 'cause the weasel goes pop." It's amazing that nursery rhymes were musical influences.
“First Lady of Song” 💖
Fil, your music analysis video of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald was absolutely brilliant. I'd agree with Virginia that your analysis was precise--especially how you explained your observations in Ella's performance video. You'd mentioned about her use of hand movements and a "visual scale" in mental imagery in order for her vocals to be accurate in pitch. I'd read that Ella had "perfect pitch;" perhaps she'd used these methods in her singing. Thanks for your great analysis of a true music legend, Fil!
She’s great. Thanks for reintroducing her to me. I realize how narrow my genres have been , then Fil comes along and teaches music classes. Thanks, so much. And her history, wow, she really had to overcome a lot of bad things. I give her lots of kudos.
You mentioned several times how well she could sing on key, she once asked Oscar Peterson if she was off key, Peterson responded that she couldn't sing off key if she tried
Without a doubt, as far as technical abilities on their respective instruments, Oscar and Ella are the best in history.
No one else is in the conversation, for me.
Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday? Great, great singers, but Ella was better.
Errol Gardner, Art Tatum? Great, great jazz pianists, but Oscar was better.
Her performance did the same to me as it did to you -- many wide grins! What a unique talent!!
Oh ELLA!!! An uber-diva in a class of her own. A total legend! She makes it look as though using her voice was just an easy Sunday afternoon stroll in the park. The key change part way through was beautifully seamless, as one would expect of such a great talent. I loved this analysis, thank you Fil!
Love the respect given to scat on this video. Mel Torme (who I discovered as a child watching Night Court) is unreal when he scats World on a String. There's actually an incredible video of Ella and Mel scatting together. It's easy to dismiss scat as gibberish, so thanks for going into detail about the degree of talent it takes to have that much control over vocal chords and key range.
Saw Ella a few years before she passed at the Kennedy Center, one of the highlights of my life. Her singing was still great. Ella is my favorite, then Billie Holliday.
Saw her three times, one time with Count Basie, a second time with her trio in Cologne in the Gürzenich hall, and a last time in the Duesseldorf Tonhalle with Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, NHO Pederson and Bobby Durham. My favorite? All concerts were amazing, but Basie and Ella, it could not get better. Freddie Green strumming his guitar behind her singing... even Oscar and Joe Pass... can't choose... Aren't we both lucky bastards to have seen her live? Cheers mate and all best, stay healthy.
I noticed the bar half a beat off too and watched her pick it right up. She’d been singing live for a lifetime by the ‘70s, so that was nothing to her. She was a real treasure. IS a treasure. I’m grateful for this video because I’ve never seen it before.
You name it, she had it!
I get chills listening to her sometimes, sometimes even tears. Such astonishing virtuosity, always in the service of glorious music. Ella and Louis is one of my favorite collaborations of all time. Just remarkable...
Always admired Ella Fitzgerald vocals range and how she handle herself with dignity during segregated times such a classes lady. Pearl Bailey was another one with talents and class. excellent analysis on Ella and the time period that she grew up in, thanks Fil.
Ella's a treasure for sure...
She's amazing... It don't mean a thing if it don't swing....her improvisation.. Jazz undertones....
Thanks professor ...
I'll keep it in mind for the project
Rock 🎸
Fil, you've probably blown the heads off a number of young subscribers who might not have known or heard about Ella. I don't know if you've ever heard the commercial Sinatra did to plug a set of Albums Ella did. It shows how much he thought of her. Mel Torme did a few tracks with her and their scatting is beyond remarkable. Thanks for sharing and analysing Ella... no-one ever came close to her, whether scatting, ballads, straight jazz or even pop. Cheers from down under, Michael
What a tune! What a singer! Thank you!
It may have been "Masterpiece Theater" in the late '50s? Ella, Benny, Dizzy, and Lionel in a quartet and Ella was just one of the instruments playing. As a young boy, I was just spellbound to see them together, playing their "instruments" together. Long ago and far back in my memory, but scat was so fantastic.
Ella was that kind of singer that could sing anything.she just came up in the era off jazz being the popular music of America.
A tisket a tisket a green and yellow basket...many times I sang that song knowing she sang it but didn't know she wrote it. So many cool sounds. I'm so fortunate to be able to hear them. Thanks, Fil
Didnt get the spelling right but it's right in my heart
Wow, master class from Ella-- and Fil!
FIL, THANKS FOR THIS GREAT VIDEO, AND YOUR COMMENTS, ELLA BORN TO SING, SHE COULD SING ANY STYLE OF MUSIC, WITH HER GRACE, THAT SHE HAD, A ONE OF OF KIND HERE, COUSIN FIGEL
Thank you for sharing this iconic jazz singer, and for such an obviously joyous walk down memory lane.
My father was a jazz pianist in the 30s, before getting married and needing to find steady work. He was the only white guy in Denver allowed to play in the otherwise all black impro sessions after a jazz concert. In the late 60s, Uly (Ulysses) Livingston, who backed Ella on guitar, lived close to us in LA and would come over and improvise with my dad at our house. I am still in awe of these two just playing for the joy of it!
I see that joy in you too Fil, thanks for that!
I like it when Ella sang with Louis Armstrong. They were magical together.
LOVE HER. Especially a little younger. Fil maybe some Billie Holiday? Love the mental imagery sharing. So fun.
Billie, Ella and Sarah the jazz greats
@@catherinelynnfraser2001 without question.
LOVED her Memorex commercials back in the day!
It's obvious Fil really loves doing this! His reactions are as enjoyable as the subject he's talking about! I really love the details we get, shows his mastery of the subject.
You're after my heart, Fil!
I love this woman!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
legend. greatest of the jazz singers of any time period. A little past her prime there. I was lucky to see her at the Newport Jazz Festival in the mid-'70s and a great memory. Looks like Joe Pass on guitar.
Thanks Fil. This is the first time I’ve actually been compelled to go back and listen to the entire video; it was great.
My favorite all time singer! So fortunate to see her in one of her last performances in the early 1990's. Thank you.
Thanks, Fil! I would like to recommend Ken Burns documentary, 'Jazz'. It gives a great background to the genre, but also tells of Ella's beginning, with wonderful old footage.
Thanks for that tip. Sounds as if it is the perfect quarantine viewing and listening.
Neal Schier hope you enjoy it!
I totally agree. ‘Jazz’
by Ken Burns is wonderful.
Yep, I grew up with Ella, too. She was all over TV and radio. I'm impressed by the way she vocally conducted an orchestra or combo. She didn't follow the music, she directed it. Incredible talent. She packed her sounds with energy and emotion, communicating without words, just human feelings. Truly beautiful.
Loved this analysis, Fil. Brings me back to my Dad's record collection in which Ella loomed large! Thanks for the explanation of hand and finger motion acompanying the singing!
Ella was amazing! You should definitely check out her live version of "How High the Moon" from Live from Berlin. It's too good!
Mack the Knife in Berlin. Was that the same concert? She forgot the words and completely improvised. Amazing!
Love Love LOVE Ella Fitzgerald!!
I like so many different artists and types of music, but Ella is possibly my all-time favorite. 💜💜💜
Finally Ella❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
She was amazing
She could do everything you wanted to hear and everything you wanted to feel. Ray Brown kept her in time. Perfect pitch every time
Thanks Fil! Ella Fitzgerald... A classic voice through the ages!! now I'm putting in my one CD of her I'm listening today! Thank you for all the history on her as well I did not know her background....✌️❤️🤘😊
Thanks Fil, wonderful analysis. I doubt there will ever be another Ella. Pure joy and light from her vocal cords. And as you watch her you can see how happy and involved she gets by looking at her eyes.
So talented, able to control the moment for maximum effect. Brilliant
She has always sounded so natural that, to me, it's always sounded like she never had to warm up; she could just open her mouth and those wonderful, natural tones just started popping out
Ella Fitzgerald " it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." For some reason it puts me in a good mood still today. My friends and I would get the lyrics stuck in our head all day ..😯👉👈😮doo wop doo wop doo wop! pow! Great Ella memories. Is it live, or is it Memorex?🍷TY Fil, a very fun and completely thorough analysis.🤘
Ahh...there's no way to NOT smile when Ella sings!!! Thank you for sharing this with us...she was remarkable, in so many ways! 🧡
It’s gotta swing! What an amazing lady with a huge personality! She flat sang that soul music! I love this so much!!!!Reminds me of my youth playing alto sax for 7 years. Terry Kath said he wished he lived in the swinging years because it was so different and almost elegant. That’s why they wore tuxedos on the New Years Eve special in 1975. Her performance is absolutely perfect. Love the horn section! Thank you Fil!! I really love this analysis. Gonna share this on Facebook, like I do to support you and music! In these times, you are a light in a semi- dark time.
Fil, can you analyze Etta James, I’d Rather Go Blind, live 1975 in Montreux? I probably spelled it wrong, but in lieu of your analysis of Ella Fitzgerald, it took me to that performance which is raw emotion. Thanks for considering my request!
ELLA ..".THE QUEEN"....👏👏👏👌👌👌♕♕♕ i....NO MORE WORDS...SUPER STAR ...🌟🌟🌟🎶♩🎵🎼 ...PERFECT VOICE🎤🎤🎤🎺🎺🎺🎺 NUMBER ONE OF JAZZ SINGER...Congratuations for this analisys and the video🌷🌷❤❤⚘⚘✔✔👊🤘
The recent Netflix bio of Ella is really excellent. In her later years she went back to her scat blues roots. But her recordings of the great American songbook throughout the 1950s are treasures. I love Ella. She was the greatest woman pop singer of the 20th century.
I'm glad I read your comment. I somehow got a recommendation off of Google for Fil doing Judy Garland, which I have not googled either. Decided to watch a few minutes, landed up watching the whole video, and came to RUclips, thinking no way he has done Ella. Proved me wrong. I love her, now I am going to watch Netflix. Thanks!
Legendary one of a kind singer! Major talent! There was only one Ella! FANTASTIC! Hats off to the incredibly tight amazing orchestra! Great analysis Fil! Thanks! 😎🎼🎵🎶🇨🇦
What a wonderful, beautiful performance by a wonderful, beautiful lady 🎤🎼 🎹🥁🎷🎺
I can remember watching her on Memorex commercials in the 70's where she would break a wineglass with her voice!
One of the best breakdowns I’ve ever seen. Kudos!
Thanks!
So informative on her life. Thank you so much, Fil! Shared on facebook.You're doing such good work.
You really have to be a musician to understand the difficulty of what she is doing and the mastery of how she masters speed, accuracy, rhythm , how can someone not only be so accurate but how can anyone think so fast
What a nice surprise to see you analyzing my favorite singer's vocal habilities, Fil. I am so happy. I do love Ellie and your comments were great, as usual. She can improvise in a very particular way, very unique. Her voice is so beautiful, it sounds like magic. I love jazz and she had the best possible influences. Her singing is so natural. But as you pointed out she invested a lot in technique and practice. She developed her skills and had a long career. She managed to sing in almost all genres and her voice remained as sweet as usual through the years. What strikes me is that it seems she makes no effort to sing. She does it so naturally that she always sounds pleasant. It's impossible not to fall in love with her.
Thank you Fil. You are awesome. I am always impressed with your deep knowledge about music. How you feel the complete/total/entire atmosphere of the musical scenery where the videos you analyse take place. You can notice the most subtle details os the performances and for that you have my most sincere aporeciation and love.
Thanks!
That was such a great analysis, and summary of her life story. Thank you so much for educating me!
Just watched your Nat King Cole review and commented about Ella Fitzgerald being a singer you might review. I looked back at some of your past ones and found this one. So glad to hear some history of her life and timeless music.
Didn't know Ella performed Mack the Knife..Loved Bobby Darin's version..thanks Fil
Fine job Fil it looks like you have a appreciation for all kinds of music and it also refreshing to see a younger artist like yourself giving the greats their dues.
Love this!! Yes!! Would definitely love to see the analysis of Airmail Special! 🙌🏼
I just love Ella. She sang so effortlessly
Dusko Goikovic, Ack van Royen, Art Farmer, Herb Geller, Jiggs Whigham, Ella, Joe Pass...what a Set of Jazz Stars. Thats the NDR Radio Big Band, the 1974 Studio Session in Hamburg/Germany. The Video Description says Ronny Scotts in London. Thats obviously wrong.
Nice to see how young musicians, respect the old Cats. Great.
I appreciate you knowing Ella history too. My first time viewing you video. I love it!
Fabulous singer. I was fortunate seeing her “front” the Duke Ellington orchestra.
“Ev’ry time we say goodbye”
The line “change major to minor” shows what an amazing voice she had.
Thanks for that and that you are willing to look at all genres and ages.
It's a pleasure to hear artists like Ella Fitzgerald sing naturally her vocal range would be hard to Auto-Tune and would sound flat meaning without the feeling she add into her performance. keep up the excellent work Fil.
Ella was very special, her voice was so beautiful, one of a kind. If you're not familiar with a lot of Ella I highly recommend the Song Books. The Song Books are considered a cornerstone of 20th century recorded popular music, and as a whole, represent some of the finest interpretations of the greater part of the musical canon known as the Great American Songbook.
All of these are essential imo: Ella Sings the Cole Porter Song Book, Rodgers & Hart Song Book, Duke Ellington Song Book, Irving Berlin Song Book, George & Ira Gershwin Song Book, Harold Arlen Song Book, Jerome Kern Song Book & the Johnny Mercer Song Book. The Verve Master Edition Cds sound great!
Ella's duets with Louis Armstrong are great too. Love to see you break down some more songs by her, like Begin the Beguine, I Love Paris, Anything Goes, Too Darn Hot... so many great songs to choose from.
AND, for a real treat, search Ella Mack the Knife Berlin on RUclips. In 1960 she forgot the words in front of a live audience and totally improved and scatted her way through it. She was on top of her game vocally and was just having a great time. Unbelievable!
Thanks for the tip, that was great! I've done the same thing singing karaoke, but I doubt that I had that much style or class, ha ha.
Yes, that performance of Mack the Knife is legendary!
Classic!!!!!!! A must listen- she and Louis Armstrong sang and recorded the entire score of Porgy and Bess with a spectacular big band backing them. Thankyou for this analysis, Fil!
Her voice is amazing. What a concert that would be. She seems Like a real hoot . Oh my , she’s something special!❤️❤️❤️LOL . Ahhh what a precious soul!
Cool. I was hoping you covered Ella. Thank you. Just came from Patsy. A suggestion for another show would be the vocal evolution of Ella's voice. Fascinating. From Chick Webb (I think I've heard earlier) right up through the "Great American Songbooks" to the time you just covered, here, it's mesmerizing to hear the maturing and mastering of her voice.
What a great analysis. The video was fun, and Ella was great, as always. I've learned more listening to you than I did in school. You're an awesome teacher.
Thanks!
Love Ella! Thank you for being so open to sheer talent across so many genres.and how respectful and thorough you are in your analyses and research. Have learned a lot from you, Fil. Keep up the good work.
Would love to see you do the True History of the Travelling Wilburys. Fascinating to watch and hear. Pretty rough but wow!
They're here somewhere ☺
@@wingsofpegasus Fil, do you happen to have an index? You are creating quite the archive!
Ella rips it up here for sure! Such a sublime talent. I truly hope you will reach back to Sarah Vaughan, Billy Holiday and Dinah Washington just to start off a jump into jazz singers. Hearing you take this on is so satisfying and, to me, a laudable turn. Kudos Fil, and such a great detailed exploration into a great performer over all the twists and turns of her career. I grew up on 60's and 70's rock, but grew to eventually appreciate the raw talent of the popular singers that had come before. Great job!!!
Very interesting commentary on Ella. There is another superb live version of this with Duke Ellington on the Ed Sullivan show. As you'd expect in Jazz, there are differences in what Ella does with it, and the accompaniment is just Ellington on piano and band. Her version of Cry Me a River is another masterpiece which shows her improvising ability without losing the meaning and feeling of the song.
My favorite singer of the 40s, 50s, and early 60s.Thank you for mentioning Chick Webb. My parents played her albums a lot. Then, in the sixties, she was singing in New York. My mom took me. I was frozen in my seat. By the time she got to "Angel Eyes", I was quietly crying. From the sheer beauty of her voice and my absolute joy. ruclips.net/video/VBz1rXoSP9o/видео.html
Ella the Queen of scat...... excellent video Fil, so nice to see a legend in action 🎙& there we have it 😆🤘
Do-wah,Do-wah,Do-wah - Do-wah✌😎
Unreal talent! She hears the music…like a band member.
I remember the Ella Fitzgerald Memorex commercials back in the 70s.
So much power in her performance
Fil...Im spreading the word about your site to many people around the world...young people are following you now and appreciate everything you do ... Keep up the good work and stay safe...Hopefully one day you will review a dionne warwick song. Cheers!
Thanks!
Fil, mate you rock. This is cool. I have some CD's of Ella and Joe Pass. You explain this really well. Stay cool, and well, 'cheers. 👍
Hi Fil! My local BBQ Jazzy Johns was forced to shut down like so many others. He actually worked with her, and Miles Davis. I wish you could meet him. These trombone players know how to "bend" notes.
Love your channel. It was recorded in a German TV studio in Koeln 1974. The big band is the Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass, which accompanied over the years musicians like Benny Goodman and Sammy Davis.
Now that I am older I have grown to appreciate more genres of music and I enjoyed this. I don't know the proper word for it but my biggest "complaint" is when a singer "extends" notes too far and "wobble " their voice. Although Whitney Houston had a great voice she is one example. As I said it is hard to describe in print. THANK YOU Fil for your vast appreciation and knowledge of music!
👍
Good analysis. She was definitely in tune with instruments. Who doesn't remember the nursery rhyme "A Tisket-A-Tasket" . Stay well & healthy & get some rest. Have a good day Fil. ❤😚
Back in early 80's, I remember learning scales in elementary school by using the hand in front of us. On moving up a notch in the air as we sang each note. Do, Ra, Mi and so on. I was talking to someone about it a few years ago and they didn't know what I was talking about with my hands. I had thought every one did this in beginning chorus/music classes.
Hey Fil. Colin Bailey passed away here in the Ventura area. He worked with an impressive list of artists. Thought you need to know.