Ella herself acknowledged the Cole Porter Songbook album (ALN 1932) was a ‘turning point in my life. Doing those songbooks got me into spots I’d never been able to play before’.  Porter commented ‘My, what marvellous diction that girl has’. 

Ira Gershwin was more appreciative, remarking ‘I never knew how good our songs were until I heard Ella Fitzgerald sing them’ whilst Richard Rodgers said ‘Whatever she does to my songs, she always makes them sound better’.

Contents:
Rodgers & Hart Songbook:
[1] (We’ll have) Manhattan  
[2] The Lady is a Tramp       
[3] With a Song in My Heart
[4] Ten Cents a Dance         
[5] I Didn’t Know What Time it Was        
[6] I Could Write a Book     
[7] My Funny Valentine       
[8] Mountain Greenery        
[9] Lover        
[10] Blue Moon

George & Ira Gershwin Songbook:
[11] Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off 
[12] Nice Work if You Can Get it      
[13] S’Wonderful
[14] Someone to Watch Over Me      
[15] They All Laughed  
[16] A Foggy Day (in London Town) 
[17] Our Love is Here to Stay
[18] They Can’t Take that Away from Me 
[19] Embraceable You  
[20] Fascinating Rhythm         

Bonus Track:
[21] Mack the Knife (Weill/Brecht/Blitzstein): live in Berlin 1960