Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook

Infobox Album | Name = Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Type = Album
Artist = Ella Fitzgerald

| Released = 1963
Recorded = January 5,6,7, 1963
Genre = Jazz
Length = 43:00
Label = Verve Records
Producer = Norman Granz
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4.5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:2mkvu3xsan4k link] | Last album = "Ella Sings Broadway"
(1963)
This album = " Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook "
(1963)
Next album = "Ella and Basie!"
(1963) |

"Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook" is a 1963 (see 1963 in music) studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with an Orchestra conducted and arranged by Nelson Riddle, focusing on the songs of Jerome Kern.

Ella had previously recorded with Riddle on her epic "George and Ira Gershwin Songbook" (1959), and had recorded two albums of standards with him in 1962.

This was the seventh album in Ella's series of historic recordings of songs written by the great Broadway composers. The previous albums were dedicated to songs by;

* Cole Porter ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook") (1956)
* Rodgers and Hart ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook") (1956)
* Duke Ellington ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook") (1957)
* Irving Berlin ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook") (1958)
* George and Ira Gershwin ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook") (1959)
* Harold Arlen ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook") (1961)

The last songbook, dedicated to Johnny Mercer ("Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook") was to be released in 1964.

In contrast to the Johnny Mercer Songbook, (the only Songbook dedicated to a lyricist), this is the only Songbook where the composer does not contribute any of the lyrics. Awarded four and a half stars by Downbeat Magazine in 1963, this album contains a fine selection of Jazz standards, with "All the Things You Are", (named by Tony Bennett as his favourite song), a whistful Oscar winning "The Way You Look Tonight", which contrasts beautifully with Sinatra's more famous swinging version from his 1964 album "Sinatra Sings...Academy Award Winners", and "A Fine Romance" from Astaire and Roger's "Swing Time".

Track listing

#"Let's Begin" (Otto Harbach) – 2:56
#"A Fine Romance" (Dorothy Fields) – 3:36
#"All the Things You Are" (Oscar Hammerstein II) – 3:15
#"I'll Be Hard to Handle" (Bernard Dougall) – 3:47
#"You Couldn't Be Cuter" (Fields) – 3:13
#"She Didn't Say Yes" (Harbach) – 3:20
#"I'm Old Fashioned" (Johnny Mercer) – 3:27
#"Remind Me" (Fields) – 3:50
#"The Way You Look Tonight" (Fields) – 4:28
#"Yesterdays" (Harbach) – 2:51
#"Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" (Hammerstein) – 3:54
#"Why Was I Born?" (Hammerstein) – 3:44

All music written by Jerome Kern with lyricists as indicated.

Personnel

Recorded January 5,6,7 1963 at Radio Recorders Studio 10H, Los Angeles:

Tracks 1,3,5,6 and 8

* Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
* Don Fagerquist - Trumpet
* Caroll Lewis
* George Seaberg
* Shorty Sherock
* Dick Nash - Trombone
* Tommy Pederson
* Tommy Shepard
* George Roberts
* Plas Johnson - Tenor Saxophone
* Harry Klee - Woodwind
* Joe Koch
* Wilbur Schwartz
* Champ Webb
* Victor Arno - Violin
* Israel Baker
* Victor Bay
* Alex Beller
* Dan Lube
* Erno Neufeld
* Lou Raderman
* Nathan Ross
* Sidney Sharp
* Gerald Vinci
* Alex Neimann - Viola
* Paul Robyn
* Barbara Simons
* Armand Kaproff - Cello
* Ray Kramer
* Eleanor Slatkin
* Paul Smith - Piano
* Robert Bain - Guitar
* Joe Comfort - Double Bass
* Frank Flynn - drums
* Alvin Stoller
* Nelson Riddle - Arranger, Conductor

On Tracks 2,4, and 7:

Personnel Same as Tracks 1,3,5,6, and 8 except Felix Slatkin and Marshall Sosson Violin replace Don Lube and Sidney Sharp; Edgar Lustgarten Cello replaces Ray Kramer; and add Ann Stockton on Harp.

External links

* [http://www.dorothyfields.co.uk/cd_ellakern.htm Album review from a Dorothy Fields perspective]