[Dixielandjazz] Ella Fitzgerald reviewed - NY Times Ben Ratliff

[Robert Ringwald]

Ella Fitzgerald reviewed

The Complete Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald Decca Sessions 1934-41 (Mosaic, eight
CDs, $136)
by Ben Ratliff
New York Times, November 29, 2013
This large and thoroughly researched boxed set might be the most direct recorded
representation of what mid-'30s, peak-period Harlem swing sounded like. (Recorded,
as opposed to performed: Witnesses have said there was a difference, and if you weren't
hearing bands at the Savoy, you'll never really know.) Chick Webb, the drummer and
bandleader, was God to most other swing drummers, with his behind-the-beat propulsion
and tight fills: a master of what Artie Shaw called "controlled abandon." The set
also shows the rapid evolution of Ella Fitzgerald -- in about a year, starting from
mid-1935 -- from an ingenue to a great singer in control of her own style. But be
warned: You will be listening not only to bruising excellence but also to abject
corniness, including "Gotta Pebble in My Shoe" and "My Wubba Dolly." The '30s, warts
and all.
-30
3.1. Ella Fitzgerald reviewed
    Posted by:
songbirds-owner at yahoogroups.com
    Date: Fri Nov 29, 2013 7:22 pm ((PST))
The Complete Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald Decca Sessions 1934-41 (Mosaic, eight
CDs, $136)
by Ben Ratliff
New York Times, November 29, 2013
This large and thoroughly researched boxed set might be the most direct recorded
representation of what mid-'30s, peak-period Harlem swing sounded like. (Recorded,
as opposed to performed: Witnesses have said there was a difference, and if you weren't
hearing bands at the Savoy, you'll never really know.) Chick Webb, the drummer and
bandleader, was God to most other swing drummers, with his behind-the-beat propulsion
and tight fills: a master of what Artie Shaw called "controlled abandon." The set
also shows the rapid evolution of Ella Fitzgerald -- in about a year, starting from
mid-1935 -- from an ingenue to a great singer in control of her own style. But be
warned: You will be listening not only to bruising excellence but also to abject
corniness, including "Gotta Pebble in My Shoe" and "My Wubba Dolly." The '30s, warts
and all.
-

-Bob Ringwald K6YBV
www.ringwald.com
916/ 806-9551

"That lowdown scoundrel deserves to be kicked to death by a jackass, 
and I'm just the one to do it." -- A congressional candidate in Texas .