Wintertijd

Bertje, that's Jazz IV

Now I would argue that the lady in the picture is the best female singer that's ever graced this planet with her presence. Hands down. In all genres. Whatever. Her voice always sounds amazing, and you always felt it was a complete joy for her to sing. One of the CD's at home describes how she usually sung to kids in the street. Kids would follow her around and she would love to sing to them, and that story always makes me want to come from her neck of the woods. Nothing wrong with my mother's singing, but I have my preferences.

So having said that, I was digging through the stuff I have of Ella Fitzgerald and chose the one that in my book is least jazzy of all. It's a song that's been around the block. Hell, even I sang it when I had a brief stint in a choir last year. It's an old Gershwin tune, and in my less than humble opinion Ella and Louis Armstrong's cooperation yielded the best version I've heard of this song.

So I hope you'll enjoy Summertime. I hate getting sentimental, but this one is so good it never fails to bring tears to my eyes as soon as she opens her mouth after the intro. Her voice is something else. Detached and nonchalant in her phrasing, yet precise and with great timing. Well... It's like Stevie Wonder sang in Sir Duke: "With a voice like Ella's ringing out, there's no way the band could lose". And in the seventies, Stevie was still very right about many things.

To demonstrate just how different versions can be, just as a curiosa, also have a listen to this version by a gentleman named George Benson. Just goes to show that re-makes can be far from pointless.

Which of the two is best?

Posted by Chris at September 1, 2005 05:14 PM