ELLA FITZGERALD - Live At Chautauqua Volume 1 It s July 11, 1968 and 51 year old Ella Fitzgerald is about to perform another sold out concert to an audience that has come to hear the most recognizable female jazz artist alive. By this time in her life Ella has received and will continue to garner a number of various life time achievement awards in addition to her being a frequent beacon of jazz (both performing as well as accepting the prized gramophone) during the annual Grammy Awards. She was under contract to Capitol Records (a short lived affair) and in fact had just completed in May an album (entitled 30 By Ella) of standards along with Benny Carter s studio ensemble as well as Misty Blue backed by Sid Feller s studio band. As fine as these recordings are, none were presented live here on this CD. This recording stems from the Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater in Western New York near Lake Erie (a venue built in 1893 that had housed such varied programs as those presented by Booker T. Washington, Amelia Earhart, Marian Anderson, George Shearing and where FDR delivered his famous I Hate War speech). All those in attendance that night will experience the reason why Fitzgerald will be forever known as the First Lady of Song. That summer evening in July was a night of brilliance from this master of interpretation and improvisation. I m sure listeners will feel the same excitement while they re transported by Ella. Accompaniment provided by the Tee Carson Trio with the leader at the piano, Keter Betts (a longtime accompanist not only with Ella but many years with Dinah Washington) at the bass and Joe Harris on drums. Ella and the trio, start the festivities off with a romping It s Alright With Me. It s a favorite of Ella s and was a frequent opening number for her on-stage appearances, no doubt spurred upon from the magnificent version found on the inaugural LP in the Verve catalog, Ella Fitzgerald CHIARA IZZI MO TIFS DT9026
Sings The Cole Porter Songbook. It s a perfect opening number that doesn t stop swinging from start to finish. Harris drums are a bit hot here and Carson s piano is distant but the mix gets better with the next offering. I m Beginning To See The Light is her tip of the hat to Ellingtonia and was a hit for her and the Ink Spots on Decca back in 1945 reaching number five on the U.S. charts. Ella really digs in here and is obviously having a ball. After some excellent scatting toward the end she makes reference to NBC-TV s Laugh-In with Arte Johnson s veeery interesting quip something that might be lost on those under 50. Next comes a nice medium tempo medley that Ella had incorporated in a number of her performances. Blue Skies, On A Clear Day and A Foggy Day make up the forecast in fine fashion. Ella is at her most compelling in a very emotional reading of For Once In My Life. You can hear her command and the affect it has on the audience. Stevie Wonder would release an up tempo version a few months later that would become a #2 hit. The 1934-35 hit The Object Of My Affection has never seen the light of day on disc by Ella until the version heard on this CD. It s an important entry in the Fitzgerald discography since her singing concept was heavily influenced by Connie Boswell. Ella most likelyheard a radio broadcast that of Connie singing The Object Of My Affection. This inspired the 17 year old to perform it at the now legendary Apollo Theater Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. What a great groove she s in on this night. Another medley ensues this time with a disclaimer that it would appeal to some of the younger listeners. Sunny, Goin Out Of My Head, Up, Up and Away and Yesterday conjure up psychedelic images of the 1960s while subtly woven within is the 1938 chestnut You Go To My Head. Watch What Happens is one of Michel Legrand s finest melodies and is handled with much aplomb. This was not an unusual entry in the Fitzgerald canon and was one of her
most requested pieces. She does not disappoint here. Lionel Hampton s melody that became Midnight Sun was a most familiar number for his band and was committed to wax in December of 1947. Words were added by Johnny Mercer in 1954 and had found favor with Ella as she made it a part of her Verve albums Like Someone In Love, a live LP Ella In Rome and of course, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Johnny Mercer Songbook. A-Tiskit, A-Tasket (done here as a rhumba) is the nursery rhyme ditty that catapulted Ella to superstardom while with the Chick Webb band in 1938. And from the audiences reaction it had not lost any of its staying power. The 1937 Victor release by Tommy Dorsey s Clambake Seven along with Edythe Wright s vocal on The Lady Is A Tramp was the first commercial recording of this now classic Rodgers and Hart tune for the show Babes In Arms. However it really started to gain steam as a pop standard during the 1950s including the outstanding version by Sinatra in the film Pal Joey. It was also a semi-hit for Ella and it s because of her rendition that many more listeners became aware of the song s opening verse. Topping off this outstanding set is a no-holds barred scat-fest that briefly hints at the start of Antonio Carlos Jobim s One Note Samba and then has Ella quoting everything from Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers, Idaho, If I Had A Talking Picture Of You and Blues In The Night before ending with an imitation of Porky Pig! Mention should be made here of the fabulous Tee Carson Trio. The group had a tight knit report with Ella and had been her touring backup group earlier in the year while on a 21 city tour of Germany presented by Norman Granz. They feed off of each other joyously and was her trio of choice before a long association with pianists Tommy Flanagan and Paul Smith. On this night Ella was at the top of her game. This release is the whole first set from this July evening. A program filled with old classics and soon to be new classics sung by Ella. Fitzgerald delivered a program that continued her soulful, tender, gutsy and swinging style. The audience on this evening is also part of the experience. They revel in Ella s joy & sorrow throughout the whole set, one listen and you know they adore her. Wait until you hear Volume two... Scott Wenzel - 2015
About this recording I first came across this recording when my husband brought it back from his father s collection of things from his early years as a musician. Having been a child of the late 60 s and early 70 s, I was thrilled to hold the reel to reel recording of Ella Fitzgerald. I insisted to my husband that we go straight away to the studio in Alamosa, CO to get it transferred to a CD, after which I promptly downloaded it to my Ipod. The transfer was rough, but I listened to it as part of my regular playlist for years. We are fortunate to have a recording of this historic event. The Chautauqua Institute did not usually record their musical events only their lectures and occasional symphonic performances. The priest who was in charge of the sound engineering was given permission by Ella to record that evening s performance. Later that year, my father-in-law who volunteered at the Institute from time to time, was gifted the reel to reel from the priest, who knew my father-in-laws passion for jazz. It has been in my family for more than 4 decades. One of my greatest passions is preserving history. I knew someday that someone would hear how special this recording was. After numerous years of little interest from Ella s previous labels and other non-profit institutions, I contacted The National Endowment for the Arts looking for a grant to at least preserve the recording. Katja Von Shullenbach, the head of the jazz department said that grants are only given to operating studios. She gave me the names of a couple of labels that might be interested. One of those labels was Mosaic Records. While they were not interested, they put me in touch with Jerry Roche; CEO of Dot Time Records Legends division. Timing is in fact everything. He was just finishing the list of artists to start the Legends series launch. Because this was a never before released recording, Ella quickly moved to the front of the line-up. Jerry is truly one of the great lovers of music. I am thankful he saw in this recording a unique side of Ella that has never been shared with the public. In April of 2017 she would have turn 100 years old. Many people to whom I mention this album to smile and say Oh yeah she was the lady who broke the glass on that T.V. commercial in the 70 s, but for the old- timers who have a deeper appreciation for her music (like my friend George who said Boy when Ella took a deep breath, Look out! ) will thoroughly enjoy her take on 1968. She was one the Greatest cultural ambassadors of all times. Thanks for listening and enjoy! Gina Alley-Crook, Executive Producer
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. It s all right with me 2:45 I m begining to see the light 5:16 Blue skies, On a clear day, A foggy day 4:30 For once in my life 3:36 The object of my affection 3:54 Sunny, Goin out of my head, Up up and away, Yesterday 10:14 Watch what happens 4:06 Midnight sun 3:45 A tisket a tasket 2:16 The lady is a tramp 3:02 One note samba 5:53 Ella Fitzgerald, Vocals Tee Carson, Piano Keter Betts, Double Bass Joe Harris, Drums Recorded on July 11, 1968 Recorded live at Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater, NY Edited and Mastered by Lou Geminez at The Music Lab, Elmont, NY Produced by Jerry Roche Executive Producer Gina Alley-Crook Artwork and Design by Andrew Read Cover photo courtesy the Fraser MacPherson Estate Adidtional photos by Ken Regan, Ferenc Markovics, Jacques Blacque (K.I.P.P.A.) Liner notes by Scott Wenzel The Dot Time Records Legends series features previously unreleased historical recordings from many of the greatest legends of the jazz world. The majority of these recordings have been in the hands of collectors and until now never seen the light of day. We at Dot Time Records believe that these recordings form an important part of the history of jazz and it is our goal to make these recordings available to jazz lovers worldwide. All recordings are newly remastered with the goal of presenting these recordings in a modern format while striving to keep the original atmosphere of the recordings in tact. www.dottimerecords.com + Dot Time Records 2015 All Rights Reserved