Jazz / Vocal; Christmas; Bop; Vocal Jazz
Recorded: July 17 & 18, 1967, Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, California
Ella Fitzgerald - vocals
Ralph Carmichael - conductor
Digitally remastered by Ron McMaster. Seemingly every singer at one time or another makes a Christmas album, and a large portion of them seem uninspired. ELLA FITZGERALD'S CHRISTMAS, happily, is not one such lackluster effort. The song selection consists entirely of traditional carols--"O Holy Night," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," etc.--instead of tedious novelties or boring original tunes. While the carols are performed with reverence, the arrangements are gently swinging, giving the proceedings an intimate, cozy feel suitable to a jazz-oriented Christmas album. Fitzgerald's voice is bell-like in its clarity, somewhat different from the soft-focus slurring she often favors, which only emphasizes how stunning her voice is. ELLA FITZGERALD'S CHRISTMAS is among the best Christmas albums of all time. |
