Today marks the anniversary of the great Ella Fitzgerald, who was born on April 25, 1917.
Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald were good friends, especially during the period when Bennett was living in Los Angeles in the 1980s. I wanted to share some of his thoughts about her.
When I asked my mother where she’d like to be taken for her birthday in 1952, I was delighted (and a little surprised) to hear her say, “Birdland! I want to see Ella Fitzgerald.”
My mother always knew quality.
We were seated at a ringside table, and after her show Ella came out over our drinks and introduced herself. I stood up for the Queen of Jazz, and she told me, “I loved your recording of ‘Blue Velvet.’” I felt as if I had been knighted—right in front of my mother.
Ella Fitzgerald used to say “We’re all here.” Three words. That really says it all. That’s the way to treat people. “We’re all here.”
I had grown up listening to brilliant African American artists such as Art Tatum, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington; when I got to know them later on, they all were kind and generous to a fault.
We always spent Christmas with her. I took Joanna and Antonia over to Ella’s house every Christmas Eve, and she’d cook up a storm, the best food you could ever dream up. We’d ring her doorbell and she’d open the door and say, “Oh, my daughters are finally here!”
I’ll leave you with this wonderful video of “How High the Moon.”
