Search - Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong :: Our Love Is Here To Stay: Ella & Louis Sing Gershwin

No One Sings Gershwin Better

Ren | Knoxville, TN United States | 06/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was quite delighted to find this album because I am a big fan of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's work together (Great interpretation of Porgy and Bess songs, and both Ella and Louis albums). I especially love when the two sing Gershwin songs, and this album is a great representative of all the classic Gershwin songs they do together. It holds a great mix of both orchestral jazz and combo jazz (with Oscar Peterson on piano). I love pretty much every song on this collection, but I think their performance of "Summertime" is scintillating. Other standouts include the cheerful "They All Laughed" and "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", the dreamy "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and "He Loves and She Loves", and the irresistibly catchy "Woman Is a Sometime Thing". All fans of Ella and Louis should check this out; you won't be disappointed. Plus it gives you a taste of other classic albums from the two legendary jazz singers who were made to work with each other."

I love this CD =)

L. Drummond | 07/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I haven't had much exposure to jazz music, and I didn't actually discover this CD until I was sifting through the music collection while I was helping my friends house-sit. I put it in the CD player and many of us were instantly hooked. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald are magnificent. There couldn't be a better jazz combination. This CD just makes me want more."

A Fabulous Compendium

Thomas D. Ryan | New York | 06/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Ella and Louis were born in the `70s or `80s. Does anybody think that either of them would have stood a snowball's chance in Hell of being recognized for their immense talents? We live in a television age, a video-friendly age, an age that puts physical appearance before talent; that puts followers ahead of leaders. With her comparably plain looks, would anybody glance twice at Ella, or listen enough to realize her gift? Would Louis' ebullience be enough to propel him into the limelight, or would he be forced to succumb to producers and commercial sponsors? It's a sorry comment on today's music marketplace to consider that two of the most talented musicians of this century might not have even got their due if they were born too late, but we must be grateful that they came along when they did. We also must be willing to go back and listen as often as we can, so that we don't lose track of musicianship as grand and wonderful as theirs was.

Ella and Louis Sing Gershwin is a collection that is cobbled together from various other releases, including Porgy and Bess, Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson, and of course, the duo's two sublime, rapturous duet albums and Ella's Gershwin songbook. Each of these albums is a work of art in and of itself, so any compilation of their fruits simply cannot be anything but brilliant. I will admit that I bought this because I believed it to contain unique material, so I was initially disappointed to discover that it recycled material from familiar sources, but when the music is this good, how can I complain? "They Can't Take That Away From Me" is the definitive version of the tune, as is "Love Is Here to Stay," and "S'Wonderful." From the intimacy of a four-piece combo to full-blown orchestral arrangements, the collection runs a wide dynamic range. Nelson Riddle's touch is particularly apparent on "S'Wonderful," with an arrangement that suggests the dynamic majesty of his work on Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin." You don't have to pay homage when you listen, but it is hard not to be awed, especially from today's perspective. We surely do not have a modern-day equivalent of Louis and Ella, so I suggest that you make the best of the situation and enjoy this collection for the wonder that it is. A+ Tom Ryan"