SEATTLE and LOS ANGELES; - To celebrate what would have been Ella Fitzgerald's 90th birthday, Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Records are co-releasing "Love Letters From Ella," a collection of never-before-released love songs. Recorded with some of her favorite collaborators, including Count Basie and his Orchestra, Joe Pass, and André Previn, "Love Letters From Ella" also pairs the singer with The London Symphony Orchestra for the first time. The CD will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and traditional music retail beginning on July 31, 2007. "As we've been sorting through our vaults we came across these masterful tracks Ella recorded that had surprisingly never been released before," said Glen Barros, President and CEO of Concord Music Group.
SEATTLE and LOS ANGELES; - To celebrate what would have been Ella Fitzgerald's 90th birthday, Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Records are co-releasing "Love Letters From Ella," a collection of never-before-released love songs. Recorded with some of her favorite collaborators, including Count Basie and his Orchestra, Joe Pass, and André Previn, "Love Letters From Ella" also pairs the singer with The London Symphony Orchestra for the first time. The CD will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and traditional music retail beginning on July 31, 2007. "As we've been sorting through our vaults we came across these masterful tracks Ella recorded that had surprisingly never been released before," said Glen Barros, President and CEO of Concord Music Group. "Producer Gregg Field did an amazing job enhancing these recordings and the end result is a truly remarkable record that we are very proud to be releasing with Starbucks."
"Ella Fitzgerald is one of the greatest vocalists in history and it gives us great pleasure to participate in this celebration of her life and artistry," said Ken Lombard, president Starbucks Entertainment. "We are proud to collaborate with Concord Music Group to offer these amazing, never-before-heard recordings from an American original both at Starbucks locations and traditional retail."
The magical 10-track CD, mixed in high-definition audio, includes Ella and Basie swinging "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone," an intimate duet between Joe Pass and Fitzgerald on "The One I Love" and a playful performance of "Our Love is Here to Stay" with pianist André Previn. "Love Letters From Ella" also features the celebrated singer accompanied by The London Symphony Orchestra on a stirring rendition of "Cry Me a River." The London Symphony Orchestra recorded the accompaniment, arranged by 24-time GRAMMY® Award-nominee Jorge Calandrelli, at Abbey Road studios in London.
"Love Letters From Ella" also served as an inspiration for the upcoming PBS broadcast "We Love Ella! A Tribute to the First Lady of Song," a GREAT PERFORMANCES special from Thirteen/WNET New York that will be premiering on Wednesday, June 6 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). Natalie Cole will host the event, which also features performances by Patti Austin, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Ruben Studdard, Nancy Wilson, Wynonna, and Monica Mancini. The program, directed by David Horn, also includes interviews, anecdotes, a slideshow, and never-before-released vocal tracks by Ella. The concert was co-produced by Phil Ramone, Gregg Field, and Mitch Owgang and taped on April 29, 2007 at the University of Southern California's Galen Center.
Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Music Group's past co-releases include Ray Charles' "Genius Loves Company," which to date has sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide and won an unsurpassed eight GRAMMY® Awards including Album of the Year, and Sergio Mendes' "Timeless," which won a Latin GRAMMY® Award for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album of the Year and to date is on its way to selling a million copies worldwide. Like "Genius Loves Company" and "Timeless," "Love Letters From Ella" will be co-released at Starbucks locations and traditional music channels simultaneously.
Track Listing:
- "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" (w/ Count Basie and his Orchestra)
- "Cry Me a River" (w/ London Symphony Orchestra)
- "You Turned the Tables on Me"
- "I've Got the World on a String" (w/ London Symphony Orchestra and Joe Pass)
- "Witchcraft"
- "My Old Flame" (w/ London Symphony Orchestra)
- "The One I Love" (w/ Joe Pass)
- "Take Love Easy" (w/ London Symphony Orchestra and Joe Pass)
- "Our Love is Here to Stay" (w/ André Previn)
- "Some Other Spring" (w/ Count Basie and his Orchestra)
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