In contrast to her classic Songbook albums for Verve, this 1961 date captures the essence of Ella Fitzgerald as most people got to see her live—with a swinging quartet. The program is made up mostly of repertoire from the Swing and early Bebop periods with Ella mixing soulful ballads and hard-driving swingers.

Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Reviews

“Ella Fitzgerald thrives in the intimate setting provided by Lou Levy’s quartet on a set of superior standards you don’t hear every day.” – Jazz Journal