Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife
Ella in Berlin is a live 1960 (see 1960 in music) album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. This album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."[1]
One of Fitzgerald's most acclaimed live performances, at this concert in Berlin, Ella improvised the lyrics for the song, "Mack the Knife" successfully, after forgetting them. In recognition for this, she received the 1961 Grammy Award for the Best Female Vocal Performance (Single) that Year, and a second Grammy for Best Vocal Performance, Female (Album).
During her Scat solo on "How High the Moon", Ella quotes the Charlie Parker composition "Ornithology", which is in fact based on the chord changes for "How High the Moon", as a springboard for her own scat improvisation. This recording of "How High the Moon" is considered one of Ella's best scat solos, if not one of the best in jazz, along with Betty Carter's "Sounds (Movin' On).
Personnel
- Ella Fitzgerald – vocals
- Paul Smith – piano
- Jim Hall – guitar
- Wilfred Middlebrooks – double bass
- Gus Johnson – drums
