Following on from their sellout BBC Proms performance, legendary Grammy award-winning vocalist Patti Austin and Australian trumpet maestro James Morrison come together to relive the timeless hits of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong in their new album on ABC Jazz. Recorded live in concert across two sold-out nights at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Austin and Morrison are joined by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in a celebration of the centennial of Fitzgerald's birth. Patti Austin experienced the legendary pair first-hand: "To grow up watching, learning from Ella and Louis, and now to do my part to hopefully enhance their legacy it just doesn't get any better than that!', she comments. Few performers have the credentials to pull off a fitting and genuinely thrilling tribute to 'The First Lady of Song' Ella Fitzgerald but Austin possesses the heritage, experience and voice to do so. Since debuting at the Apollo Theatre at the tender age of four, with the encouragement of her godparents Dinah Washington and Quincy Jones, Austin's six-decade career has seen her work with artists as diverse as Randy Brecker, Michael Jackson and George Benson. As a virtuoso instrumentalist and ambassador for jazz, James Morrison has followed closely in the footsteps of Louis Armstrong. In 2017, Morrison was invited to perform in a tribute to Armstrong at the BBC Proms, earning stellar reviews across the international press; his Great American Songbook, recorded at Abbey Road Studios, recently won the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album. Morrison and Austin reunited for this recording after their previous performance together at the Montreux Jazz Festival with Quincy Jones. The landmark collaboration between Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong was the pinnacle of an era. This album features the very finest from their songbook: Let's Do It, Lullaby of Birdland, Basin Street Blues, Miss Otis Regrets and much more, totalling almost two hours of unforgettable music. "If you enjoy this disc even half as much as we enjoyed making it, you're having a very, very good time indeed." - James Morrison "As long as there are interpreters like Patti Austin and James Morrison, there will always be a full house for quality jazz" ~ ArtsHub.
ABC JAZZ, ABC 481 6483, 2017
Recorded June 2017 in Hamer
Hall, Melbourne, Australia,
as part of the Melbourne
International Jazz Festival
Personnel:
Patti Austin - Vocals
James Morrison - Trumpet,
Trombone, Piano
Jake Barden - Saxophone (#102)
Mark Fitzgibbon - Piano
William Morrison - Guitar
Harry Morrison - Bass
Patrick Danao - Drums
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
============================
Benjamin Northey - Conductor
John Marcus - Concertmaster
Patrick Williams - Arranger
(#103,106-108,202-204,207,209)
Gordon Goodwin - Arranger
(#104,109,208,210)
James Morrison - Arranger
(#201)
Graeme Lyall - Arranger
(#205)
Tracklist:
CD1:
01. Hello, Dolly! {Jerry
Herman} (4:32)
02. [Up A] Lazy River {Sidney
Arodin, Hoagy Carmichael} (6:12)
03. Too Close For Comfort
{Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss} (3:28)
04. Let’s Do It {Cole Porter}
(5:22)
05. [If You Can’t Sing It]
You’ll Have to Swing It [Mr Paganini] {Sam Coslow} (4:47)
06. Our Love Is Here To Stay
{George Gershwin} (5:30)
07. A-Tisket, A-Tasket {Van
Alexander, Ella Fitzgerald} (2:56)
08. Satin Doll {Duke
Ellington, Billy Strayhorn} (2:26)
09. Lullaby Of Birdland
{George Shearing} (3:54)
Time: 39:07
CD2:
01. Basin Street Blues
{Spencer Williams} (4:29)
02. Miss Otis Regrets {Cole
Porter} (5:08)
03. Hard-Hearted Hannah [The
Vamp Of Savannah] {Milton Ager} (2:58)
04. Honeysuckle Rose {Fats
Waller} (4:31)
05. I’ve Got The World On A
String {Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler} (3:26)
06. Struttin' With Some BBQ
{James Morrison} (6:41)
07. But Not For Me {George
Gershwin} (4:50)
08. Mack The Knife {Bertolt
Brecht, Kurt Weill} (3:48)
09. How High The Moon {Morgan
Lewis} (4:59)
10. Get Happy {Harold Arlen,
Ted Koehler} (6:07)
Time: 46:57
Total Time: 86:04
Credits:
Producer, Editing - Duncan Yardley
Executive Producer - Toby
Chadd
Engineer - Russell Thomson
Mixing &
Mastering - Virginia Read
