Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas (Verve)
Ella Fitzgerald
Released in 1960 (Reissued in 2002)
JazzTimes 10 Classic Jazz Christmas Albums
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lGhD5Dp_7nBszDSDnmUjiMrcmel3EW3kw
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/2UhPCUgK2IGUrg7lIvMYfb?si=2gYngCAtT_KX33qU2KhSTw
About:
Ella Fitzgerald’s beloved 1960 holiday album for Verve Records finds the First Lady of Song singing her heart out on a 12-song set of Christmas classics and backed by a sympathetic studio orchestra arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol. She sings (and swings) such timeless holiday fare as “Jingle Bells,” “Sleigh Ride,” “Winter Wonderland,” and more! She puts her singular stamp on everything from a sultry vamp like “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” to the sweet and cozy “The Christmas Song.” Even potentially shopworn standards like “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” sound fresher when they’re coming from the great Ella Fitzgerald.
Track Listing:
1. Jingle Bells (James Pierpont) 02:25
2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie) 02:20
3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin) 02:58
4. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? (Frank Loesser) 03:34
5. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson / Mitchell Parish) 02:58
6. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé / Robert Wells) 03:03
7. Good Morning Blues (Count Basie / Eddie Durham / Jimmy Rushing) 03:17
8. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne) 02:45
9. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard / Ralph Blane / Hugh Martin / Dick Smith) 02:17
10. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Johnny Marks) 02:54
11. Frosty the Snowman (Steve Nelson / Jack Rollins) 02:14
12. White Christmas (Irving Berlin) 03:01
Personnel:
Ella Fitzgerald: Vocals
Frank DeVol: Arranger, Conductor
Frank DeVol Orchestra
Recorded July 15, 1960 – August 5, 1960, at New York, NY
Review:
Listening to scores of vocal jazz records, all contemporary, it is easy to lose the trees for the forest, particularly the redwoods. Ella Fitzgerald was one of those rarified talents one took for grated, as she was so damn good that her talent became transparent. Rated with Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday as one of the most important female jazz vocalists, Fitzgerald can reasonably be deemed the most important because of her flawless execution and elocution. Every word she sings can be understood and her scatting ability has no equal. In many ways, Ella Fitzgerald is the antithesis of Billie Holiday, who was a uniquely enigmatic talent. She is more like Vaughan, though that comparison is akin to noting that tomatos and oranges are similar because they are both fruits. Ella Fitzgerald might be considered as the gold standard of jazz singing. She was (and is) in a class all her own.
Holiday recordings are released by the bushel basketful every year, and this year is no exception. The same two dozen songs, secular and religious, joyous and somber, are created and recreated in the spirit of jazz, some good and some better. Many perfectly fine recordings have been prepared for this season and may be researched at All About Jazz. They all serve a purpose and appeal to different subsets of listeners. In an art form as far flung as jazz, it is hard to find holiday recordings that will appeal to all. Part of what is necessary is a conservative approach to this music’s presentation. For this season, it is a 40-something year-old recording that takes the prize as most accessible.
This 2002 reissue of Ella Fitzgerald’s Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas mates the LP release with six additional songs, three of which were previously unissued (alternative takes of “The Christmas Song,” “White Christmas,” and “Frosty The Snowman”). All save one of the cuts were recorded with the Frank De Vol Orchestra in July and August 1960. “The Secret of Christmas” was recorded a year earlier with the Russ Garcia Orchestra. Enough of the historical stuff, this is one smart Christmas recording. It swings hard and is perfectly digestible by anyone. The listener can sing along with Ella should they want to and almost sound as hip as she does. The Divine Ms. Ella turns “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph” into Christmas Swingtime, while turning in definitive (yes, I said definitive) “A Christmas Song” and “White Christmas”. Why anyone would purchase another Kenny G holiday recording is beyond me.
C. Michael Bailey (All About Jazz)
