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Easy Living
Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass
Pablo
- Lowest used price: $35.59
My Ship- Don't Be That Way
- My Man
- Don't Worry 'Bout Me
- Days of Wine and Roses
- Easy Living
- I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You
- Love for Sale
- Moonlight in Vermont
- On Green Dolphin Street
- Why Don't You Do Right?
- By Myself
- I Want a Little Girl
- I'm Making Believe
- On a Slow Boat to China
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To Pass Or Not To Pass
It's been a while since I played this CD, which was greeted with rave reviews on its first issue in 1986. Ella was then in her late sixties, by which time her voice was past its best, which manifests itself in what could be charitably described as a wide vibrato on sustained notes. Listening again, I'm reminded of her later tendency to take liberties with both tune and lyrics. That would be defensible if it improved upon the original, but that was always arguable in her case, and the facility did not improve with the passing years.
My copy carries a tracklist which adds up to under an hour of music, and nothing in the way of a liner note. These deficiencies are offset by Joe Pass's sympathetic accompaniment, which was for me the deciding factor in its purchase.
Ella and Joe launched songs better than NASA launched spacecraft !!!
Ella Fitzgerald remains The Lady Of Song despite the passing of the years; and her performance on this CD with guitarist Joe Pass stuns me with its beauty. Ella and Joe fit together so well; and every moment of this CD proves it.
Ella starts off by singing "My Ship." "My Ship" showcases Ella's remarkable ability to deliver a love song with great sensitivity and panache. Joe's soft and supple guitar playing awes me; his solo on this number proves he's one of the best guitar players Ella could have picked for her partner on this album.
"Don't Be That Way" starts off with a brief guitar solo; and when Ella comes in she plays with the tempo of her vocals to make "Don't Be That Way" a wonderful number! Ella scats a while and never misses a note as some singers do with this number that seems deceptively easy to deliver. "My Man" gets the royal treatment from Ella; she sings this with all the passion any woman would feel for her male lover. Ella lowers her voice to sing this softly; and this embellishes "My Man."
Other great treats on this CD include "The Days Of Wine And Roses." "The Days Of Wine And Roses" shows us Ella singing from all the corners of her wide vocal range of way more than just one octave. By this time you realize that this CD is one of Ella's best even though it was recorded late in her career. "Love For Sale" starts with Ella humming very soulfully; and she sings her vocals magnificently. Ella again plays with the tempo of her vocals to enhance this number; and Joe Pass makes the guitar accompaniment seem so easy although we know it really wasn't easy at all.
"On Green Dolphin Street" has some great key changes from the very start; I love it! Ella sings with all her heart of the memories she still holds dear. Joe Pass again gets a guitar solo that truly amazes me. He's right up there with the best of them!
"By Myself" was featured in the Judy Garland movie entitled I Could Go On Singing; and Ella's interpretation would make Judy proud indeed. Joe plays very softly in order to showcase Ella's voice and set it apart from the guitar. Ella's voice is therefore placed squarely in front of the musical arrangement; this helps to deliver a sad song about a person who must live life alone. This heart wrenching song never fails to move me.
The CD ends with "Slow Boat To China;" this song features the dream and joy of having your lover all to yourself for quite some while to come. The upbeat melody gets a slower than usual tempo here; but it still works well. You also get yet another guitar solo from Joe Pass. Great!
The liner notes include an essay about Ella, Joe and the songs written by Benny Green; and the cover artwork features a tasteful photo of Ella and Joe performing together.
Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass fans will consider this a "must-have" for their collections; and fans of classic pop vocals will enjoy this CD, too.
Not bad
It's not that it's a bad CD or anything, it's just not the greatest. The recording dates of the sessions of this CD are probably the most important parts to take notice of: 1983 and 1986. This means that Ms. Fitzgerald was fairly old, and her health was not the greatest at this time, and it shows a little bit on the record. On a few songs she's just out of tune, and sounds old.
Mr. Pass' playing is up to its usual snuff, of course; just simple, easy-sounding playing that carries the tune without overdoing it.
There are better records of Ella Fitzgerald with Joe Pass, if this is what one is looking for; Fitzgerald & Pass...Again, for example, is pretty nice.
A true masterpiece...
Ella Fitzgerald never sounded finer, then she did in this exellent Pablo session of intimate duets with gently swinging guitarist joe Pass. Fitzgerald's vocie had finally lost it's girlish innocence, and her vocie sounds womanly and knowing, she has more feeling in these songs then in her 50's Verve sessions. This set proves Ella had lost nothing through the years and she went out on top. This was Ella's 2nd to last session, and truly one of her most magnificent sessions. Here she gently swings on such jazz standards as "Love For Sale" and "I Want A Little Girl." Recomended.
Also try Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass "Take Love Easy" their 1st pairing on the pablo label, and The Intimate Ella, her finest Verve seesion of duets with pianist Paul Smith.
Easy Living
Some mediocre song selection and unexciting interpretations make this a less then stellar disc. Only for hardcore fans. I recommend "Speak Love" as a much better combo of these two giants.