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Becoming Ella Fitzgerald
- The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song
- Narrated by: Carmen Jewel Jones
- Length: 19 hrs and 55 mins
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Becoming Ella Fitzgerald
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Summary
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) possessed one of the twentieth century's most astonishing voices. Historian Judith Tick offers a sublime portrait of this ambitious risk-taker whose exceptional musical spontaneity made her a transformational artist.
Becoming Ella Fitzgerald clears up long-enduring mysteries. Archival research and in-depth family interviews shed new light on the singer's difficult childhood, the tragic death of her mother, and the year she spent in a girls' reformatory school—where she sang in its renowned choir and dreamed of being a dancer. Rarely seen profiles from the Black press offer precious glimpses of Fitzgerald's tense experiences of racial discrimination and her struggles with constricting models of Black and white femininity.
Breaking ground as a female bandleader, Fitzgerald refuted expectations of musical Blackness, deftly balancing artistic ambition and market expectations. Her legendary exploration of the Great American Songbook in the 1950s fused a Black vocal aesthetic and jazz improvisation to revolutionize the popular repertoire. This hybridity often confounded critics, yet Ella reached audiences around the world, electrifying concert halls, and sold millions of records. This book describes a powerful woman who set a standard for American excellence nearly unmatched in the twentieth century.
What listeners say about Becoming Ella Fitzgerald
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Luke Ow
- 31-10-24
Like The Lady Herself
I have been a devotee of Ella Fitzgerald's for years & an eager collector of her albums. I came to this work eager to learn more about this towering figure in American music & the soundtrack to my life. I was not disappointed. Of special note is Tick's archival work, digging up scores of interviews, reviews & press coverage of her career & her personal life. It was interesting (& concerning) to hear the contrast in the evolution of her reception by the public & critics alike, with the latter often characterising her as too "commercial", "complex" & "simple" while the former simply adored her around the world. I also appreciated the work listing the many concerts & TV appearances Ella gave, stating the titles of the songs performed along the way. Tick provides listeners with a steady foundation with which to approach Ella's ponderous discography that I believe would be helpful for both new fans & longtime veterans who just can't get enough of her voice & style interpreting as many songs as possible. Jones' narration is adequate but not the work's unique selling point. To conclude, Becoming Ella Fitzgerald is an easy recommendation for all fans of Ella & the best music.
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