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Ella Fiitzgerald - The Lost Berlin Tapes


GA Russell

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Verve

 

A GIFT FROM THE FIRST LADY OF SONG

 

NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD

ELLA FITZGERALD

LIVE BERLIN CONCERT RECORDING FROM 1962

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THE LOST BERLIN TAPES

SET FOR RELEASE OCTOBER 2, 2020

ON VERVE RECORDS

 

 

 

Verve Records announces the release of a never-before-heard stellar live recording from the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald. The Lost Berlin Tapes were recorded – incredibly in both mono and stereo – at Berlin’s Sportpalast on March 25, 1962 and finds Ella at the top of her game with a trio led by pianist Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums.

 

The Lost Berlin Tapes will be released on Verve Records on October 2, 2020.

Pre-order the album now and listen to the second single “Taking A Chance On Love” here: https://EllaFitzgerald.lnk.to/LostBerlinTapes

 

There was just something about Berlin that brought out the best in Ella. In February of 1960, she gave a concert at the Deutschlandhalle, which became one of her best-known and best-selling records, Mack The Knife: Ella in Berlin. The album won her 2 Grammys, it went on to be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

 

Two years after that historic concert, Ella returned to the city at the height of her career, in the midst of her most extensive European tour to date. Flanked by her stalwart rhythm section including pianist Paul Smith, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks and drummer Stan Levey, Ella delivers an energized, top-of-her-game set a month before her 45th birthday.

 

Ella Fitzgerald The Lost Berlin Tapes is a jewel in the treasure chest of impresario and Verve Records founder Norman Granz’s private collection. As Ella’s manager, he had a habit of recording Ella live – sometimes for radio broadcast, sometimes for later release, sometimes just to have. This particular recording was amazingly done in both mono and stereo – and on this March evening at Berlin’s Sportpalast, Ella delivered, singing some lesser-known gems as well as the hits.

 

One of those hits was “Mack The Knife.” Ella famously flubbed the lyrics in the known 1960 recording, and two years later, nails them. But – she forgets the name of the town she’s in. On the recording, she charmingly says, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so embarrassed. This is where the first time I sang Mack The Knife and when I got to the part of the town, I couldn’t think of it!” The audience is enthralled, nonetheless.

 

That unique charm, energy and skill are palpable throughout this live recording. She opens with “Cheek To Cheek,” followed by the rarer “He’s My Kind of Boy.”  After her behind-the-shoulder scat-heavy salute with “Jersey Bounce,” Ella shifts to a heart-wrenching ballad of the Great American Songbook, “Angel Eyes.” Ella also sings the Ray Charles hit “Hallelujah, I Love Him So,” singing a reprise that shows Ella’s improvisational skills. The full track listing is below.

 

This incredible performance will be released on CD/digital and LP.

 

Verve Records:

Founded in 1956 by impresario Norman Granz in order to create a fair and just label home for Ella Fitzgerald, Verve Records has become home to some of the most pioneering acts in music, including Ella, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, Dizzy Gillespie, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughn,  and more.  Today, the label continues this rich legacy with artists such as Jon Batiste, Bettye LaVette, Diana Krall, Harry Connick, Jr., Joey Alexander, and more.

 

 

Ella Fitzgerald

The Lost Berlin Tapes

 

  1. Cheek To Cheek
  2. He’s My Kind Of Boy
  3. Cry Me A River
  4. I Won’t Dance
  5. Someone To Watch Over Me
  6. Jersey Bounce
  7. Angel Eyes
  8. Clap Hands, Here Come Charlie
  9. Taking A Chance On Love
  10. C’est Magnifique
  11. Good Morning Heartache
  12. Hallelujah, I Love Him So
  13. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (Reprise)
  14. Summertime
  15. Mr. Paganini
  16. Mack The Knife
  17. Wee Baby Blues

 

 

 
 
  Artist Title Time    
 
 
 
  Ella Fitzgerald Taking A Chance On Love (Live At Berlin Sportpalast / 1962) 02:33    
 
 
 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...
13 hours ago, BFrank said:

I might be mistaken, but I think she "forgot the words" in multiple performances making it somewhat of a gimmick in the song.

You're right. Jim was just being...Jim! Ella's 1960 version became so famous and successful, that, as Jim puts it, she remembered to forget the words from then on.

 

 

 

gregmo

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On 10/4/2020 at 2:20 PM, Larry Kart said:

Maybe it's just me or the sound quality of these clips,  but while  I've heard  and enjoyed a good deal of live Ella, her voice here sounds rather harsh, forced, and blaring to me.

I've been listening to the cd, and it sounds good to me--typical live recording--but Ella is really on fire in much of it.

 

 

 

gregmo

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A GIFT FROM THE FIRST LADY OF SONG

 

NEVER-BEFORE-HEARD

ELLA FITZGERALD

LIVE BERLIN CONCERT RECORDING FROM 1962

 

The Lost Berlin Tapes, magnifies her legacy…Hear the breadth and depth of her vibrato, the way she uses strong breath to give rhythmic passages a punch, how she reinvents the melody…”

The New York Times


“Fitzgerald is a firecracker, and her high spirits manifest in everything from her phrasing and lyrical interpretation to the arc of her trademark scat maneuvers.”

WBGO

 

“Ella at the top of her game…buoyant”

American Blues Scene

cover-15f4f29208e64f1b939631a17915a234-h

 

THE LOST BERLIN TAPES

OUT TODAY

ON VERVE RECORDS

 

Watch singer Cécile McLorin Salvant’s stunning animated video for

“Taking A Chance On Love”

 

 

 

The Lost Berlin Tapes is out today. Listen here:

https://EllaFitzgerald.lnk.to/LostBerlinTapesPR

 

 

 

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Ella Fitzgerald | Photo Credit: Rolf Ambor
 

 

 

 

Edited by GA Russell
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