The Life and Art of Ella Fitzgerald - Essay Example

Introduction Ella Fitzgerald, often, regarded as the most celebrated jazz singer of all times was born in 1917 to parents William and Temperance. In a career spanning six decades, she came out with 200 albums selling more than 40 million copies. So enduring is her magic that even today a lot of people fall in love with jazz listening to Fitzgerald. Her childhood and adolescence were fraught with poverty, unhappiness and destitution. As a child, Ella Fitzgerald also battled the circumstances arising from the separation of her parents. She spent some time with her aunt Virginia and was put in a reformatory as well. Later, she would often attribute her success to the struggle of her early life. A copious legacy When she died in 1996 at Beverly Hills, California, due to complications arising from diabetes, she had won 13 Grammy Awards, National Medal of Art, Presidential Medal of Freedom, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Lifetime including a host of other awards and recognitions. She won the First Grammy Awards Best Female Vocal Performance for ‘The Irving Berlin Songbook’ and Best Individual Jazz Performance for ‘The Duke Ellington Songbook in 1958, the year in which awards were instituted. But she could maintain grace, even in face of worldwide popularity and appreciation. In 2007, the US Postal Services unveiled the Ella Fitzgerald Commemorative Stamp in her honor. France honored her by conferring Commander of Arts and Letters award on her. Many universities conferred honorary doctorates on her. Early years She will always be known for accurate and ageless voice, pure pitch, clear notes, control and harmony, with a ‘horn-like’ ability to improvise. Her first public performance was at Apollo Theater, in Harlem, New York in 1934 as an amateur. Ella had gone on the stage to perform a dance, but she got intimidated by the performance of ‘Edwards Sisters’ and on the spot she decided to sing and she could win over a rowdy crowd with a rendition of Connee Boswell’s ‘Judy,’ The audience asked for an encore and she sang ‘The Object of My Affection’. After a week long professional engagement with Harlem Opera House, she was introduced to Chick Webb, who became her mentor. Webb offered her a chance to perform with his band at a Yale University dance show. Impressed by her performance, the band manager, Moe Gale gave her an employment with band at $12.50 a week. There was no looking back for Ella. When Webb died in 1939, his band was renamed as ‘Ella Fitzgerald and her Famous Band’ with Ella as the band leader. From swing to scat Her first recording ‘Love and Kisses’ released under Decca label, went largely unnoticed, it was the nursery rhyme ‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’ recorded with Chick Webb in 1938 that won her the much needed public acclaim. As the bebop era dawned in jazz, Ella sang ‘You Have to Swing It’ and experimented with scat singing, impressing the audiences with improvisation and vocalization. She recorded ‘Flying Home’ ‘Oh, Lady be Good!’ and ‘How High the Moon’ in scat, receiving rave reviews. In scat, the voice of the singer resembles the sound of any other instrument in the orchestra. Marriages Seeking stability and protection, Ella married Benny Kornegay, a dock worker. But on learning of his real credentials, she soon annulled the marriage. In December 1947, she married again. With her second husband, bassist Ray Brown, she adopted a child, who was named Ray Jr. Career prospects also affected her relationship with husband Ray Brown and both divorced in 1952. However, Ray and Ella continued to perform together and remained friends for the rest of their lives. Her long absences also affected her relationship with her son, Ray Jr., which was later amended toward the end of her career. With Norman Granz When Ray Brown was on the ‘Jazz on Philharmonic’ tour, Norman Granz, the employer of Ella’s husband Ray Brown, was quick to realize her potential. He asked Ella to sign up with him to which she readily agreed. With Granz, she toured extensively in the country and globally. She also got the opportunity of working with Louis Armstrong. By this time, she had left Decca and Granz, now her manager, created Verve Records around her. With Louis Armstrong, she recorded three Verve Studio albums. Soon after Norman Granz became her manager, but it was only after a decade that he could record her on one of his many albums. Later, she also recorded albums with Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, the Gershwins, Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart. The Songbook series From 1956 to 1964, Verve recorded her eight part multi-album ‘Songbook’ produced by Norman Granz. ‘Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook’ was the first of the Songbook series. With Billy Strayhorn, and Duke Ellington, she recorded the ‘Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook’. Amongst others Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, too, performed in the ‘Songbook.’ The ‘Songbook’ series won the greatest critical acclaim for the singer. In the ‘Songbook’, she also made an attempt to appeal to non-jazz audience. It is also considered the greatest contribution of Ella Fitzgerald to the American cultural canon. Racism Ella Fitzgerald fought racial discrimination in her long career many a time. Often, Norman Granz would stand and support her. On Marilyn Monroe’s intervention, she became the first African-American to perform at the Mocambo. Later, the incident was depicted in the form of a play by Bonnie Greer. The 1960s and 70s In 1963, Verve Records was sold to MGM for $3,000,000. In 1967, MGM failed to review Ella’s contract with them. Long after the Songbook, she continued to perform with Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Joe Pass. She had the opportunity to perform with all the great jazz musicians of the era. Between 1972 and 1983 she recorded albums exclusively dedicated to Cole Porter and Gershwin. Basie and Fitzgerald collaborated on 1972 album ‘Jazz at Santa Monica Civic 72’ and later on 1979 albums ‘Digital III at Montreux,’ ‘A Classy Pair’ and ‘A Perfect Match’. All the albums received wide critical acclaim. The greatest collaboration in jazz that couldn’t materialize was that of Ella with Frank Sinatra. Norman Granz would often attribute it to ‘contractual reasons’. However, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald appeared together in television shows in 1958 and 1959 and again in 1967. Towards the end of her singing career, she also recorded four albums with Joe Pass. Amongst others her associations with, bandleaders Count Basie, and Duke Ellington were also noteworthy. TV and Cinema Life Fitzgerald’s cinema and TV life was less spectacular. It is argued that, here, her success was precluded by her race. At the behest of Norman Granz, she gave a brief performance in ‘Ride ‘Em Cowboy’ in 1942. She also appeared in ‘Pete Kellys Blues’. in St. Louis Blues (1958), and Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960). Among others, she appeared in The Bing Crosby Show, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, The Nat King Cole Show, The Andy Williams Show and The Dean Martin Show. She also appeared in TV commercials, the most famous being that of Memorex. She also appeared in a commercial of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Her last advertisement campaign was for the American Express. Disease and Death In 1986, Ella Fitzgerald underwent heart surgery. She was also diagnosed with diabetes. Despite rumors that she would never be able to perform after the operation, Fitzgerald staged a come back. She gave her 26th and the last performance at Carnegie Hall in 1991. Due to lack of blood circulation both her legs had to be amputated below the knees in 1993. She also lost eyesight due to diabetes. The famed singer instituted the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation in 1993. The Foundation perpetuates her memory and her ideals. During her lifetime, Ella Fitzgerald was a regular contributor to charities for welfare of children and disadvantaged youth. She was also closely related to the American Heart Association and United Negro College Fund. Ella spent her last days spent her last days sitting with her granddaughter Alice. She breathed her last in 1996 and was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. A large number of singers and musicians have recorded albums in tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. As late as 2007, an album was released by, among others, by Michael Buble’, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall to keep her memory alive. Read More