Jazz
All selections recorded in New York City between 1935 and 1938
Ella Fitzgerald Vocal
Chick Webb Drums, Orchestra
If Ella Fitzgerald had never sung another note after Chick Webb, her first mentor, died in 1939, she very possibly would still be remembered as a legendary artist. Fitzgerald spent a total of six years with Webb's band, based at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. For most of the first four she was the star attraction - and for an additional two, following Webb's death, she also served as band-leader. During that time the singer, no less than Webb himself, became a very special kind of folk hero to the people of Harlem. We are told that Webb, crippled by a tragic childhood accident, began playing drums to distract himself from the torment of his affliction. Whether he relieved his own pain is not know, but through his music he made millions of others feel a lot better. Both Fitzgerald and he became symbols of achievement: being born poor and black (and in Webb's case, handicapped almost from the start) did not keep them from attaining the upper reaches of fame - and also making music that would last forever.
session |
