Ella Fitzgerald has retained her status among the great female vocalists ever since her debut in the 1930s. The Essential Ella Fitzgerald showcases her peerless talent as a performer of standards from the American Songbook, her improvised "scat" singing and in duets with the Mills Brothers, Louis Jordan, the Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong.
47 Tracks.

Music Week review:
Featuring 47 recordings, ranging from her debut 1935 recording Love and Kisses through to 1951, this double-disc set provides ample evidence of why Ella Fitzgerald is regarded as one of the finest female singers of all time. Her smooth, velvety tones here tackle MOR standards, light pop and jazz staples with equal flare and assurance. Highlights include the definitive version Baby It's Cold Outside, where she trades off foil Louis Jordan's inch-perfect responses, and Dream A Little Dream Of Me, on which she and Louis Armstrong decorate each others' phrases with some of the finest scat singing you could wish to hear. An octet of recordings of George Gershwin classics Fitzgerald made with pianist Ellis Larkins in 1950 are worth the price of admittance alone.