Ella’s singing thrills SPAC audience
by Georgia Urban, The Times Record, July 13, 1976
Ella, a truly great artist, came to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center last Friday night and sang her way into the hearts of the audience with an outstanding performance.
The singer, in excellent voice, took command the minute she stepped on stage. Accompanied by the Tommy Flanagan Trio, she opened with “Too Close For Comfort” and “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” taking the standards at a relaxed pace. A soulful “My Old Flame” saw the romantic side of Ella, and masterful accompaniment from Flanagan, a Bud Powell-influenced pianist. She had the audience rocking in their seats with “Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues,” and a brisk up-tempo “It’s Alright With Me” showed off some satisfying bass work from Keter Betts. Flanagan’s trio understands the singer, and they played tastefully, bringing out her warmth and humor.
On pop tunes, Ella sings more than just a familiar melody and pallid lyrics. The pretty “Feelings” was turned into a classic, with her reading never losing the meaning of the words – and by the sensitive piano of Flanagan.
Ella improvised the melody оn “One Note Samba” and then went into some stunning scat singing exchanges with Flanagan’s piano. With a flowing “I Only Have Eyes For You,” she created an infectious swing and her buoyant treatment of “Lady Is A Tramp” made the chestnut worth hearing. She concluded the set with a rockish “Ease On Down The Road,” breaking up the audience with her “Hustle.”
The audience rose to its feet, clamoring for more, and was given a scat-filler “How High The Moon,” in which she interjected quotes from “Ciribiribin,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Smoke Gels In Your Eyes,” building to an exciting finish. Few singers can match the mastery of the way Ella uses her voice as an instrument. She digs in and glides in and out of phrases with the technique and conviction of a horn player.
I have heard Ella Flizgerald many times before. The records I have worn out number into the dozens. And I must say, this performance was one of her best. It was the singer’s SPAC debut and judging from the happy results, it will not be her last appearance.
Roy Eldridge and the Tommy Flanagan Trio did a good job of warming up the audience before the singer’s entrance. Eldridge isn’t called “Little Jazz” for nothing. The trumpeter, a major force on the jazz scene for over 40 years, has a quality that is basically swinging. On “St. James Infirmary,” highlighted with a vocal, he got a relaxed sound, and “Am I Blue” exhibited his delicate approach. Eldridge is a showman, as well as a gifted musiçlan. With a warm display of the humor in jazz, he sang both parts of his celebrated duet with Anita O’Day.
A high point of the opening portion of the program was “Echoes of Spain,” in which bassist Keter Betts was featured in a flamenco-like solo on his own composition. The set concluded with an exciting “5400 North,” featuring Bobby Durham, a very musical drummer.
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