Another remarkable musical treasure has emerged from the vaults of Verve Records – this one a previously unreleased 1967 concert featuring Ella Fitzgerald performing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Discovered in the private collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz, this historic recording has been meticulously mixed and mastered from the original analogue multitrack tapes. The concert captures Fitzgerald at her peak during a fruitful period of touring and recording with Ellington.

It opens with a blistering rendition of ‘The Moment of Truth’, inspired by Tony Bennett’s 1963 recording and featuring Sam Woodyard’s fizzing cymbals. Fitzgerald delivers an irresistibly swinging interpretation of ‘Don’t Be That Way’, hearkening back to her days with Chick Webb, plus a tender reading of the 1941 Carl Fischer/Bill Carey ballad, ‘You’ve Changed’. The album also features Fitzgerald’s first-ever recordings of the hit songs ‘Alfie’ and ‘Music to Watch Girls By’, both delivered with her signature virtuosity. Her playful side shines through in Cole Porter’s ‘Let’s Do It’, where she deftly incorporates contemporary references to The Beatles, The Animals, and Sonny and Cher. For aficionados of her legendary scat singing, the third chorus of ‘Bye Bye Blackbird’ (a song approaching its centennial next year) and Ellington’s ‘In a Mellow Tone’ offer consummate displays of her improvisational genius. Coursing with energy, a rollicking ‘Mack the Knife’ brings proceedings to a spectacular close.