Ella In Rome - The Birthday Concert

God Bless Norman Granz — for roughly 25 years, he taped dozens and dozens of Fitzgerald concerts, and as recently as 2009, Universal Music was still unearthing "new," previously unissued concert tapes to release (i.e., the four-CD box Twelve Nights in Hollywood). Even amidst gems like her highly successful concert albums taped at the Cote D'Azur, Juan Les Pins, Mr. Kelly's in Chicago, and her 1966 tour with Duke Ellington, the 1958 Rome concert is a standout. It was first issued near the end of Fitzgerald's life to universal acclaim, and has since been heralded as one of her all-time greatest live sets. She begins with "St. Louis Blues," a rare and excellent example of Fitzgerald singing a traditional 12-bar blues, which starts slow and steamy before the singer kicks it into high gear.