At the Opera House

At the Opera House is a 1958 live album by Ella Fitzgerald. The album presents a recording of the 1957 Jazz at the Philharmonic Concerts. This series of live jazz concerts was devised by Fitzgerald's manager Norman Granz; they ran from 1944 to 1983. Featured on this occasion, in 1957, are Fitzgerald and the leading jazz players of the day in an onstage jam session. The first half of the 1990 CD edition includes a performance that was recorded on September 29, 1957, at the Chicago Opera House, whilst the second half highlights the concert recorded on October 7, 1957, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles. The original LP obviously included only the mono tracks (#10-18).

At the Opera House
Live album by Ella Fitzgerald
Released	1958
Recorded	September 29, 1957 Chicago Opera House, Chicago October 7, 1957 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
Genre	Jazz
Length	32:10 (original LP) 59:20 (CD reissue)
Label	Verve MGV-8264
Producer	Norman Granz
Ella Fitzgerald chronology
Porgy and Bess (1957) At the Opera House (1958) Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday at Newport (1958)

This album is typical of Ella's concert repertoire in the mid 1950s, singing swing standards, and songs referencing her recent 'Songbook' series, in this case, the Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart songbooks.

Reception

Writing for Allmusic, music critic Scott Yanow wrote of the album "... this album is mostly recommended to her greatest fans. However, the music is wonderful, there are variations between the different versions, and her voice was at its prime".[1]

For the 1986 Verve CD re-issue Ella Fitzgerald at the Opera House, Verve 831-269-2

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

Track listing

1. "It's All Right with Me" (Cole Porter)  – 2:32
2. "Don'cha Go 'Way Mad" (Jimmy Mundy, Illinois Jacquet, Al Stillman)  – 2:42
3. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)  – 3:01
4. "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" (Jack Strachey, Harry Link, Holt Marvell)  – 3:46
5. "Ill Wind" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler)  – 2:47
6. "Goody Goody" (Johnny Mercer, Matty Malneck)  – 1:54
7. "Moonlight in Vermont" (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn)  – 3:06
8. "Them There Eyes" (Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, William Tracey)  – 2:08
9. "Stompin' at the Savoy" (Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Chick Webb, Andy Razaf)  – 5:14

Tracks 1-9 recorded in stereo on the 29th of September 1957 at the Chicago Opera House.

10. "It's All Right with Me"  – 2:45
11. "Don'cha Go Way Mad"  – 2:31
12. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"  – 3:22
13. "These Foolish Things"  – 3:49
14. "Ill Wind"  – 2:53
15. "Goody Goody"  – 1:55
16. "Moonlight in Vermont"  – 3:15
17. "Stompin' at the Savoy"  – 7:15
18. "Oh, Lady Be Good!" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)  – 4:25

Tracks 10-18 recorded in mono on the 7th of October 1957 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles.

Personnel

Tracks 1-8, 10-16

• Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
• Oscar Peterson - Piano
• Herb Ellis - Guitar
• Ray Brown - Bass
• Jo Jones - Drums

Tracks 9, 17-18

• Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals
• Oscar Peterson - Piano
• Herb Ellis - Guitar
• Ray Brown - Bass
• Connie Kay - Drums
• Roy Eldridge - Trumpet
• J. J. Johnson - Trombone
• Sonny Stitt - Alto Sax
• Lester Young - Tenor Sax
• Illinois Jacquet - Tenor Sax
• Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Sax
• Stan Getz - Tenor Sax
• Flip Phillips - Tenor Sax

See also

• Stan Getz and J. J. Johnson at the Opera House (Verve, 1957)
• The Modern Jazz Quartet and the Oscar Peterson Trio at the Opera House (Verve, 1957)

References

1. Yanow, Scott. "Ella at the Opera House > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
2. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.