The Gershwin Songbook

This is some kind of protest vote, and for a few reasons. 1) By all means, slap a 5/5 on your review, but know this: I see you. I know it sounds high-brow and classical and you feel helpless in its presence. "Aw gee, I mean... shit... it's so prestigious." I get it. But I also see you. Grow a spine. 2) Where are the other compilations in this book? Why have I got to listen to Little Richard and James Brown and Buddy Holly studio albums, and pretend they're representative of the best those acts could produce, when I could be listening to far superior comps? I don't accept this as the exception. 3) It's over three hours. That's only allowable for 'Star Time'.

0:00:30 (01) Wow this is Tom and Jerry-ish 0:01:30 (01) This is surprisingly listenable for me. Not a fan of jazz but I have a big hope that I'll enjoy this one. 0:07:23 (02) That was pretty good. Only 72 songs left... 0:10:40 (02) *yawns* 0:12:20 (02) Since the 4th disc is just a bunch of alternate takes, I will skip that. Only 57 tracks then, let's hope that we will reach track 57. 0:14:20 (03) Wow vocals! Love that voice, that type of singing always take me to the '50s despite the fact that I wasn't even born during those times. 0:22:53 (05) I wonder why this literal compilation album is chosen for the list. Not that it's bad, it's just H U G E. It has an expected fair share of "eh" tracks, like this one. 0:26:32 (06) Lmao the '50s have at least a couple of weird pop songs too. 0:30:51 (07) That voice does better in the ballads. The pop-ish songs are not my jam. 0:33:18 (08) Just kidding. This one is ballad is it's boring. 0:36:05 (09) I'm considering giving up rn. But let's hold on for a bit. 0:37:35 (09) My favorite Beatles album, "Revolver" is considered one of the best and most influential albums of all time. And it's only 35 minutes long. I mean, I'm just thinking that if this is a rock album, then today's listen is finished now. 0:41:45 (10) I mean hiphop albums are usually 70-ish minutes. And that's why they're usually challenging as a listen for me. Oh wait, I'm still listening to an album right now? Lmao I almost forgot. 0:44:21 (11) It's incredible to think that I'm barely 25% into the album as of now. 0:45:11 (11) Love this track and its instrumental break though. 0:52:15 (13) Wonderful track indeed. Woke me up at the moment. 0:57:47 (14) *yaaaaaawwwnnn* "The Wall" is another album that I love. It's 81 plus minutes long. At this time, Pink is probably going Nazi already. 1:00:00 (15) Achievement unlocked: BOOMER MUSIC OVERDOSE (Listen to non-stop '50s pop-jazz music for an hour) 1:04:06 (16) Should I take a break after disc 1 or is it cheating? 1:09:22 (18) Wow, ragtime aint it? Pretty neat way to end a disc. 1:13:36 (19) Yes, "who cares" indeed. Who cares if this is their "very best" or "most influential". Who cares if I didn't finish this album and rated it anyway? 1:26:28 (23) I figuuuuuured ouuuuuutt thaat lissteniiiing to someoneeeee singiiiiiiiing liiiike thiiiiiisssss maakess me sleeeeepppyy.... 1:37:14 (26) This one's pretty good. 1:42:25 (28) Is this really an album one should listen to before they die? I mean three hours of old music is a unique experience. But is it worth it? Does it provide a whole new way to experience music? Is it a good experience? 1:44:20 (29) The 21st Century Fox theme plays and I thought, maybe Is should put an end on this self imposed torture. So now I will raise the white flag and end this madness... 1:46:22 (29) [Game over]; Mission: Listen to it from cover to cover [Failed]; Mission: At least listen to the first three discs [Failed]; Mission: Appreciate the music despite the ridiculous length of this album [Failed]; Mission: At least appreciate Ella Fitzgerald's beautiful voice [Accomplished].

With all due respect to the legendary Ella Fitzgerald, I don’t have the time or patience to listen to a three and a half hour box set of Gershwin songs. I’m not gonna sit here and say, “oh my god, this is so amazing. What a landmark record”, just because Ella Fitzgerald is a legend. I hated this record. This type of music bores the ever-loving shit out of me. The truth is, I’ve got about 40 minutes of tolerance for most music that was recorded before 1965. I know, I’m a horrible close minded human being; the poster boy for everything that’s wrong with modern society. I see the value in it, I can appreciate Fitzgerald’s talent…she has an absolutely beautiful voice and the arrangements are wonderful. In short bursts, it’s kind of enjoyable to me. After about 10 songs, though, it becomes torturous. Is it a bad record because of that? No, certainly not. I’m not anywhere near that narcissistic. This just isn’t for me. I wish I could like music like this, I wish I could see what other people see in it. I wish I could put this on, have a cup of coffee and do the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle without my skeleton attempting to separate from my flesh. I did learn one thing listening to this record, though. The “po-tay-to / po-tah-to” song was written by Gershwin…Saving that in the old memory bank for trivia night. Because I made no attempt to finish this collection, I’m defaulting to site consensus on this. The site ranks it a 3.62, so I’ll give it a 3.

It's nice. I mean, it's great. It's Ella Fitzgerald. It's lovely. It's proficient, adept, and sets the mood. It's fantastic background music. Maybe that's the point, you take your mistress to a lounge, eat some steak, and grab her thigh while the music tries to be as unobtrusive as possible. Not sure what to rate it.

Get's a bit fuckin tiresome this pretty quickly doesn't it?

There's just something transcendental about Ella Fitzgerald and her voice. It's music that captures a place, a feeling, an entirely different time period. So beautiful.

I was unsure about how good three hours of music by one composer and for one voice could be. Add to that my appreciation for this era of music but general distrust of magical language about artistic periods. Well, I was utterly wrong. There's something special here, some kind of everyday magic. And now I have a standard for comparing vocals to bells.

Man, how do you begin to appraise this. It's 3 hours long, for starters. It also represents multiple huge bodies of work (i.e. Ella Fitzgerald's, but the Gershwin bros' too). I've got the 1990 Verve edition, which crams it onto 3 CDs... but even then, this is not a regular triple-album. It's a monolith. Maybe I'm an idiot, because I always vaguely thought this was an anthology collecting some previous Gershwin records by Fitzgerald. But in this case, the collection is the original. It was a 5 LP boxset release. The deluxe version originally cost $100, which is something like $900 in today's money. I'm now even more impressed, at the ambition of the project, and the fact that there was no compromise on quality at this scale. When you consider that Fitzgerald had multiple other albums released in 1959 and 1960, the whole thing is fucking insane. Unlike some of those other albums, I don't think the idea here was "here is Ella's rendition of some famous songs", but rather "here are the definitive versions of a modern canon". And it achieves that aim completely. Anyhow, the songs are gorgeous, and they suit Fitzgerald's voice amazingly. This is Ella at her best, showcasing the Gershwins in their best light. To me, the quality of the music is beyond reproach. On the other hand, there's no getting away from the fact that it's not an album in the contemporary sense, and it makes for a weird listening experience. It would be more enjoyable to just listen to the 15 best tracks, but that's not really the point, since this is deliberately a monolithic document. Do you listen to individual tracks, or sit through 3 hours straight? Or do you recreate the original 5 LPs, and do one at a time? It doesn't ultimately matter, because it's perfection however you play it. So, not really an album... but rated as an album? 5/5. And as a seminal document of American music, and an essential touchstone of twentieth-century culture? 5/5. It's kinda stupid to say a celebrated recording is underrated - but this is underrated... in that it's one of the most important set of recordings ever made, and the discussion it receives in most quarters isn't equal to its sheer skill, beauty, scale, ambition, and contribution to culture.

Ella’s voice is timeless, and this was just a warmly voiced album to have on during winter.

This was a lovely album to listen to on a Monday morning... But then I ran out of morning.

Ella Fitzgerald is simply the best. I didn't listen to the full 3-hour version, but the Best Of album gave me the highlights. I'm going to imagine myself in a classic film with this playing in the background now.

NOTE: You can listen to the Very Best of the Gershwin Songbook which is only 45 minutes! I do wish there were more 'very best of' albums on here, but I see why that's difficult for some artists v others. With that said, Ella is really a timeless voice, with such a sense of melody, rhythm, and jazz (her scat singing is really something else). Not much else to say asides from this being well deserving of a spot on this list.

Ella's voice is enchanting, and the songs compliment her voice beautifully. This album felt like a comfy dream that I didn't want to wake up from. Will definitely be listening to this album again.

Ella is great, and I love the big band and crooner oldies, but this Gershwin covers album didn't do much for me. Tried 3x. Pretty boring record.

Absolutely beautiful in every way. Immediately blended into the background. Floated around the room and harmonized with the hum of a small in-wall heater, struggling against the cold morning air. C

Led by Ella's beautiful voice, exquisite musicianship and enduring lyrics partner to create a captivating one-of-a-kind experience!

One of the greatest voices of the 20th century singing songs by one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. There's really nothing to dislike here. Not a damn thing.

Billie Holiday is a little too glissando for me, generally, but Ella… Ella… Ms. Fitzgerald always gets it right for me. Stunning. 5 stars every single day and twice on Sundays. Thank you ma’am. Soulful and warm, or playful and coquettish, Ella nails it. Not to mention a natural gift for rhythm and scat-singing (she basically invented it. That’s reductive perhaps, but it may as well be true)

One of the greatest 20th century vocalists, performing the best songs by one of the greatest songwriting teams of the 20th century arranged by one of the greatest bandleaders of the 20th century. Too long? I wish it was four hours long. Hell, bring on the whole Great American Songbook collection.

Coming straight after a 2 hour album that I could not finish (that country one) comes this 3 hour long gem. Sadly I could not find the time to listen to it in one sit so I had to do it across three days but damn this is listenable, how great and full of amazing moments this is. At many points I found myself thinking "damn I need this on vinyl". It's all about the production, it’s all about the treatment and respect for the performer, Ella is outstanding and the producers let her flourish. Remember that Tina Turner record that with the hideous production? Well, they could have use listening to this to learn how to extol the performer. No need to say I really loved this one.

Ella’s voice is absolutely dessert for the ears, the arrangements are top notch, and you can’t hate on classics from the American Songbook. I had an internal struggle with my desire to rate this a 5. Usually I like albums that are one complete experience; something meant as a one-sitting treat. But this is like a full gallon of premium ice cream. Should I fault it for being larger than it’s pint-sized cousins simply because it won’t fit into one bowl? For this album, I don’t think so. “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is still a trash song though and I stand by that lol.

Benjamin

Well I’m a huge fan of Ella now. Solid album from top to bottom.

Exactly the kind of album I would not have listened to for much of my life and is the benefit of this exercise. Big band / jazz singing was something I really didn't appreciate (like) growing up so this is a relatively new genre for me... ...but who hasn't heard of Ella Fitzgerald? I think the thing I appreciate most right way is how good this sounds - 1959?? Getting a full orchestra sounding this good and clear while blending with Ella's perfect voice had to be a crazy challenge. I'm usually more turned off than on by singing but her voice is truly perfect - there's a clarity and casual vibe to the way she sang that could probably never be taught - how do you learn to lay back on the beat like this and yet nail it so perfectly? It would be an insult to call her singing effortless but therein lies the genius talent I suppose, that she sounds like she could have been told "Ella! quick, sing this song" and she would have cut it on a first take then been on her way. And perhaps that casual-yet-perfect delivery is the reason that millions of people thought/think they could sing like her. (where's my mother-in-law...? ha) Now... the entire album is 3 hours long. Hello. Wayy too much. Then again, where am I gonna go - I'm listening on work time and this is actually perfect working music. I'm not focused on lyrics so it's more the entire sound that washes over me in a much more enjoyable way than I'd have thought... as a negative, on the rare occasion that I do end up hearing the lyrics they're a bit...goofy? I don't like it much at all - but it's the era, I get that, so I'll not knock Gershwin - just grading on Ella and the band here. Not really a genre I love but this is one of the most famous and celebrated singers in American history; for those like me it's a necessary education/addition to the list and has been an excellent listen. I feel like I'm giving this a bit of a legacy rating - even though I'm unlikely to listen to the album again, I enjoyed it more than I expected (again not grading the lyrics so much which for me are best-ignored) and to get by the mammoth running time of this I could see making a (much) shorter "best of" this best of for a personal compilation. 7/10 4 stars

Another example of something I acknowledge is great and performed well, but is simply not my style. I can appreciate the talent here, though. Her voice is wonderful and the songs are pleasant.

There's technically nothing wrong with this album, but it didn't interest me at all. It's good background noise for movies and bars/restaurants, or even for classy house parties, but not enough to desire a listen by itself. I will give it props for making smooth music and Fitzgerald's vocals was pleasant.

I could listen to her any time anyplace and all day.

an absolutely breathtaking album that is perfect for the workday. Just so beautiful and fun

I mean, how much do I need to write? It’s Ella. It’s the Gershwin songbook. What more could you ask for out of a vocal jazz album? This was wonderful. And especially refreshing after listening to John Zorn yesterday. She truly is one of the greats. It’s so easy to just feel immersed in her work. The emotion conveyed through her voice, the control she has over it. It’s wonderful and impressive. Just a lovely time. Really cannot recommend it enough. Five stars. Standout tracks: I Got Rhythm, The Man I Love, Love is Here to Stay, A Foggy Day, Someone to Watch Over Me, Fascinating Rhythm, They Can’t Take That Away From Me Side note: in reading other reviews before posting mine, I see that there’s a version of this that is 3+ hours. Yeah, will not be seeking that out, thanks. The link led me to “The Very Best of,” that’s the album cover on the website, so that’s what I listened to.

I’m biased, I love playing Gershwin on piano and having Ella Fitzgerald sing to all of these songs I already knew makes the music even better

I'm of the firm belief that Ella Fitzgerald has one of the most perfect voices in the history of popular music. It's round, luscious, vibrant, and above all else, warm and welcoming. Her melodic patterns are instantly recognizable and easy to fall into and trace along with. The moments on this album where the backing Big Band breaks through these mixes to lightly contrast Fitzgerald's vocals (like on the song 'I Can't Be Bothered Now') are undeniably visceral. There's subtle variety in the instrumentation here; primarily in the many ways they're used to complement the lead vocals. The Gershwin brothers are notably talented songwriters, with a majority of these songs being charmingly witty and quaint takes on the ideas of hopeless, driven, or contemplative love. There are some truly great moments on this album, like the rhumba and flute-driven musical interlude in the aptly named 'Just Another Rhumba' that eventually transforms into this wall of horns. Or the serene strings driving the slower 'Embraceable You' and a lot of the other slower songs here. I also love the scat singing (something I admittedly wish Ella did more of on this album) on 'I Got Rhythm' which is maybe my favorite song here. The final classical-influenced instrumental disc here elegantly closes this odyssean album. When I listen to these super old albums, they either sound irritatingly antiquated or they successfully take me back to their time. This album undeniably facilitates the latter effect; one that is only amplified by the clean mix that gives each element of this album adequate space to flourish. Considering its length, it's a feat that this much good music exists here (not even considering Fitzgerald covers the entire American Songbook throughout the rest of this saga). It just seem like there's an endless stream of ideas and talent on display on this consistent monster of a vocal jazz record. It's hard to tackle specific songs here but within this giant tracklist, my favorites are 'Let's Call The Whole Thing Off', ‘By Strauss, ‘The Real American Folk Song’, 'Boy Wanted', ‘Of Thee I Sing’, 'Slap That Bass', 'Embraceable You', 'Oh So Nice', and 'I Got Rhythm'.

Butter.

No words to describe this voice

The songs on this album are great for lounge/ background music. It transports one to a place of stillness and calm. Its like a warm blanket on a cold day

This music makes me feel like im about to tell the woman I love to get on a plane to help fight the nazis. The version in the book though is a 3 hour long boxset As much as I enjoyed this, 3 hours is way too much, so my rating is for whats linked to spotify rather than whats in the book

Oh, so The Beatles in Mono box set is also an album? Whatever, Bob.

Ok. So yes, Ella Fitzgerald was amazing. This album has an amazing cover. 3+ hours of anyone singing Gershwin songs is decidedly less amazing. And also - it's cheating to have this album on the list anyway. Might as well include any number of 'best ofs' if we allow this one. And is this the longest album on the list? I decided when I started this project that I would listen to all the albums all the way through and at least give every song a chance before skipping them as a last resort. I never thought that the album that would try my patience the most (so far...) would be Ella Fitzgerald. It's not that I don't like it, it's just too long. And this kind of vocal jazz is just not that interesting to me. I think that unless Ella Fitzgerald is like your top favorite of all time, most people will probably be bored of this after the first 10 songs max. So I don't really know how to rate this one and am going to just give up and call it 2.5/5.

Made it! Yay for Ella. Nay for 3 hour albums.

I enjoyed the more upbeat ones of this album, found some of the slow ones a little dull but perhaps you have to be in the mood for this. I listened to this first thing on my birthday having just had my train cancelled and having to get a bus instead. I appreciated what this is though and enjoyed the strings

Disney music. Very good and very well done but my brain can really only hear it as disney music

Buenísimo. Parece que el link con YouTube music envía a un álbum extendido, tenía 59 canciones...demasiado.

Very pleasant, swingin' old timey dinner party music. Reminds me of my grandma, in a nice way. I like and know several of these songs from my own choir days. But this doesn't need to be 3 hours long, pretty repetitive after a while. I probably only made it about halfway through. Ella is a wonderful singer and I'd be happy to listen to her music, but since I'm rating the album, unfortunately I'm knocking this down to a 2.4/5

Would have been 3-4 if it would have ended after about an 1/3 of the time...

Nr. 121/1001 I Got Rhythmus 4/5 Oh Lady Be Good 3/5 Nice Work If You Can Get It 4/5 The Man I Love 3/5 Love Is Here To Stay 3/5 But Not For Me 3/5 A Foggy Day 4/5 Someone To Watch Over Me 2/5 Fascinating Rhythm 3/5 Embraceable You 3/5 They Can't Take That Away From Me 3/5 'S Wonderful 3/5 Average: 2,17 I accidently listened to the "Very Best" Album by accident, which is only 30 minutes long. Only afterwards did I discover that the actual album is over 3 hours long. Since I already felt some diversity lacking, I'm going to deduct a point since I didn't listen to the whole album.

Music can be enjoyed socially or alone. Although music not in season will struggle greatly to be enjoyed socially. I could see this going hard at a ball but in this day and age it’s just unlikely. Certainly won’t be enjoyed alone either until it’s in a post nuclear wasteland wether virtually or in reality. Also song names aren’t very creative.

I only listened to the "Very Best Of The Gershwin Songbook", because that's where this site links and because I'd rather eat a full family-sized bag of unseasoned dicks than listen to jazz for 3 hours. (Note: If you want the full version, search for "Ella Fitgerald Sings The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book" on Spotify) Alright, first of all, why is a box set on this list? This is essentially just a compilation and those are supposed to be excluded, right? I'm very glad I decided to listen to the abridged version, because even the "best hits" started getting old 5 songs in. Listening to 59(!!!) variations of "woman crooning about how she's sad while Tom & Jerry background music is playing" would have been my Tantalus punishment.

The Greschwin's music is incredibly iconic to a whole generation of people but unfortunately 1920's and 30's music like this hasn't aged particularly well. Everything from the sentiment to the references to the music itself just screams old fashioned and outdated. Which is a shame because there is obviously a lot of skill that went into writing these songs and Ella Fitzgerald does a find job performing these. But I just cant get into them. I'm chalking this one down as a "not for me".

The first song was pretty good, but it got worse. It is definitely not bad, in fact the singing is very beautiful, but it's just not my cup of tea. Truthfully, it feels outdated.

Absolut nicht mein Genre. Als Nächstes kommen dann Bach, Beethoven und Tschaikowski. Oder Hörbücher?

I made it to track four, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off", and I happily obliged. 👎👎

Im not sure if you have to be a fan of Ella Fitzgerald or George Gershwin, I’m guessing it’s the latter. I now know that I am not.

lovely voice, paired with Gershwin is a treat

A whole lotta Ella. The music was great, but for me to properly appreciate 62 cuts in two days was a bit much. Fantastic musicianship all around though.

I balked a bit when I saw it was a 6 CD box set, but the time flew by. This was great

Three hours of music is a lot for one day, but I do love Ella. I can say I listened through the entirety of this songbook - how active I was listening is another story. It was a great collection to be on in the background while I worked.

The musical accompaniment is just a bonus behind a star like this.

10/10

Einfach schön.

Album art: 2

Gorgeous, timeless classics. I enjoyed listening through during my work day and could see myself spinning this during a dinner party but not something I would listen to except on such occasions

Straight banger, the queen

Adored!

Beautiful. Just beautiful. If you really need to rock it out, fine, skip it. But just luxuriate in Ella's voice. In times like these, take the joy and the sex and the longing. You'll be glad you did.

Excellent. Going to buy this.

I often ask myself what the intention of this list is. It is certainly not to be a list of 1001 albums you should hear before you die. There are simply too many mediocre pop and rock albums on the list. And too many other albums out there which you really should listen to. But then suddenly you have this album on the list. And ok, this is really one of the albums one should have listened to "before you die". And because of the albums like this one, I will be carrying on going through this list.

love it

Just beautiful

Classic Jazz. Amazing vocal control. Big recommendation. Fantastic.

20/12/24 This was an absolute slog fest. I listen to an album a day and fortunately I had the time to do it here otherwise I would have been annoyed if this ruined my streak. It's a good, well made album.

Classic arrangements. Flawless vocals (obviously). It took me back to riding in the car with my grandparents. Though it's not really my thing, I'm giving it a 5 because, as an artform, it's on point. Plus, several of these tracks were featured on the Golden Girls, so that's pretty much an automatic win.

Muy bueno

Fitzgerald is arguably the best in her genre, this album just exemplifies it

Ma nema se ovdje šta puno reći. Njen glas je legendaran, orkestar koji ju prati svira savršeno, Gershwin je legenda sam po sebi. Još mi dosta prija jazz ili ovaj orkestralni big band zvuk u zadnje vrijeme. Čista desetka

Perfection!

Stunning and perfect for a Sunday.

Listened to all 6 discs(not in one sitting) and I still dig it. Not sure how many other albums/musicians where I could do the same thing without getting sick of it.

Hammer Stimme, Hammer Musik, nothing more to say.

Bliss.

This album was the perfect choice on this foggy November day, it put me in the right mood for the coming Christmas time soon. Perfectly written, produced, sang and performed songs, and this saying while I am not particularly into American jazz music. Ella Fitzgerald was amazing and this was such a great listen. I usually don't rate compilation albums high but this is an exception. I could listen to this for three more hours!

Wow. Now this is music. She's like the female version of Nat King Cole. Smooth jazz. Cozy 50s vibes. Big mood. I could listen to this all day. Thankfully, it's over 3 hours long, so I can do exactly that.

5 stars, pre-listen. No notes.5 stars, pre-listen. No notes. I spent the last two days listening to this and it's good to listen to people who are at the tip top of their art form, ya know? The next album better be strong or it's going to suffer for coming second.

It's almost criminal that this app allows you to give The Gershwin Songbook anything less than four stars.

What a timeless voice!

Gold.

It's amazing!

clocking in at over three hours, obviously this is more of an encyclopedic document of songs and performances than an actually intended Album Listening Experience. i did still listen to the whole thing in one sitting! and not even out of obligation necessarily...when i saw it was divided into discs, i was like "okay after each disc ill give myself the chance to stop", but i ended up not rly feeling the obvious need for a break at any point. definitely bad for its intended function As an encyclopedic document, as the sheer volume of songs and performances is just too much information to properly parse in a row, but i super enjoyed myself. if ur going to listen to anyone sing for this long, i think its gotta be ella fitzgerald...she's just this steady ray of light thats constantly inviting to Have In Ur Ears (esp cuz she still retains a fun and involving swing), and her diction is so clear and readable and comfortable that u never have to struggle to see the artistry of both her and whatever song she's singing. all the choices she makes are firmly in favor of The Song, a very humble approach that still leaves it self evident that ur listening to quite possibly the Objectively Best Singer humanity has ever seen. even the final stretch of instrumentals is a nice way to wind down to the finish line after a titanic experience. and ur telling she's got a whole separate album with louis armstrong for the porgy and bess material? wowie!

The serendipity of getting this box set on the day of a cross-country flight for myself. In almost any other setting, the 3 hours would grate on me eventually. But this is perfect. She is perfect. The songs are perfect. I'm so happy right now.

Ella's voice... I can listen to it for hours and hours

Simply fantastic - there's a reason this is the sound we use to represent its time

Like a sunshine ski through mountains of lush velvet. Gorgeous.

Look, there's no way I could approach this behemoth of an album without a massive amount of enthusiasm. (OK, it's technically a "box set.") George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" is my favourite classical(-esque) piece ever, which I've seen performed live twice. I grew up playing and learning about classical music and loving musical theatre (and wishing I was talented enough to sing/act/dance/perform on stage without crumbling to pieces), and it's pretty clear from this project so far that my favourite albums include all the jazz ones I've gotten. If an AI were to spit out a list of albums that it "thought" were my favourites based on my interests and life, this album would definitely be on that list. Yes, this "box set" is over three hours long and is certainly overkill. And sure, the editor of the 1001 List could've chosen an actual, curated album of of Ella Fitzgerald's for the list. But maybe he had a difficult time deciding which one to pick and went with the one that would give the listener the maximum amount of Ella in one work. Of course, I didn't listen to the entire thing in one go - I listened to each volume separately and that made it a lot more digestible. Ella Fitzgerald is simply stellar on this: truly the Queen of Jazz. She's such a phenomenal vocalist and performs all of these songs to perfection. I loved the orchestration, and I thought it sounded great, considering it was recorded in 1959. Ira Gershwin, famously, was impressed by how good Ella made their songs sound, and who am I to disagree with him? This is an album I'd love to own on vinyl. If I was the type of person who threw fancy dinner parties, I'd put this on in the background while my guests and I are eating our bread, salads, and casseroles, or whatever people eat at fancy dinner parties. Since I'm not that kind of person (and I'm not going to spend time/money looking for an out-of-print vinyl), I'll listen to this through my phone while sitting on my couch eating chips, the way I'm sure Ella, George, and Ira intended.

I love her voice.

Lovely listen for puttering about the house. This somehow reminded me of the Christmas holidays.

Really amazing. And long. I'd much rather listen to this as four or five separate albums instead of 3.5 hours straight. Especially since I already had an album this week with more than 60 songs. That said, it doesn't take away from the brilliance of the writers, the musicians and Ella. They are all some of the best in the world in their fields. Often, that combination makes for too many cooks (too many cooks!), but here it combines for a solid five star album.

Zangeres op haar top zingt muziek van de grootste jazz componist. Geweldige combinatie, het album is zeker te lang, maar wat een werk!

Hard to rate this album. Over three hours in length. Beautiful singing, and wonderful music, but after a while you start to lose track. An album meant for a full day.

I could listen to Ella FItzgerald sing a telephone book. Personal enjoyment: 5/5 Relevance to this list: 5/5

Que tomo espetacular para celebrar a genialidade dela em quatro partes. Sendo que audição flui perfeitamente durante os quase 200 minutos.

Ella Fitzgerald is gold.

It is a beautiful and exhaustive demonstration of Ella’s voice. Truly wonderful.