Ella & Louis (CD)

Louis Armstrong’s career began nearly 15 years before Ella Fitzgerald’s. In fact, Louis was one of Ella’s first musical idols. Although both Ella and Louis had probably met and performed together previously, they wouldn’t be heard on record together until 1946, when they waxed a single 78 rpm disc coupling “The Frim Fram Sauce” with “You Won’t Be Satisfied”. They wouldn’t record a lot together until 1956, when producer Norman Granz reunited them for three memorable albums: Ella & Louis (presented here), its sequel Ella & Louis Again and the selection of tunes from George Gershwin’s folk opera Porgy & Bess. The results: some of the most fascinating jazz music ever produced.