What are some adjectives that describe Ella Fitzgerald?
You can probably find some phrase somewhere (Sarah Vaughn was "The Divine Sarah Vaughn" for silky smooth voice. Ella Fitzgerald surpasses Sarah Vaughn in perhaps jazz's most unique quality -- improvisation. Most jazz singers will sing a melody through once then depart from it. Ella Fitzgerald was great at this. She is also a great "scatter" -- that is, instead of using words, she'll improvise on a tune much like an instrumentalist would but using syllables like "bop" "bip" floy-doy" "zit-dit-n-dih-dit" One of the most enjoyable albums I've ever listened to was a duet of Ella Fitzgerald and Mel Torme, referrred to as "velvet" for his sweet, warm vocal tone. I can't remember, though, if the album is credited as one of Mel's or one of Ella's. If I had to find a couple of adjectives for Ella Fitzgerald, I'd say "Boo boot nn boo mmm boo boo boo yeah"
What is most memorable about Ella Fitzgerald?
What can anyone way about Ella? I'm fortunate to be old enough to have seen her several times over the last 30 years of her life. Most memorable about her is that she just sang her heart out. She was not an activist, pacifist, pro or anti anything. Not that she wasn't asked about specific things during the 50's and 60's. She made it clear that she was an entertainer and couldn't comment on things that others were more knowledgeable about. I respected her very much for that. Too many "celebs" today thing talent is the equivalent of knowledge about everything. You won't find too much about her private life, other than the fact that she never married and eventually died from complications from Diabetes. She was a very private person and, I think, that's what made her a STAR instead of a celebrity. Ella started by winning, for weeks, at the Appollo Theater in New York City. She did not read music and had the same musicians (Chick Webb Trio) for most of her professional career. I most enjoyed hearing her in person, over and over, because she very seldom sang a song the same way twice, the was that good! You may or may not be aware that most musicians refer to their, and others', instruments as their "Axe". Ella was one of the few vocalists whose voice was referred to as her "Axe" by other musicians and vocalists. She wasn't a 'just' a singer...she was a musical stylist of the highest quality. My personal most memorable was when my son, a highschool band member, asked me to take him to see her in Cleveland, OH. On the way home he said.."If I could play my sax they way she sings, I'd play forever." Buy her music now. As generations and preferences change, hers and others are getting harder to find. BTW...if you like Ella, you also might like Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington. Great stylists, also. In my opinion, the best male counterpart to Ella was Mel Torme. He was called the Velvet Fog and his interpretations were much like Ellas'. If you like Ellas' "skat"....you'll love Mel. Hope this wasn't too long but when talking about Ella, there's never enough time... Enjoy!!!!
Looking for artists similiar to Frank Sinatra/Ella Fitzgerald?
Ella Fitzgerald was a wonderful singer and it's not easy to mention another singer who could be similar to her. I would suggest that you add Billie Holiday to your listening and Sarah Vaughn. The Billie Holiday small group stuff she did on the Verve label swings. Her recording of Stormy Weather is the definitive one. For male swing era vocalists I would suggest the Joe Williams era of the Count Basie orchestra in the 1950s, maybe get a sampler of Louis Jordan (fun, funny swing tunes with titles like "What's the Use of Getting Sober When You're Going To Get Drunk Again") and even some Cab Calloway. Bing Crosby did a number of very nice recordings of swing numbers. His career lasted so long and covered so much different ground that you'll need to seek out the swing era stuff, but he did do records with Jack Teagarden, Eddie Heywood and Jimmy Dorsey. Also, look for Glen Miller Orchestra recordings with Ray Eberle as vocalist - very nice swing music. Tony Bennett is not really a swing vocalist, I would skip him. He kind of came after the swing era and he would be likened more to the "Vegas era" Sinatra. If you want to go a little earlier, like "pre-swing", mid-1930s era "dance bands" (before the swing era was really given that name of "swing"), check out the Ray Noble Orchestra, particularly with Al Bowlly as vocalist. There is a recording which is a real favorite of mine, it's the "Ray Noble and his American Orchestra" recording (http://www.amazon.com/Ray-Noble-His-Amer... which has mostly vocal numbers and with a couple of different singers, doing great renditions of songs like "Top Hat, White Tie And Tails", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", among others. It's a real favorite recording of mine. I hope this helps!
Who are good artists if you like singers such as Tony Bennett, Michael Buble, and Frank Sinatra?
definitely dean martin, nat king cole, johnny mathis, bobby darin, ella fitzgerald, billie holiday, & louis armstrong