Ella Fitzgerald - Get Happy - 1959 (1998)

Product Description: Get Happy! is a 1959 (see 1959 in music) album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, recorded with various studio Orchestras over a two year period.
The 14 songs on the album come from 6 different sessions, featuring Orchestras led by Nelson Riddle, Frank DeVol, Russell Garcia or Paul Weston.
The first two tracks are from the sessions for the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook, which were later included on the 1998 reissue of the album, and Berlin's "Blue Skies" was recorded at the sessions for the 1957 album Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook, but inexplicably omitted from the final cut, despite featuring one Ella's most impressive extended scat improvisations.

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Ella Fitzgerald - Get Happy - 1959 (1998)

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Review: This CD is a wonderful collection of upbeat songs sung by one of the best singers ever, Ella Fitzgerald. She does not disappoint us with this set of songs. We hear "You Make Me Feel So Young," "Blue Skies," "Beat Me, Daddy, Eight To The Bar," "Gypsy In My Soul," "Goody-Goody," A-Tisket, a-tasket" as well as several more songs. The CD version of this album includes a previously unissued alternate take of "Swingin' Shepherd Blues," a great added plus. Listeners will be interested to know that "A-Tisket, a-tasket" is sung to a Latin beat; much earlier on Fitzgerald sang this song a more traditional way in the 1941 Abbott and Costello movie Ride 'Em Cowboy.
Although this may or may not be her best album ever by the critics' standards, I highly recommend this CD. The sound quality is excellent and the liner notes reproduce the original record album back cover faithfully. It certainly made me feel happy to listen to it!

Track Listing:
01. "Somebody Loves Me" (Buddy DeSylva, George Gershwin, Ballard MacDonald) – 2:36
02. "Cheerful Little Earful" (Ira Gershwin, Billy Rose, Harry Warren) – 2:06
03. "You Make Me Feel So Young" (Mack Gordon, Josef Myrow) – 2:19
04. "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar" (Hughie Prince, Don Raye, Eleanore Sheehy) – 2:28
05. "Like Young" (André Previn, Paul Francis Webster) – 3:00
06. "Cool Breeze" (Tadd Dameron, Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie) – 1:56
07. "Moonlight Becomes You" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:06
08. "Blue Skies" (Irving Berlin) – 3:43
09. "You Turned the Tables on Me" (Louis Alter, Sidney Mitchell) – 2:31
10. "Gypsy in My Soul" (Clay Boland, Moe Jaffe) – 2:39
11. "Goody Goody" (Matty Malneck, Johnny Mercer) – 2:28
12. "St. Louis Blues" (W. C. Handy) – 3:53
13. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" (Van Alexander, Ella Fitzgerald) – 2:20
14. "The Swingin' Shepherd Blues" (alternate take) (Kenny Jacobson, Moe Koffman, Rhoda Roberts) – 2:50

Recording Time: 37 minutes
Personnel:
Recorded in six sessions from July 24 1957- July 11 1959 in Hollywood, Los Angeles:
Tracks 1,2 Capitol Studios, Hollywood January 7, 1959 Nelson Riddle (arr, con) Paul Smith (p) Herb Ellis (g) Joe Mondragon (b) Bill Richmond (d) Conrad Golla, Cappy Lewis, Vito Mangano, Shorty Sherock (tpt); Dick Noel, Tommy Pederson, George Roberts (trmb);rmb)
Tracks 3,7 Radio Recorders, Hollywood, July 11, 1959 Frank DeVol (arr, con) Lou Levy (p) Herb Ellis (g) Joe Mondragon (b) Alvin Stoller (d) Frank Beach, Pete Candoli, Cappy Lewis, Al Porcino (t) Harry Betts, Dick Noel, George Roberts, lloyd Ulyate (vtrmb)
Track 4 United Recorders, Hollywood, September 3, 1959 Russell Garcia (arr, con) Claude Williamson, Jr. (p) Herb Ellis (g) Red Mitchell (b) Jack Sperling (drums) (d) Pete Candoli, Philip Candreva, Buddy Childers, Stu Williamson (t)
Tracks 5,6 United Recorders, Hollywood, September 3, 1959 Marty Paich (arr, con) Claude Williamson, Jr. (p) Herb Ellis (g) Red Mitchell (b) Jack Sperling (d) Pete Candoli, Philip Candreva, Buddy Childers, Stu Williamson (t)
Track 8 Radio Recorders, Hollywood, March 18, 1958 Paul Weston (arr, con) Paul Smith (p) Barney Kessel (g) Joe Mondragon (b) Alvin Stoller (d) John Best, Pete Candoli, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Don Fagerquist, Mannie Klein (t)
Tracks 9-13 Capitol Studios. Hollywood, July 24, 1957 Frank DeVol (arr, con) Arnold Ross (p) Barney Kessel (g) Ben Webster (ts) Abe Luboff, Joe Mondragon, Philip Stephens (b) Alvin Stoller (d) Pete Candoh, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Ray Linn, George Werth (t) Milt Bernha
Track 14 Radio Recorders Annex, Hollywood, March 19, 1958 Weston (arr, con) Harry "Sweets" Edison (t) Leonard Hartman, Matty Matlock. Ted Nash, or Fred Stulce (fl) Paul Smith (p) Barney Kessel (g) Joe Mondragon (vb; Alvin Stoller (d)