An appearance in Hollywood for a first-rate jazz vocalist was not necessarily an opportunity to broadcast your visage and pander to everyone from Tacoma to Tallahassee. It could also include a date at the Crescendo, the Sunset Strip's best chance to find premier jazz. Gene Norman's nightclub hosted dozens of jazz legends (and a comic or two), and produced more than its share of excellent LPs recorded on location. Better even than Mel Tormé's 1954 classic, the Ella Fitzgerald LP that resulted from her May 1961 appearances generated one of the best (and certainly most underrated) live records in her discography -- and almost 50 years later, it became a four-CD set compiling ten days' worth of performances. All of her hallmarks (technical wizardry, breakneck scatting, irrepressible humor and warmth) are on full display, with a small but expressive quartet backing her performance, including pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, drummer Gus Johnson, and bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks. Although it's full of brilliance, the highlights are clear: a seven-minute scat masterpiece of "Take the 'A' Train," with chorus after chorus of variations, and the shorter but still excellent "Mr. Paganini." The balladry is masterful as well, with "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" high on the list. Verve label-head Norman Granz recorded each of Ella Fitzgerald's sets between May 11th and 21st, 1961, at the Crescendo, and Twelve Nights in Hollywood contains the fruits of that labor -- 75 songs with nary a repeat in the list (although the fourth disc actually consists of a 1962 date finding Fitzgerald back at the Crescendo). Although its comprehensiveness may be a hindrance, Twelve Nights in Hollywood is a classic glimpse of Ella at her on-stage best.
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