Ella The Lost Berlin Tapes Found (In Late Verve Founder Norman Granz's Private Stash)!

Verve will release on October 2nd, 2020 a never before issued Ella Fitzgerald concert performance recorded in stereo at Berlin's Sportpalast March 25th 1962. Ella recorded in Berlin 1960, one of her best known, most popular, double Grammy Award winning albums Mack The Knife: Ella in Berlin in which she bobbled the words. She remembers them here, but forgets where she is—understandable when you're in the middle of a long European tour. That one was recorded only in monophonic.

She's backed here by pianist Paul Smith, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks and Be-bop drummer great Stan Levey. The 17 tracks are divided into two LPs but in the press release they are listed contiguously:

1. Cheek To Cheek
2. He’s My Kind Of Boy
3. Cry Me A River
4. I Won’t Dance
5. Someone To Watch Over Me
6. Jersey Bounce
7. Angel Eyes
8. Clap Hands, Here Come Charlie
9. Taking A Chance On Love
10. C’est Magnifique
11. Good Morning Heartache
12. Hallelujah, I Love Him So
13. Hallelujah, I Love Him So (Reprise)
14. Summertime
15. Mr. Paganini
16. Mack The Knife
17. Wee Baby Blues

Ryan K. Smith cut lacquers from tape at Sterling Sound, Nashville. Pressing was done at Precision, Ontario, Canada. You can listen to one track on YouTube accompanied by some animation.:

COMMENTS
volvic's picture

Cannot wait to get it.

Anton D's picture

The sample sound clean and incisive!

It even sounded great on my desktop crap speakers.

Anton D's picture

What a great world and great life to be able get a new Ella record in 2020.

It’s a flat out gift.

Montpier's picture

Thanks for the heads up MF! Wonder what else lurks in Granz's Verve/Pablo stash?

Don't want to hijack post but have an Ella/Analog curiosity that I'm hoping someone might be able to shed some light on: the wonderful 'Ella Sings Gershwin' -- not to be confused with the later Verve 'Gershwin Songbooks' -- first issued as an eight song 4 x 10" 78 set in 1950 and a 10" LP the following year. Looks like it was first reissued as twelve track 12" LP in 1956. All obviously Mono.

However, a version labeled as "Stereo" was issued in 1963 and no, there is no indication of being electronically processed.

The original tracks were recorded in NY studio in 1950 by Ella and pianist Ellis Larkins.* With just voice and piano could they have been multi-tracked? (Three of the added tracks to the 1956 12" were from 1946-47 and definitely mono.)

I know there were experimental Stereo recordings by Stokowski and the infamous, possibly accidental Ellington session as early as 1932.

Could the 1950 Ella Fitzgerald recordings possibly be Stereo? Or is it that some of the early "reprocessed for stereo" reissues were not labeled as such?

* Hearing Ella at this stage of her career with just piano accompaniment is pretty amazing and definitely worth a listen!

PeterPani's picture

To own (nearly any) five Ella records is a must for every record collector. But that's it. Five is enough.

xtcfan80's picture

Yes Peter,

Why bother having sex again??? I've had sex at least 5 times, so I've been there done that!

jreiter's picture

What are you, some kind of a Superman!?

(Sorry, old Letterman joke, couldn’t resist).

Chemguy's picture

...A. Brilliant! B. Insightful! C. Ridiculous, unhelpful and just plain obnoxious.

Hint...Always go with C

bglyrics10's picture
rl1856's picture

AAA....or ?

xtcfan80's picture

Yes..... C is what I deserve....

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