She was an excellent ballad singer, conveying a winsome, ingenuous quality. She became an international legend during a career that spanned some six decades. 16 Peak. She also recorded a number of live concert albums and produced a notable duet version of Porgy and Bess (1957) with Armstrong. Online shopping for Digital Music from a great selection of Jazz Fusion, Swing Jazz, Avant Garde & Free Jazz, Vocal Jazz, Latin Jazz, Traditional Jazz & Ragtime & more at everyday low prices. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. NEW YORK (AP) — Terri Lyne Carrington is just 11 years old and hanging backstage at a concert hall with her friend “Ella” — that’s Ella Fitzgerald to us mere mortals — and the jazz legend wants to introduce her to jazz virtuoso Oscar Peterson, who had just finished performing. In fact, many of them had just one binding factor in common - they all loved her. Fitzgerald’s clear tone and wide vocal range were complemented by her mastery of rhythm, harmony, intonation, and diction. He rejoined Weston in 1966, and toured Africa on State Department-sponsored events in 1967 and Morocco in 1970. This material, combined with the best jazz instrumental support, clearly demonstrated Fitzgerald’s remarkable interpretative skills. Though The Jazz Cruise is about … Fitzgerald reportedly once told her press agent, "I know I make a lot of money at the jazz clubs I play, but I sure wish I could play at one of those fancy places." Legend has it that Fitzgerald and beloved crooner Frank Sinatra loved to work together, but for several reasons they never recorded a studio album together. Ella Fitzgerald won 14 Grammy Awards during her singing career, including one for lifetime achievement. As a child, Fitzgerald wanted to be a dancer, but when she panicked at an amateur contest in 1934 at New York City’s Apollo Theatre and sang in a style influenced by the jazz vocalist Connee Boswell instead, she won first prize. She toured with such jazz stars as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and became an international legend during her six-decade career. Della Reese, Music Legend and Touched By an Angel Star, ... but her exposure to jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan sparked a desire to broaden her musical scope. She made her first recording, “Love and Kisses,” in 1935, and her first hit, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” followed in 1938. Although her diction was excellent, her rendition of lyrics was intuitive rather than studied. In 1993, however, her career was curtailed following complications stemming from diabetes, which resulted in the amputation of both her legs below the knees. She won the top prize of $10, and opened for Ella Fitzgerald in 1942, and later toured with jazz pianist and band leader, Earl Hines. She was one of the few jazz musicians to be accepted by the classical world, and even played in Carnegie Hall with an orchestra. Features Best Ella Fitzgerald Songs: 20 Standards From The First Lady Of Jazz. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. “Ella Fitzgerald says, ‘You need to hear her,’” Carrington, now 55, recalls. She then soloed in cabarets and theatres and toured internationally with such pop and jazz stars as Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Mills Brothers, the Ink Spots, and Dizzy Gillespie. Howard Johnson, in a 2019 interview with Hot House jazz magazine. She could sing sultry ballads, sweet jazz and imitate every instrument in an orchestra. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Ellington would re-record “It Don’t Mean a Thing” a number of times, including versions with both Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Ken Burns follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to Chicago's south side, the speakeasies of Kansas city … With over 200 hours of music, 100 jazz musicians including legendary jazz masters, a fully renovated ship and, most importantly, a legion of loyal guests from all over the world, more than ever, The Jazz Cruise '22 will be WHERE STARS SHINE, NIGHT & DAY. He toured Europe with Thelonious Monk in 1968. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. She … Features Best Male Jazz Singers: An Essential Top 25 Countdown. Ella Fitzgerald’s first hit was “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. She also recorded prolifically. By 2006, when New York Times critic Nate Chinen declared Howard Johnson “the figure most responsible for the tuba’s current status as a full-fledged jazz voice,” the life’s work of the multi- instrumentalist had been in progress for more than four decades. View Charts Legend. Fitzgerald was a part of that high-living lifestyle, but he was also a victim of it. She garnered 14 Grammy Awards, including one for lifetime achievement. She became an international legend during a career that spanned some six decades. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music, linked by the common bonds of African-American and … He was one of the beautiful but he was also forever damned. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. She also received a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement (1979) and the National Medal of Arts (1987). Enter the password that accompanies your username. (Or rather, some might say all the jazz greats had the pleasure of working with Ella). During much of her early career she had been noted for singing and recording novelty songs. CLOSE. HOUSTON (CW39) A special performance is on deck Thursday night at the University of Houston Clear Lake’s Bayou Theater as Austin’s “First Lady of Jazz” hits the stage. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. She performed at top venues all over the world, and packed them to the hilt. Copeland was one of Ella Fitzgerald's accompanists in 1965. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ella-Fitzgerald, Black History Now - Biography of Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Ella Fitzgerald - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. After Webb’s death in 1939, she led his band until it broke up in 1942. For over 20 years, The Jazz Cruise has presented the very best in straight ahead jazz. Learn more. From 1956 to 1964 she recorded a 19-volume series of “songbooks,” in which she interpreted nearly 250 outstanding songs by Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer. She also received a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement (1979) and the National Medal of Arts (1987). Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. A very special car. Her voice was flexible, wide-ranging, accurate and ageless. American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald was best known for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice, which was complemented by her mastery of rhythm, harmony, intonation, and diction. She was an excellent ballad singer, conveying a winsome, ingenuous quality, and her infectious scat singing was widely imitated by others. Omissions? The following year Fitzgerald joined the Chick Webb orchestra; Webb became the teenaged Fitzgerald’s guardian when her mother died. Ella Fitzgerald, in full Ella Jane Fitzgerald, (born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.—died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, California), American jazz singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. Updates? They were rich and poor, made up of all races, all religions and all nationalities. Copeland played at the 1973 Newport Jazz Festival and continued performing periodically into the '80s. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. By submitting this form, you agree to the. Years after discovering her, jazz legend Lionel Hampton exclaimed of Sylvia Bennett, “Man, that lady can sing! For many years the star attraction of Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tours, she was also one of the best-selling jazz vocal recording artists in history. Sales Data = JAZZ ALBUMS. Of course, this being Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, France meant Paris and the Riviera, the Cap d'Antibes, Cole Porter, Hemingway, Picasso and Chanel, the clubs of Montmartre and the Left Bank. Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. $6.99 $ 6. She appeared in films (notably Pete Kelly’s Blues in 1955), on television, and in concert halls throughout the world. ... (From "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild") insaneintherainmusic MP3 Music ... Best Of Ella Fitzgerald Ella Fitzgerald MP3 Music. Corrections? At the height of her acclaim, American jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald did something extravagant after decades of singing success: She bought herself a car. During the 1970s she began to experience serious health problems, but she continued to perform periodically, even after heart surgery in 1986. In 1959, Fitzgerald custom-ordered a rare Mercedes-Benz 300D Cabriolet—one of … He was 79. F. Scott Fitzgerald paints a picture of a lifestyle and a decade that is both fascinating and horrific. In her lifetime, she won 13 Grammy awards and sold over 40 million albums. Dubbed "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century. Her many subsequent recordings showcased the wide range and sweetness of her voice and made her one of the best-selling jazz vocal recording artists in history. legend definition: 1. a very old story or set of stories from ancient times, or the stories, not always true, that…. 33 Weeks-LAST WEEK - Her audiences were as diverse as her vocal range. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Enter your Ella Fitzgerald account e-mail address. Her status rose dramatically in the 1950s when jazz impresario Norman Granz became her manager. As much a pioneer as she was a powerhouse, Ella Fitzgerald… Her infectious scat singing brought excitement to such concert recordings as Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin and was widely imitated by others. Her magic gets to the ears and the hearts of the audience.” The extraordinary, multi-talented Grammy nominated vocalist does just that once again on her exceptional new album THIS LOVE IS REAL. Renowned jazz pianist and composer Chick Corea has died, according to a statement on the musician's website. Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917 – June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella. JAZZ ALBUMS The week of February 20, 2021 ... Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Last. Ella Fitzgerald, in full Ella Jane Fitzgerald, (born April 25, 1917, Newport News, Virginia, U.S.—died June 15, 1996, Beverly Hills, California), American jazz singer who became world famous for the wide range and rare sweetness of her voice. She worked with all the jazz greats, from Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Nat King Cole, to Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman. 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