The second of her celebrated song book albums and heralded as one of the best vocal jazz albums ever made, Ella and arranger/conductor Buddy Bregman began work on the Rodgers and Hart sessions three months after the release of her Cole Porter Song Book. Like its predecessor, it features the cream of West Coast session musicians, many of whom graced the fabulous recordings that Frank Sinatra was making around the same time in the same studio. Maynard Ferguson (trumpet), Milt Bernhart (trombone), Herb Geller, Ted Nash & Bud Shank (reeds), Barney Kessel (guitar), and Alvin Stoller (drums). The album is full of standards that everyone knows and loves, but in Ella's hands these songs become even more special. Standouts include "There's a Small Hotel," "You Took Advantage of Me," and the perennial, "My Funny Valentine." Verve's Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180g vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
