Ella and Louis Again

Recorded in 1957, Ella & Louis Again re-teams Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong after the success of their first album and a popular series of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl the previous year. Stylistically, Fitzgerald and Armstrong had very different histories; he started out in Dixieland before branching out into classic jazz and swing, whereas Fitzgerald started out as a swing-oriented big-band vocalist before becoming an expert bebopper. But the two of them have no problem finding common ground on Ella & Louis Again, which is primarily a collection of vocal duets (with the backing of a solid rhythm section led by pianist Oscar Peterson). One could nitpick about the fact that Satchmo doesn't take more trumpet solos, but the artists have such a strong rapport as vocalists that the trumpet shortage is only a minor point. Seven selections find either Fitzgerald or Armstrong singing without the other, although they're together more often than not on this fine set. Tracklist: 1. Don't Be That Way (4:57) 2. They All Laughed (3:47) 3. Autumn In New York (5:57) 4. Stompin' At The Savoy (5:12) 5. I Won't Dance (4:45) 6. Gee, Baby Ain't I Good To You (4:11) 7. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (4:12) 8. I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm (3:09) 9. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket (3:25) 10. A Fine Romance (3:51) 11. Love Is Here To Stay (3:58) 12. Learnin' The Blues (7:13) Total Time: 55:03