Album Reviews

This 1957 Norman Granz-produced jazz version of the George and Ira Gershwin opera (with libretto and key lyrical contributions by DuBose Heyward) starring Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong backed by a string enriched orchestra is a treat for so many reasons.

This set isn't he complete opera, of course, but rather the most well-known pieces with Ella and Louis singing all of the parts, including Ella covering "The Buzzard Song" sung by a male in the actual opera. Since it's not orchestrated for trumpet, Louis' trumpet solos are minimal but they show an all-business side of him not usually heard on his more playful recordings and his tone is pure.

The orchestrations by Russell Garcia are sumptuous and cinematic, which was the world in which Garcia most usually worked. He'd previously orchestrated a jazz version of the opera for Bethlehem records starring Mel Tormé and Frances Faye.

This double LP set was readied for release around the time the movie version starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge and many other greats directed by Otto Preminger went into production for a 1959 release.

Both Ella and Louis were at peak power here and backed by a string-enriched orchestra the results are thrilling. Listen to Armstrong's steamy solo on "It Ain't Necessarily So" and before you can fully absorb it, Ella drops in with the tune, scatting a break over a massed trumpet section. Then Louis enters singing about Jonah and by the time the song ends you wonder whether any recorded live in the studio event could be any better.

Yes, this was recorded in stereo in 1957 (the stereo edition had to wait until 1960 for vinyl release) but it hardly sounds dated—unless by "dated" you mean a wide screen event with the orchestra spread mostly left and right bathed in carefully applied reverb leaving Ella and Louis plenty of center stage to fill and fill it they do! On side four's medley "Here Come De Honey Man", "Crab Man", "Oh, Dey's So Fresh and Fine (Strawberry Woman)" Ella is bathed in enough reverb to drown her. It's an usual choice. Just as that fades out, Louis begins singing equally bathed in reverb, "walking" across the stage. The sequence takes on a dream like feel.

As you might imagine, original stereo copies are not all that common though you can find them. I found one at a garage sale run by the son of a Columbia records executive. I had heard about it from someone and was first in line. I walked away with great stuff on Columbia and Epic but there, tucked in among the 6-eyes was an unplayed stereo Porgy & Bess with the records still in the original Verve glassine-like inner sleeves.

This reissue from Speakers Corner was mastered from the original master tapes at Sterling Sound by the great Ryan K. Smith and if you didn't know that going in you'd figure it out quickly. The original is warmer and softer and clearly rolled off on top and lacking in true detail, which might make it more "pleasant" for some, but this reissue in my opinion is so far superior it's not even up for debate.

There's so much more information here, both musical and spatial. The vocals are far superior sounding as is Armstrong's trumpet. If you play it too loud, yes it will get nasty but played at the appropriate level, the clarity, transparency, spatiality and everything we love about listening to recorded music will be evident.

Add Speakers Corner's going the extra mile to reproduce the textured full sized stapled-in booklet and you have an extremely well-done reissue. Yes, a "Tip-on" jacket would have been nice but more important is the mastering and Pallas pressing quality, which are first rate.

Only the final track's "pop white bread" chorus mars, jars and dates the production but it's quickly over leaving a pleasing residue of musical and sonic time travel. A "must have" for Ella and Louis fans.