[ DVD ] Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie Orchestra - The Perfect Match (1979)

What a surprise to see this 1979 concert on DVD - most of the material featured on a couple of Pablo LPs issued many years ago, so it is a thrill to find that Norman Granz also filmed the show for posterity (let's hope there is a lot more in his archive waiting for release). We see Ella in amazingly ebullient vocal form, obviously inspired and invigorated by the Count Basie band on stage with her (Note: Basie himself only appears on the ecstatic 'Basella' extended jam). Her voice went through a change around about 1971, developing a noticeably wider vibrato, not to everyone's taste. Of this later stage in her evolution, this concert represents a thrilling peak.

She sings with incredible energy, control and of course, faultless pitch. Those who only know her from the Cole Porter and other Songbook series may be surprised at the hard-driving Soulfulness she displays here: her fantastically inventive 'scat' improvisations are a highlight of this performance. Her stage presence between numbers is endearingly gauche, even girlish, but utterly genuine. Even when she muffs lyrics, as she frequently does (singing an impressionistic, almost meaningless version of the lyrics to the old Billie Holiday torcher 'Some Other Spring') she carries it off through sheer musicianship alone. Did she ever sing a bad note in her life? One quibble: the vision mixing and general camera work is irritatingly erratic; but then, it reflects the exciting spontaneity of this presentation. I was so lucky, when I was a teenager, to see Ella and Basie perform in London around this time, one of the most memorable nights of my life. Terrible to think we'll never see either of them again - but this DVD is a wonderful reminder of two of the greatest performers in jazz on their last joyous perfoming peak.

I ripped from ym orginal DVD. If you wana use the links in your blog or website, mention the source:

Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone;
Sweet Georgia Brown;
Some Other Spring;
Make Me Rainbows;
After You've Gone;
Round Midnight;
Dindi;
Fine and Mellow;
(I Don't Stand) A Ghost of a Chance With You;
Flying Home;
You've Changed;
Honeysuckle Rose;
St. Louis Blues;
B & E (Basella);
I've Got a Crush on You

• [Download links for RAPIDSHARE or MEGAUPLOAD ]
Badongo
Z-Share
MiHD
Varzend
Megaupload
Rapidshare
[Buy the original here]
• password/senha: bigbadpass •
• Extract the 1 part after all downloads have completed. The rest will be automatically extracted.

♥ Donate to stimulate.