Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book

This feels like buying one of those giant bags of jasmine rice at costco but for gershwin

I...what...is our time a joke to you guys?

Ella is amazing though.

I tried to do this in a day but I just couldn’t, music should be enjoyable and not turn into a chore. Ella Fitzgerald has an amazing voice and did great justice to all the songs on these albums. But 3hrs is pushing it. There is only so much 1950s jazz standards I can listen to without getting bored. There are some really good songs on here but there were some really boring moments that took me out of the experience. Happy I listened but I probably will not be coming back for a very long time

Brilliant but oh so long

Love Ella more than I do Gershwin .

Not sure a 6 disc box set should be on this list , even as nice as this is . The problem is, is it’s 3 hours of easy listening Jazz . Loved it and was annoyed in equal measure so 2.5 - rounding up as 2 feels churlish

I could only listen to the 45 minute 'best of'. She has a great voice but jazz is not my cup of tea and certainly would die of boredom over a behemoth 3 and a half hours.

This is extremely long. Sounds good but not a lot of memorable songs.

This album is a great representation of Ella Fitzgerald's range as a performer. She works through Gershwin songs with the strength of a woman who knows how to hit all the right notes at exactly the right time with exactly the right tone.

I'm all for Ella Fitzgerald being on this list, but it's "1001 ALBUMS," not "1000 Albums and a Box Set...". I'll listen to a bit of this today, and then maybe more of it over the next few days. This is just a lot to try to consume in one sitting.

I'll give this a 3 out of respect for Ella, but you can't expect a more thorough listen or review on a collection of over 3 hours of material.

There was too much similarity between each sign in tone and quality.

Beautiful journey, but I can't lie, it was a little too long

Very good buy very loooooooonnnnmgggg

If you were to break this apart into multiple different albums, each with a length of 10 tracks or so, each album would get a 5/5 from me. But keeping it how it is, 59 tracks is simply too goddamn much for one sitting. I'm stuck between giving it a 3 or a 4.

I guess it's a very low 4. Giving it a 3 just because of length seems mean when the music is top notch otherwise.

I find myself somewhat divided on this album. Ella Fitzgerald sings with her usual clarity and effortless control — she is such a technically assured vocalist that she could probably make almost any material sound convincing. At times, however, it’s the orchestral work of Nelson Riddle and his orchestra that leaves the deeper impression. Instrumental passages like 𝗔𝗺𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 and 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀 reveal just how rich and carefully crafted the arrangements are.

The scale of the project is both impressive and a little overwhelming. With so many songs gathered together, the album can feel more like a grand showcase of the Gershwin catalogue than a cohesive listening experience. Dividing it into two separate volumes might have made it easier to digest.

Ultimately, my mixed reaction probably comes down to personal taste as well: vocal jazz has never been my preferred corner of the genre. Still, as a large, meticulously arranged tribute to the music of the Gershwins, the album remains an undeniably ambitious undertaking.

I love her voice. While I’m not a fan of the musical style, I do appreciate the songcraft and think hearing these songs is importantly illuminating of mid-20th century American culture with all its jingoism and brutal misogyny. “Keep on beating me.” Jfc. Some of the lyrics I’m surprised many people understood even then “My nights were sour, spent with Schopenhauer.” I’m not sure why the instrumental tracks were all relegated to their own disc. It was weird hearing a series of preludes to nothing.

Ok I can tell yo right now that I am going to love this but also I am absolutely not going to finish the whole thing. My Poppa always played Ella Fitzgerald at the cottage and over the holidays. And I played Gershwin all the time in band when I was in high school (nerd alert).
I got through to the middle of disk two before I tapped out because it is too long but I definitely think that there is a time and a place for me to play this and enjoy it

At its best, this is sublime. An edited highlights album would be any easy five stars. But about a third of the way through, I was ready for a break - I'm essentially listening to it in instalments.

Я люблю Еллу Фітцджераль і музику Гершвіна теж люблю, але 3 години то занадто, вибачте.

This is a perfectly lovely album. I like the band music, the gentle strings, and of course her voice which is JUST sublime. It's properly old-timey, but not in a jarring way. It's very accessible. Just a thoroughly pleasant time really.

I didn't listen to the whole thing of course, but I don't think that says much. It's kind of ridiculous to include a box set on here as opposed to a single album.

3.5 rounded up.

Lovely.

good background