Ella and Louis

Recording history and tape provenance

Norman Granz had become Fitzgerald's manager and founded Verve Records in part to record her. On August 15, 1956, Fitzgerald and Armstrong both appeared at Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The next day, with no rehearsal time, Granz took them to Capitol Studios with the Oscar Peterson Quartet. They recorded the whole album in one session.

Granz gave Armstrong final say over song selection and keys. Fitzgerald sang every song in Armstrong's key, even where it did not suit her own voice. The eleven tracks are ballads and mid-tempo standards by writers including Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Hoagy Carmichael.

Val Valentin recorded the session on a three-track Ampex machine. The album was mixed and issued in mono, and no stereo mix has been released.

Original Verve pressings (1956)

Verve MG V-4003 was first pressed in October 1956 on deep-groove orange and yellow labels, per its Discogs entry. The front cover is laminated, with a paste-on back slick. The runouts are stamped MGV 4003 A and MGV 4003 B. Phil Stern took the cover photographs.

A 1957 repress uses the orange and black "T" label, pressed in Indianapolis. The catalogue number also appears as MGV-4003 or MGV 4003 depending on the copy.

A later 1950s repress uses a black and silver "T" label. It is described as sonically comparable, since it comes from the same metalwork.

The album sold well, and many copies were played hard on basic equipment. Clean originals better than VG+ are difficult to find, and near-mint copies are expensive.

UK original: His Master's Voice CLP 1098 (December 1956)

His Master's Voice CLP 1098 was manufactured by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. under licence and issued in the UK in December 1956. Its runouts read MGV 4003-A-1N and MGV 4003-B-1N. No sound comparison with the US original has been published, so it is best treated as a collectible period pressing.

French Barclay pressing

A collector account on jazzcollector.com describes a French Barclay pressing made from the original US Verve stampers, on heavier vinyl than the US pressing. The writer reports that it sounds very good. Its cover uses a different frame from the same photo session, with Fitzgerald and Armstrong in slightly different positions.

Discogs lists Barclay 80052 as "Ella Et Louis" from 1956. It marks the 1959 and 1962 Barclay reissues as alternate sleeves. Which Barclay issue the collector account describes is not stated.

The reissue hierarchy

Analogue Productions AVRJ 4003-45 (2011)

Analogue Productions AVRJ 4003-45 is a mono 2LP set at 45rpm, originally on 200g vinyl, in a gatefold. Acoustic Sounds credits the mastering to George Marino at Sterling Sound and the pressing to Quality Record Pressings. A later repress is on 180g vinyl.

Fred Kaplan praised it in both Stereophile and Slate on release, as quoted by Acoustic Sounds. 45 RPM Audiophile compared it with the 2022 Acoustic Sounds Series LP and preferred the 45rpm set for soundstage and bass. The reviewer attributes the gap to the 45rpm format, not to weaker mastering on the newer LP.

Verve Acoustic Sounds Series B0033748-01 (2022)

Verve B0033748-01 is a 180g mono LP in a tip-on gatefold, released in July 2022. It was mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog tapes and pressed at Quality Record Pressings. The catalogue number is from retailer listings such as Plaid Room Records.

AnalogPlanet's Mark Smotroff rated it 10/11 for music and 8/11 for sound. He notes that the labels reproduce an early orange and yellow Verve design used on some pressings of the period.

Owner reviews on its Discogs page describe flat, quiet vinyl and a wide, deep image for a mono record. A few owners report surface pops or slight warps on individual copies. One owner compared it with a 1979 French Verve box set. The new edition was less sibilant, but the owner preferred the older set's more open vocals.

WCB Jazz Vinyl compared it with an original pressing. He found the original good for its age. The new edition gave Armstrong's voice more texture and attack, notably on his entrance in "Isn't This a Lovely Day."

Speakers Corner 009 4003 (2000)

Speakers Corner 009 4003 is a 180g mono LP with replica black and silver "T" labels without the ® mark. Owner reviews on its Discogs page are positive. One owner who compared it with the 2022 Acoustic Sounds Series LP preferred the Speakers Corner. It is out of print.

Supersense Archival Tape Edition No. 7 (2022)

The Supersense Archival Tape Edition No. 7 comes from a Vienna-based label, per its product page. Each copy is a hand-cut lacquer, cut directly from an unedited 1:1 copy of the original tape without remastering. It was the label's first mono release. The package includes a cyanotype print and other printed material.

It is a numbered, limited edition aimed at collectors who want to hear the tape without a conventional mastering chain. Two owner reviews on its Discogs page are positive, citing a lifelike image and high detail. Prices vary widely.

Pressings to avoid

Verve reissued the album in the US in 1961 as V-4003. In 1975 Verve UK retitled it The Special Magic of Ella & Louis (2317 085). Angel issued it in Japan in 1957 as HV-1004.

Many European reissues from the 1960s to the 1980s appeared on Verve and MGM-distributed labels in the Netherlands, Italy and elsewhere. They are licensed releases of variable but usually acceptable quality, and fine as budget copies. One Dutch 1970s reissue is an example.

Some copies carry a "Stereo" label although the recording is mono. At least one Dutch MGM-era reissue has a "Stereo" label with back-cover text reading "Mono." These are labelling errors, not a stereo mix.

Buyer's guide by budget

$: The Verve Acoustic Sounds Series LP (2022). Strong mastering and a deluxe gatefold at a modest price.

$$$$: The Analogue Productions 45rpm 2LP. Preferred to the 2022 LP in the 45 RPM Audiophile comparison.

$$$$$: A clean original Verve MG V-4003 on orange and yellow labels, or the 1957 orange and black "T" repress. Presentable copies take patience to find.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/173462-Ella-Fitzgerald-And-Louis-Armstrong-Ella-And-Louis
• Acoustic Sounds, "Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Ella and Louis – 45 RPM Vinyl Record": https://store.acousticsounds.com/d/67241
• AnalogPlanet, "Ella And Louis Serve Up Sweet 'N' Salty Vocals With a Side of Rich Trumpet for This Terrific Verve & Acoustic Sounds Mono 180g LP Reissue": https://www.analogplanet.com/content/ella-and-louis-serve-sweet-n-salty-vocals-side-rich-trumpet-terrific-verve-acoustic-sounds
• Plaid Room Records, "Ella Fitzgerald – Ella & Louis [Verve Acoustic Sounds Series]": https://www.plaidroomrecords.com/products/ella-fitzgerald-ella-louis-verve-acoustic-sounds-series
• jazzcollector.com, "Ella and Louis as Rare Jazz Vinyl": https://jazzcollector.com/blue-note/ella-and-louis-as-rare-jazz-vinyl/
• 45 RPM Audiophile, "Acoustic Sound Series: Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong vs Analogue Production 45 rpm": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuVJpQmO73c
• WCB Jazz Vinyl, "Top Jazz Vinyl Reissues of 2022": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us5Z8DiRNNw
• Supersense, "Archival Tape Edition No. 7: Ella & Louis": https://the.supersense.com/products/archival-tape-edition-no-7-ella-louis

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