The timeless musical collaborations from music legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong will be celebrated in a new four (4) album set called ‘Cheek to Cheek: The Complete Duet Recordings. Arriving on November 10th via Verve/UMe, the project 75-tracks and gathers their three Verve albums, Decca singles, live tracks, B-Sides, rare recordings, and unreleased material.
According to a press release: By the time Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong collaborated on their first duet together, they were each already jazz giants. Fitzgerald was an acclaimed solo artist for Decca with many hits and more than 200 songs under her young belt, first with the Chick Webb Orchestra and then as leader of her own big band. Armstrong, known affectionately as Pops, was one of the leading singers, trumpet players, and entertainers of the day; a star of both sound and screen. Together their talent knew no bounds and propelled them further to stardom, and today are some of the biggest highlights of both of their extraordinary careers.
Cheek To Cheek also includes unreleased material: “The Memphis Blues,” with Bing Crosby, from his radio show; several takes of Armstrong’s solo showcase, “Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess;” and an instrumental mix of “Red-Headed Woman.” The comprehensive collection is rounded out with an extensive essay by Ricky Riccardi, the world’s leading authority on Armstrong, plus detailed annotations and rare images from the archives. Preorder Cheek To Cheek here!
Armstrong and Fitzgerald were first paired together by Decca label head Milt Gabler when they were both recording for the label.
In addition to gathering all of Fitzgerald and Armstrong’s duets, Cheek To Cheek also gives a unique opportunity to hear what it was like to be in the studio with these two titans. The closing disc is rife with a bevy of alternate takes and false starts, displaying their camaraderie, with many previously unreleased, until now.
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong: ‘Cheek To Cheek: The Complete Duet Recordings’
Disc 1
The Decca Singles
1. You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart)
2. The Frim Fram Sauce
3. Dream A Little Dream Of Me
4. Can Anyone Explain? (No, No, No!)
5. Necessary Evil
6. Oops!
7. Who Walks in When I Walk Out
8. Would You Like to Take a Walk (Sump’n Good’ll Come From That)
Ella and Louis
9. Can’t We Be Friends
10. Isn’t This A Lovely Day
11. Moonlight In Vermont
12. They Can’t Take That Away From Me
13. Under A Blanket Of Blue
14. Tenderly
15. A Foggy Day
16. Stars Fell On Alabama
17. Cheek to Cheek
18. The Nearness of You
19. April In Paris
Disc 2
Ella and Louis Again
1. Don’t Be That Way
2. Makin’ Whoopee
3. They All Laughed
4. Comes Love
5. Autumn In New York
6. Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)
7. Stompin’ At The Savoy
8. I Won’t Dance
9. Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
10. Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off
11. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
12. I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
13. Willow Weep For Me
14. I’m Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
15. A Fine Romance
16. Ill Wind
17. Love Is Here To Stay
Disc 3
Ella and Louis Again (cont’d.)
1. I Get A Kick Out Of You
2. Learnin’ The Blues
Porgy And Bess
3. Overture
4. Summertime
5. I Wants To Stay Here
6. My Man’s Gone Now
7. I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’
8. The Buzzard Song
9. Bess, You Is My Woman Now
10. It Ain’t Necessarily So
11. What You Want Wid Bess?
12. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
13. Oh, Doctor Jesus
14. Medley: Here Come Da Honey Man/Crab Man/Oh, Dey’s So Fresh And Fine
15. There’s A Boat Dat’s Leavin’ Soon For New York
16. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess?
17. Oh Lawd, I’m On My Way
Disc 4: Bonus Tracks
Ella and Louis Live
1. The Memphis Blues (Live from The Chesterfield Show) with Bing Crosby *
2. You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart) (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
3. Undecided (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
Decca Extras
4. You Won’t Be Satisfied (Until You Break My Heart) false start and breakdown
5. The Frim Fram Sauce false starts/takes 1 and 2 *
6. The Frim Fram Sauce alternate take
Ella and Louis Again Extras
7. Makin’ Whoopee take 1
8. Makin’ Whoopee take 2
9. I Get A Kick Out Of You take 2 (run-through) and take 3 (breakdown)
10. I Get A Kick Out Of You take 4
11. I Get A Kick Out Of You take 13
12. Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love) take 3
13. Willow Weep For Me take 4
Porgy And Bess Extras
14. I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ (mono master)
15. A Woman Is A Sometime Thing (mono master)
16. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? takes 5 and 6
17. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? take 7
18. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? take 8 *
19. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? take 9 *
20. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? insert for take 9 *
21. Bess, Oh Where’s My Bess? take 10 *
22. Red-Headed Woman instrumental *
* Previously unreleased
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