Some really nice discs tonight. ‘Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Songbook’ is probably my favorite of the Ella songbook recordings… filled with fun and elegance. It starts off with ‘Rockin’ in Rhythm’ … no lyrics, just some amazing vocalise from Ella in front of a stomping Ellington piano and band. These three discs contain some of the best versions of Ellington’s songs recorded. The ‘Take The A-Train’ and ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’ are both artists at their best. And while I know this is officially an ‘Ella Fitzgerald’ disc, it is just as much a Duke Ellington disc. In fact, of all the songbooks I think this is the only one where both singer and composer perform together. But what is really special about these recordings is that they are also the first time the two had performed together. When you hear how well they play off each other, it is hard to believe that they had never played together before… the two sound like they have been performing with each other for 30 years, not just a few hours. The two would go on to perform much more with each other fortunately… including the brilliant ‘Cote d’Azur’ recordings (one of my favorite wedding presents from Bryn and Colin).

The Nat King Cole discs are two greatest hits discs. One in English, the other in Spanish.  The one in English mostly focuses on Nat King Cole’s vocal side. I still want to track down more of his earlier recordings that featured him more as a pianist, but as a single disc set this is great – with the exception of the Nat King Cole / Natalie Cole ‘duet’ that just creeps me the hell out.

The disc in Spanish is one of my favorite vocal discs though. His accent is rough, but the backing band captures a cuban band style feeling that just makes you want to move your feet. I tracked this disc down after hearing a couple of the tracks in Wong Kar-Wai’s beautiful beautiful movie ‘In The Mood For Love’. I can’t help but picture flowing red curtains every time I put this disc on.