Album Review: Ella Fitzgerald, The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum (Verve Records)

Oh, what a treat it is to listen to this never-before-released album from the Queen of Jazz, the First Lady of Song herself, Ella Fitzgerald, live at The Coliseum in the summer of 1967. Then again, critiquing Ella is akin to telling Michaelangelo he missed a bit.

She is backed here by the beyond outstanding trio of pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Bob Cranshaw and Duke Ellington’s longtime drummer Sam Woodyard. Indeed, Ella followed the Duke on the evening’s bill, and his full orchestra accompanies her majestically.

Interestingly, her nine-song set has many contemporary pop songs that were only briefly in her concert book, and which she never officially recorded. The album opens with Woodyard’s cymbals setting up Ella’s entrance. The audience are very excited, then she simply sings, “If you hear music”. With that, we’re off into an impeccable set – perfect tone, timing and intonation. And boy, is she funny!

Introducing the bluesy ‘Don’t Be That Way’, she quips, “Thought I was going to do a striptease here? You missed the first song…”. Elsewhere, she makes the timeless Cole Porter classic ‘Let’s Do It’ her own, riffing self-penned lyrics and referencing newfangled cultural behemoths: “The Beatles, The Animals, Sonny and Cher, Richard and Elizabeth”.

She scats wonderfully on ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ and is sublime on ‘Alfie’, her only documented recording of the immortal Hal David/Burt Bacharach immortal ballad. A spirited fan calls out, “If you love this, clap!”, to which Ella cutely chuckles, which is just mighty.

She wraps with an iconic rendition of ‘Mack The Knife’, lovingly referencing Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong – then she’s gone, but still forever with us.

The Moment Of Truth: Ella At The Coliseum is out now.