[Dixielandjazz] Ella Fitzgerald reviewed, Easy Living

[Robert Ringwald]

Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass: Easy Living
by Colin McGuire
PopMatters, September 30, 2011
Ella Fitzgerald may very well have owned the greatest female singing voice American
music has ever seen. And that's not an over-statement. Forget about the fact that
it had range that included a remarkable three octaves. Think of its style, its heart.
One listen to any of her countless performances, live or studio, will immediately
wash away all thought of other female vocalists who ever claimed to have soul, virtuosity,
honesty or tone. Ella's voice isn't just legendary. It's the impossible bar wannabe
legends aim for when concocting a voice.
That's mostly why her 1986 release with guitarist Joe Pass, "Easy Living," is able
to survive with as much grace and impression as it does today with Original Jazz
Classics' recent re-release of the album that adds author and professor Tad Hershorn's
liner notes and two previously unreleased takes on songs that appeared on the original
set.
The first bonus track, a third alternate take on Benny Goodman, Mitchell Parish and
Edgar Sampson's "Don't Be That Way," is worth any Ella Fitzgerald fan's time by itself.
The intricacies of the differences between the performance featured on the original
recording and this alternate effort is one of the most blatant examples of the singer's
brilliance. Sure, the legend's vocal scatting that stands above all else on the original
release is remarkable in its own right. However, it isn't until you give the unreleased
recording a listen that you fully realize how innovative and talented Fitzgerald
was, even in her later years.
Her ability to play off Pass' excellent guitar work peers through like the sun beating
off clouds on a late spring afternoon. Considering the second half of the track is
basically a showcase for Ella's expansive vocal talents, it becomes nothing short
of astonishing that she somehow maintains the effect her voice creates while ditching
the falsetto she so effortlessly displays on the original take for the toned-down
near-hum the bonus offering allows here. Such an act would seemingly be impossible
for most any other jazz vocalist of the last 50 years.
The other bonus offering, an alternate take of "Love for Sale," is equally impressive.
Fitzgerald tackles the original take with a sense of finely nuanced subtlety, offering
more of a hum than a scat through the song's first minute. The track's original take
also shows a more mature-sounding Ella, as she uses the wear and tear on her voice
as more of a strength than a hindrance. During the alternate version, however, the
singer appears more aggressive and impassioned. Another difference between the takes
lies in that aforementioned hum. Playing into the more emboldened feel of the performance,
Fitzgerald pushes her hums into more of a scat throughout the unreleased version.
The move makes the alternate take succinctly more passionate while never losing an
ounce of the smooth soul Ella provides throughout the original release.
In addition to these two fantastically revealing additions comes the re-mastering
job by Joe Tarantino. His work not only invigorates the original recording, but it
also allows new listeners to hear that magnificent voice in a manner that comes through
the speakers as though it was recorded yesterday. Pass' guitar combines wonderfully
with Fitzgerald's voice and the crisp, clear mixing job makes the performances come
to life all over again.
Then there's the actual album itself. "Easy Living" was the fourth and final release
Pass and Fitzgerald offered, putting to rest one of the best guitar/vocalist combinations
in jazz music history. The original set of songs here continues to stand gloriously
as the chemistry between both Pass and Fitzgerald remains as palpable today as it
did in the '70s or '80s. "My Ship" is the perfect way to open a set filled with exciting
journeys and impeccable playing (and it's also the only time the tune appeared on
a recording from Ella, herself). "Don't Worry 'Bout Me" is as good as Frank Sinatra
ever offered. And "My Man," "On a Slow Boat to China" and "I Don't Stand a Ghost
of a Chance With You" all continue to allow room for both guitarist and vocalist
to impress in their own signature ways.
"This series of duo recordings are Ella at her best and most original in her later
years," Hershorn writes in his liner notes. He's right. "Easy Living" is a captivating
example of an artist's ability to adapt with age, maturity, time and obstacles all
while still hanging on to an identity that is most certainly unparalleled. It's true:
Ella Fitzgerald may very well have owned the greatest female singing voice American
music has ever seen. And this reissue is reason enough to remind us all that such
a notion is indeed not an over-statement.
__________
Colin McGuire is the music reviews editor here at PopMatters, as well as a blogger
and copy editor for the Frederick News-Post newspaper in Frederick, Maryland. He
has worked in newspapers for five years, writing columns, editing stories and trying
to make sure the medium doesn't completely fall off the Earth anytime soon. You can
follow him on Twitter @colinpadraic.
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/148921-ella-fitzgerald-and-joe-pass-easy-living/


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