Ella Fitzgerald
These Are the Blues
Play These Are the Blues
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AMG Review of These Are the Blues
Scott Yanow
All Music GuideElla Fitzgerald was never thought of as a lues singer but she does a surprisingly effective job on the ten lues included on this CD reissue including Bessie Smith's "Jailhouse Blues," "See See Rider," "Trouble in Mind," and "St. Louis Blues." She somehow sings more or less in the style of the classic lues vocalists of the 1920s and largely pulls it off. Trumpeter Roy Eldridge, who has few solos and is low in the mix, is largely wasted as organist Wild Bill Davis (with assistance from guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Gus Johnson) dominate the ensembles. It's an interesting set.
 "These Are the Blues")
