Ella Fitzgerald - The Diva Series (2003) CD-Rip

Ella Fitzgerald's entry in the Verve Diva Series is a 16-track compilation that selects tracks from the first three decades of her recording career. Beginning with 1938's smash hit "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," the disc covers her hot and swinging big-band days in the late '30s and early '40s through her triumphant songbook records of the 1950s. The tracks compiled here include some of the songs that she made her own, like "Oh, Lady Be Good," "(You'll Have to Swing It) Mr. Paganini, Pts. 1-2," "How High the Moon," and the song she shares with Bobby Darin, "Mack the Knife," as well as lots of other great songs. There is a cornucopia of Ella collections to choose from; this one is not essential, but does serve as a nice introduction to Ella's early years and peak '50s years, too.