Ella Fitzgerald and
Duke Ellington did not team up in concert until relatively late in their careers (although she did record her Ellington Songbook with him in the '50s). This live double-LP actually finds
Fitzgerald singing six numbers with
the Jimmy Jones Trio and only "Mack the Knife" and a scat-filled "It Don't Mean a Thing" with the orchestra.
Ellington has eight numbers for his band, mostly remakes of older tunes (including a guest appearance by former associate
Ben Webster on "All Too Soon," a remarkable
Buster Cooper trombone feature, and a rowdy version of "The Old Circus Train Turn-Around Blues"). This is a spirited set of music that with better planning could have been great. ~ Scott Yanow