30 By Ella

[Larry Kart]

The premise for this 1969 Capitol album (how did Ella land on a non-Granz label?) is a bit odd: have Ella sing six medleys (36 tunes in all, six of them instrumentals). In the event, it's a gem. Ella is in great relaxed form, the tunes are all tasty, though some are a bit out of the way (e.g. "Elmer's Tune," "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody," "Maybe," "Thinking of You"), and the backing septet, led by Benny Carter, is ideal: Harry Edison, Georgie Auld, John Collins, Jimmy Jones, Bob West, and either Panama Francis or Louis Bellson. An especially good sign -- Sweets doesn't play a single one of his patented licks. Carter does a gorgeous "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" and "Ebb Tide," and Auld is lovely on "Spring Is Here." As for Ella, I'm not all-stops-out fan normally -- her scat singing, for one, usually leaves me cold -- but she is totally committed here, so at ease rhythmically, gliding, swinging, creative, and obviously having a very good time. First time through for me, but right now this is one of the best jazz vocal albums I've ever heard and a delightful surprise.

http://www.amazon.com/30-Ella-Fitzgerald/dp/B00000JCGI/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1425245035&sr=1-1&keywords=30+by+ella

[JSngry]

... (how did Ella land on a non-Granz label?) ...

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Fitzgerald

Verve Records was sold to MGM in 1963 for $3 million and in 1967 MGM failed to renew Fitzgerald's contract. Over the next five years she flitted between Atlantic, Capitol and Reprise. Her material at this time represented a departure from her typical jazz repertoire. For Capitol she recorded Brighten the Corner, an album of hymns, Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas, an album of traditional Christmas carols, Misty Blue, a country and western-influenced album, and 30 by Ella, a series of six medleys that fulfilled her obligations for the label. During this period, she had her last US chart single with a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Get Ready", previously a hit for the Temptations, and some months later a top-five hit for Rare Earth.

The surprise success of the 1972 album Jazz at Santa Monica Civic '72 led Granz to found Pablo Records, his first record label since the sale of Verve.

I'd also add that there was an MPS record in there as well, and that Atlantic came after Reprise, not before.

[king ubu]

Yeah! A somewhat frantic album maybe, packing in so many songs - but I was quite surprised, too, when I accidentally stumbled over it a few years ago and picked it up because of the fine line-up.