Late 1936. Benny's band was just on the verge of blowing the swing scene wide open. Helen Ward was in the middle of a divorce (so they say), and 18 yr. old Ella got the call. One helluva call, right? A true swing classic.
I've always preferred this BG take on this cute tune to Chick's, although it's good, too. It's funny that no one thought to consider Ella's contractual obligations to Decca when this Victor session was arranged! I guess all Benny was thinking about was working with an artist he admired.
I could see there being some confusion. I mean, at the time, Decca had **Chick Webb** under contract and not Ella specifically because, as a singer with the band, she was, for all intents and purposes, a "sideman" of the band and there's usually no restrictions on sidemen taking jobs, even under their own names, on sessions other than the label whose band you record for. Heck - Victor even took the extra step of not specifically crediting Ella on the record labels. But Decca had to be a stick-in-the-mud about it and raise a stink. And yet, Decca did no such thing when Benny had all of Walter Page, Freddie Green and Lester Young from Basie's band (still under contract to Decca for another year at the time) sit in on BG's March 9, 1938 session for Victor - even listed every one of the 3 bright and clear on the Victor "Swing Classic" labels on the original 78's at the time. Oh well - at least the RCA VIctor vaults can still lay claim to the fact that **they've** still got master recordings of Ella in there.....
Yes, it kind of surprised me at first to learn that Ella was considered to be under contract to Decca, too. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that when she became a star in the band, a significant portion of the orchestra's sides were released under her -- and not Chick's -- name? ... Good point, though, about Benny's 3/9/38 session with the Basie guys. Decca, under Jack Kapp, was pretty backward, despite its excellent roster.
@Trombonology Ever since I saw the label leaving the vocalist as anonymous, I have suspected that Benny, Ella, and the A&R department all knew that they were risking legal action from Decca. Thank goodness the people in the studio understood the value of taking that risk.
@@christophercanzoneri2962Yes, I suppose they had to have been just hoping they could pull this off without getting into trouble. We're very fortunate that they took the chance -- a marvelous session in which BG and Ella are clearly simpatico!
Late 1936. Benny's band was just on the verge of blowing the swing scene wide open. Helen Ward was in the middle of a divorce (so they say), and 18 yr. old Ella got the call. One helluva call, right? A true swing classic.
Nice! Great sound Mark!
I've always preferred this BG take on this cute tune to Chick's, although it's good, too. It's funny that no one thought to consider Ella's contractual obligations to Decca when this Victor session was arranged! I guess all Benny was thinking about was working with an artist he admired.
I could see there being some confusion. I mean, at the time, Decca had **Chick Webb** under contract and not Ella specifically because, as a singer with the band, she was, for all intents and purposes, a "sideman" of the band and there's usually no restrictions on sidemen taking jobs, even under their own names, on sessions other than the label whose band you record for. Heck - Victor even took the extra step of not specifically crediting Ella on the record labels.
But Decca had to be a stick-in-the-mud about it and raise a stink. And yet, Decca did no such thing when Benny had all of Walter Page, Freddie Green and Lester Young from Basie's band (still under contract to Decca for another year at the time) sit in on BG's March 9, 1938 session for Victor - even listed every one of the 3 bright and clear on the Victor "Swing Classic" labels on the original 78's at the time.
Oh well - at least the RCA VIctor vaults can still lay claim to the fact that **they've** still got master recordings of Ella in there.....
Yes, it kind of surprised me at first to learn that Ella was considered to be under contract to Decca, too. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that when she became a star in the band, a significant portion of the orchestra's sides were released under her -- and not Chick's -- name? ... Good point, though, about Benny's 3/9/38 session with the Basie guys. Decca, under Jack Kapp, was pretty backward, despite its excellent roster.
@Trombonology Ever since I saw the label leaving the vocalist as anonymous, I have suspected that Benny, Ella, and the A&R department all knew that they were risking legal action from Decca. Thank goodness the people in the studio understood the value of taking that risk.
@@christophercanzoneri2962Yes, I suppose they had to have been just hoping they could pull this off without getting into trouble. We're very fortunate that they took the chance -- a marvelous session in which BG and Ella are clearly simpatico!
@Trombonology Yes. When Benny said, "She forgot to tell me..." there must have been a wink and a nod.
I knew I'll like before listening :)!!
Love them both
Ella Fitzgerald is merely mentioned as "vocal refrain"!