Ella Fitzgerald - Sweet And Hot (1953/2018)

Mention the phrase "jazz singer" to almost any music fan in the world and chances are good that one of the first few names uttered will be that of Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996). Fitzgerald was one of the few jazz vocalists whose appeal stretched across decades and generations, garnering both critical and popular acclaim. She also sang with Ellington, Sinatra, Basie, Louis Armstrong, and jazz guitar ace Joe Pass. SWEET AND HOT is a reissue of a mid-1950s album presenting Fitzgerald at what many fans and historians feel to be the peak of her powers, with her amazing range, horn-like improvising, and gorgeous nuance on full display. This is essential stuff.