Ella Fitzgerald - The Moment Of Truth (1967) 2025, Verve Records [FLAC|Lossless|tracks + .cue] <Vocal Jazz>

Recorded in 1967 at the height of a three-year-long touring partnership with Duke Ellington, 2025's The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum finds Ella Fitzgerald taking center stage at the iconic Oakland, California stadium. This was a busy period for Fitzgerald, who had started the decade by winning a Grammy for her live version of "Mack the Knife" off Ella in Berlin. Consequently, she found herself in high demand as a live performer and kept up a heavy touring schedule. Her team-up with Ellington made sense -- not only were they both already icons of the swing era, they had recorded two well-received albums: 1957's Ella Fitzgerald sings the Duke Ellington Songbook and 1965's Ella at Duke's Place. Here, they make the most of their time together, digging into a nice mix of classic tunes from their early days, as well as more contemporary pop hits. Particularly sensational are the swingers, including the opening title track and their rendition of the Benny Goodman standard "Don't Be That Way," the latter of which Fitzgerald recorded several times and was particularly suited for. Equally compelling is her ebullient take on Cole Porter's "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)," another standard the audience would be more than familiar with from her composer songbook series. Here, Fitzgerald sounds delightfully loose, ad-libbing call-outs to Sonny & Cher, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and even 007 James Bond, all as she's egged on by Cat Anderson and Cootie Williams' bluesy trumpet asides. Along with the Ellington band, she is joined by her own trio of pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Sam Woodyard. She takes advantage of the tonal shift, sinking into intimate readings of several more modern turns, including the film theme "Alfie" and the loungey bossa nova number "Music to Watch Girls By." Of course, she ends the night in big, swinging style with "Mack the Knife," conjuring some of that Grammy magic that made her such an indelible artist. (Matt Collar)

Ella Fitzgerald - vocals
Jimmy Jones - piano
Bob Cranshaw - bass
Sam Woodyard - drums
Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams - trumpet
Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, Buster Cooper - trombone
Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope - reeds

Recorded live at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA on June 30, 1967.