Oh, Lady, Be Good!: Best of the Gershwin Songbook

Oh, Lady, Be Good!: Best of the Gershwin Songbook

by Ella Fitzgerald
Oh, Lady, Be Good!: Best of the Gershwin Songbook

Oh, Lady, Be Good!: Best of the Gershwin Songbook

by Ella Fitzgerald

CD

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Overview

Nowhere was Ella Fitzgerald's mastery of America's "classical" music more evident than on the legendary songbook albums of the 1950s. Of the songwriting giants covered in the series, the collection of songs by George and Ira Gershwin was arguably the greatest. OH, LADY, BE GOOD! BEST OF THE GERSHWIN SONGBOOK collects 17 of the strongest cuts from the 5 original LPs. Why Gershwin? Ella's painstaking attention to musical perfection helped turn many songs into standards, but Ira Gershwin's lyrics seemed to speak to Ella most directly of all. Ira, who was present at these 1959 sessions, wrote lyrics that conveyed a sense of lightness and romanticism, qualities that fit Fitzgerald's vocal style to a tee. Ella's unique abilities are showcased on her masterful version of "Someone To Watch Over Me." While many singers have captured the song's sense of longing, Fitzgerald refuses to overdo it. She won't be too dismayed if the man of her dreams doesn't come through the door, but wouldn't it be just great if he did? A similarly refined mood threads its way through "The Man I Love" and "A Foggy Day," while the more upbeat tunes ("'S Wonderful," "Nice Work If You Can Get It") swing confidently. Some would say Ella didn't pay much attention to the words she sang. But her insistence on recording many of the neglected verses that precede the well-known choruses on OH, LADY, BE GOOD prove otherwise. This commitment to the true gems of American songwriting helped the songs, and these performances in particular, become "standards" for a generation.

Product Details

Release Date: 01/30/1996
Label: Verve / Polygram / Universal Classics & Jazz
UPC: 0731452958129

Tracks

  1. Fascinating Rhythm
  2. 'S Wonderful
  3. Someone to Watch over Me
  4. He Loves and She Loves
  5. Oh, Lady Be Good
  6. A Foggy Day
  7. How Long Has This Been Going On?
  8. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
  9. But Not for Me
  10. My One and Only
  11. I've Got a Crush on You
  12. Nice Work If You Can Get It
  13. The Man I Love
  14. Funny Face
  15. Embraceable You
  16. They Can't Take That Away from Me
  17. I Got Rhythm

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ella Fitzgerald   Primary Artist,Vocals
Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Nelson Riddle   Conductor
Aric Lach Morrison   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Nichell Delvaille   Design
Kevin Knight   Photography
William Ruhlmann   Liner Notes
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Norman Granz   Producer
Peter Pullman   Editing
Carole Reiff   Photography
Marina Detienne   Assistant Producer
Andrew Nicholas   Mastering
Lisa Po-Ying Huang   Art Direction
Jessica Raimi   Assistant Producer
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