The Songbooks recorded by Ella Fitzgerald during the 50s and 60s make up one of the great historical landmarks of jazz. First off, they are, like the Capitol recordings by Frank Sinatra--irresistible. These are some of the best popular songs ever written, sung by one of the finest voices jazz has known. The arrangements and bands, written and led by people like Billy May, Nelson Riddle and Duke Ellington were without flaw. The tracks include one of the most expensive assemblies of jazz stars one could imagine--including the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Buddy de Franco, Ben Webster, Harry Edison, Barney Kessel, Stuff Smith, Willie Smith and Bob Cooper. Impresario Norman Granz, whose idea it was, organised the sessions without caring about the cost, and so every aspect of the recordings is the best possible. The original books spread over about 20 LPs or a dozen CDs. This CD crystallises the best, from the elegant, as typified by the heart-breaking "Miss Otis Regrets", to the frantically hot, when Ben Webster and Stuff Smith tumble over themselves on "Cottontail". Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" was a hit in 1957 that came to symbolise Ella's work for a generation. --Steve Voce