Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (Verve 4001-2) is probably her most ambitious waxing effort to date and, happily, it turns out to be a realgas. Ella has welded together a package of 31 porter pretties into a two-disc album: the different moods are wonderfully expressed, backed by everything from a single 88 to a 35 piece orchestra complete with singing and syrupy horns. The fact that jazimpresario Norman Granz chose Ella for this rather major undertaking (instead of Ethel-e-e-e-e-y-a-a-agh – Merman, for whommost of the tunes wre written) is one more evidence of this good judgement. Here's proof, too, that when it comes to the singing dodge, there's no canary whocan fly with Mis Music, be it jazz or pop.
Dizzy Gillespie, that electrical, eclectical research engineer over there in the Trumpet Department, uncorks a bellful of stratospheric peeps on Diz and Getz (Norgran MG N-1050). As you guessed, his fellow scientist is tenorman Stan Getz. who isn't content to just sit back and listen. Together they peeps more cool brwwze than an air conditioner. Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis and Max Roach get in their licks, too.
The president of the tenor saxophone, Lester Young, huffs and puffs a beautiful windstorm of wheaty, high-strung notes on The President Plays (Norgran MG N-1054), and promptly wins our vote for another term in office. In the background is the Oscar Peterson trio: blithe,self-supporting spirtits if ever we heard any. The collaboration is particularly fruitful on Ad Lib Blues and the Gershwin-Vernon Duke oldie I Can't Get Started ... The Oscar Peterson Quartet (Clef MG C-688) adds to the basic group a set of tubs belonging to Alvin Stoller, who mingles thought processes easily with Ray Brown, bass; Barney Kessel, guitar; and, natch, Mr.Peterson, the ivory hunter without peer.
Music of the Baroque era has been described by a joker named Bukofzer as "multisectional structure with regard to form, extensive variation with regard to melodic procedure, and polarity between bass and upper voices with regard to texture." Despite which, we're suckers for Baroque music, espwcially when played on the harpsichord. Sheer pedantry compels us to point out the big
Bobby Hackett, who used to blow a tender cornet with small dixieland combos and the big Glenn Miller band, has recently been heard on naught but mawkish, fiddlefaddle discs. Bobby has yet to kick this particular monkey off his back, but at least he's grinding out other LPs as well, and for this we're grateful. Coast Concert (Capitol T692) is a case in point: a clutch of well-tempered sidemen (Teagarden, Matlock, Fatool, Nappy Lamare, etc.) respond nimbly to Bobby's Bix-like browsings and rarely peddle a raucous note or an addlepated chorus. The muskrats ramble through Big Butter and Egg Man, Struttin' With Some Barbecue, and many, more.
The score for My Fair Lady (Columbia OL 5090) is as witty, rich and rowdy a hunk of musical comedy as anyone could hope for. Pick it up just as fast as your little feet can carry you to yeolde record shoppe.
