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Even with less than essential bonus material, Ella and Oscar — recorded May 19, 1975 — is a welcome reissue that warrants repeated listening. Bassist Ray Brown, closely associated to both artists, appears on four tracks, but this is a decidedly duo effort that focuses on two close friends who happened to be among jazz's most historic figures.

To call this collection of Great American Songbook standards intimate would be an understatement. Ella and Oscar is a low-key album of small, quiet pleasures. Even during the second half where Brown's bass provides additional rhythmic variety, the focus is squarely on voice and piano. Most of the album's tracks are under five minutes in length. Only on the closing number, "April In Paris," do they really stretch out significantly. Peterson delivers a relaxed but swinging solo. Fitzgerald follows suit with remarkably expressive scatting. Earlier on "When Your Lover Has Gone," she and Peterson trades four bars solos in captivating exchange of melodic ideas. — (via Label)

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Although Ella Fitzgerald worked in many different settings, from big bands to guitar-and-voice duets to sets with nearly every piano player in the business (from Duke Ellington on down), one could make a case that her best recordings were made with Oscar Peterson and his small bands. Released in 1976, Ella and Oscar is one of those classic recordings, an album that's as spare and intimate as any that the pair ever issued. In fact, the only other performer featured on this set is Peterson's longtime bassist Ray Brown, whose contributions are minimal. These songs, from the mellifluous "Mean to Me" to a languid "April in Paris," are simple and beautiful. — (via AllMusic)

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— Pressed on 180g black vinyl
— Housed in Stoughton Printing old style tip-on jacket
— Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape

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Label: Analogue Productions / Pablo Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Stereo, 180g
Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1976
Genre: Jazz

File under: Jazz - Vocals (Audiophile)
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