Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong - 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong (2007)

Since the introduction of the compact disc, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's musical collaborations have been anthologized on more than twenty different albums. Released during the summer of 2007, this Verve Millenium Collection contains only ten tracks but covers a wider-than-average time span by including two numbers that were recorded long before the famous and often reissued Ella & Louis sessions of 1956 and 1957. "The Frim Fram Sauce" comes from a Decca date that took place on January 18, 1946, with accompaniment by an orchestra under the leadership of bassist Bob Haggart. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" was also waxed for Decca, on August 25, 1950, with Sy Oliver leading the band. The rest of these delightful duets were gathered from four different Verve sessions supervised by Norman Granz between August 16, 1956 and August 18, 1957. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong blended beautifully, and this mini-history of their collaborative artistic relationship should encourage closer inspection and further exploration of their combined discographies.