Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book is a 1956 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, with a studio orchestra conducted and arranged by Buddy Bregman, focusing on songs written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
In 1999, this album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame – a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance".
In 2000, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book was voted number 642 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.
Reception DownBeat assigned the album 5 stars. Dom Cerulli wrote that in any category this release “would rate a ringing five stars . . . Ella sings with a rhythm section, a small group, a big band, and a full size orchestra with strings. There are some really striking performances of R-H songs that have been done and done again in recent years, plus others too rarely done these days . . . This two-record set proves, among other things, that Ella is simply a great vocalist. The polish she applied to these songs and the challenge they posed in range of voice and interpretation could hardly be met by anyone less an artist than she . . . Only when you hear in one big cluster all these remarkable melodies by Richard Rodgers do you realize what a towering figure he is on the popular music scene today. And Larry Hart’s now cute, now whimsical, always happy lyrics have never quite been matched. This one is a must”.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings assigned 4 stars. Colin Larkin wrote, "Ella is so supremely effective on the best tracks that one forgives the occasional blandness in handling Lorenz Hart's wit".
Scott Yanow wrote in his AllMusic review, "The arrangements by Buddy Bregman for the string orchestra and big band only border on jazz but she manages to swing the medium-tempo numbers and give sensitivity to the ballads". Yanow also included it in his list of recommended CDs in his book The Jazz Singers The Ultimate Guide.
Track listing For the 1956 Verve 2-LP album, Verve MG V-4002-2
In 2012, Verve also released an audiophile downloadable version of the LP in up to 192 kHz/24 bit lossless FLAC quality.
Personnel Ella Fitzgerald - Vocals Buddy Bregman - Arranger, Conductor. Liner notes by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, William Simon and Norman Granz.
Charts Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book Chart (2026) Peakposition German Jazz Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 16
References