Ella Fitzgerald, “the First Lady of Song,” had a voice so nuanced that it conveyed vast emotions within the contexts of jazz and soul with unparalleled grace and dignity.
Born April 25, 1917, in Newport News, Va., she grew up in Yonkers, N.Y., working odd jobs — including one as a runner for local gamblers — then, as a teenager, she’d go to Harlem and catch shows at the Apollo. There, in 1934, she won a chance to compete in Amateur Night, and only decided to sing (she was going to dance initially) after a dance group, the Edwards Sisters, did such a great job that she needed to switch gears. Fitzgerald wowed the crowd, and from that moment, her career was set. “I knew I wanted to sing before people the rest of my life,” she once said.
By the mid-1930s, as the frontwoman of Chick Webb’s big band, Fitzgerald started experimenting with her voice, using it as an additional horn in the group in the emerging style that became known as scatting. To this day, her masterful use of it is copied by vocalists the world over. At 21, Fitzgerald became a star with her sprightly version of “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” which sold more than one million copies. Over the next decades, she was a fixture in jazz and entertainment, touring and performing with pretty much everyone of note while cementing her own status as a cornerstone in music.
Fitzgerald’s stature has only grown since then. Here are 16 songs chosen by musicians, authors, curators and scholars who admire the singer’s contributions to art and culture. Find playlists embedded below, and don’t forget to leave your own favorites in the comments.
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‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’
Valerie June, musician and author
Once Cupid’s arrow strikes, falling in love is the easy part. Staying in love is where we get one chance in a lifetime to conjure the best of ourselves with the only true love of our lives. I write this with joy in my soul and sadness in my heart as I dedicate this Ella Fitzgerald song, “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” to my brother and his wife, Rae Marie Hockett. You see, Rae Marie and Jason were high school sweethearts. I wasn’t initially sure if they were a fling or forever. But until death do us part was truly their love story. Last month, Rae passed away suddenly from heart issues at 45. Her life was short but full of love and sweetness. It was like a dream, and their passion tells the tale of longevity and beauty, as we never know how long we get to spend with those we love. Artists like Ella and Count Basie are the forces that hold us together with songs. Once the curtain closes, it might feel like a dream, but every time we hear the song, it reminds us that every moment is real. While my heart beautifully breaks with grief and loss, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” is from Ella to Rae Marie. Love true, love hard, love and let go — it will come back to you.
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‘A-Tisket, A-Tasket’
Yaya Bey, singer-songwriter
I taught art to about 20 5-year-olds at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s after-school program. Asking small children to be quiet, calm and seated for eight hours during the school day is a tall ask, but adding an additional four hours to that is basically impossible. I found this book, “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” based on Ella Fitzgerald’s adaptation of the nursery rhyme. This was the only book the kids would sit still for. Eventually, I would introduce the song to them as well, and it became how we would start our time together each day. Ella’s voice was smooth enough to soothe a classroom full of 5-year-olds but agile enough not to bore them. This song is literally the reason I survived that job, and for that I’m really grateful.
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Find the playlist on Spotify and Apple Music:
‘The Nearness of You’
Ntombenhle Shezi, writer, researcher and documentary filmmaker
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s version of “The Nearness of You” is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. It’s gentle, filled with meaning, and deeply visual. You can almost see the pale moon she sings about — a symbol that could easily stir emotion on its own. But what she’s really saying is: you are more than all of that. More than the moonlight, more than any perfect moment. Just your nearness — the act of being close — carries more weight than any grand gesture.
I found the record in a shop on a main road west of Johannesburg, in a neighborhood still shaped by the lingering history of forced removals. I have heard different versions of the song, and somehow, the song landed differently there. Like a pause in time. Armstrong’s trumpet gives the song the kind of warmth and depth that holds space for Ella’s wispy, intimate vocals. It feels like a slow Sunday afternoon — the kind of song you’d play dancing barefoot in the kitchen, or lying with someone quietly at the end of the night. One line always gets me: “if you’ll only grant me the right / to hold you ever so tight.” It’s not demanding, it’s asking. A quiet permission to love.
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‘You Turned the Tables on Me’
Carolyn Malachi, artist, producer and educator
Who catfished Ella Fitzgerald? That’s the question her performance of “You Turned the Tables on Me” seems to ask — and answer — through sheer interpretive genius. At 58, performing in an intimate 1975 duet with the guitarist Joe Pass, Fitzgerald transforms a 1930s swing-era standard into a meditation on emotional betrayal that feels uncannily present. Her phrasing conveys the sting of a miscalculated right swipe and the slow burn of realization, evoking the familiar cadence of digital-era disappointments: the profile looked good, the conversation flowed — and then came the reveal. Pass’s guitar gently frames her vocal narrative, allowing space for nuance and control. True to form, Fitzgerald, a woman of familiar distinction, resists melodrama, instead layering irony, ownership and resolve into each line. The expressive acuity she displays here marks the kind of artistic excellence to which many, including myself, continually aspire. As both a scholar and practitioner, I return to this performance as a benchmark — a reminder that great artistry transfers lived experience into sound, with grace, intellect and timeless relevance.
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‘Wait Till You See Her’
Paris Strother, producer and composer
My favorite Ella Fitzgerald song is her 1956 rendition of “Wait Till You See Her” from “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book.” It’s a sweet, lullaby-like piece, a delicate retelling of the original show tune where her crystal-clear voice is beautifully highlighted, accompanied just by a soft and subtle electric guitar. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy her vocal mastery; although I adore hearing her swing, I’ve always found this song to be a remarkable representation of her talents.
Part of its sweetness lies in its brevity, and the brief moment exhibits how she illustrates her pieces through texture, tone and timing. Her phrasing perfectly captures the whimsy of describing an indescribable love — a story simply told, but emotionally complex in its delivery. In the context of the album, this song, unlike the lush arrangements on the rest of the tracks, feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s a glimpse at another side of Ella Fitzgerald — a standout in the collection because of the simplicity of its instrumentation. This rendition gets right to the heart of the listener with clean, smooth, warm guitar and Ella, front and center.
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‘In a Sentimental Mood’
Madison McFerrin, singer-songwriter and producer
It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to listen to Ella’s rendition of “In a Sentimental Mood.” All I know is that from her very first note into that chromatic ascent, “the feels” kick in. It’s one thing to sing well, to hit every note pristinely, to recite all of the words correctly, but it’s Ella’s tone, her phrasing that sets her apart from the rest. Ella sings and it’s as if she’s hit the exact frequency that connects to your heart. She could be singing about puppies and I would probably cry. But she’s singing about love — its beauty, its simplicity — and I cry all the same, because Ella’s voice is the voice of my ancestors and their ancestors and every soul who has walked this earth, basking in that sentimental mood. And isn’t that beautiful?
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‘Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered’
Sarah Elizabeth Charles, musician, songwriter and teaching artist
I first heard Ella Fitzgerald’s performance of “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” when I was about 13 years old. I remember being struck by her tone, her storytelling and the way it sounded as if she were sitting in an old leather chair as her voice rang through. Her performance felt familiar and vulnerable, like she was a family member telling me a story. Of course, at the time, I didn’t really understand what the story was about. Listening again today, I’m struck by the way that Ella chronicles the lyrical journey, going from being enamored with someone to realizing that they aren’t right for her. With this arrangement, she tells a story of healing and coming to terms with the reality that she deserves more than what this person is able to give her. It’s such an important lesson that I wish I understood more as a young person: that it’s OK to let those people go. So often, the power of Ella’s voice for me lies in the effortlessness and clarity of her delivery. It’s quite remarkable and has allowed me to learn lessons from her through song that I otherwise may have not been able to hear.
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‘Too Darn Hot’
Jess Solomon, facilitator, cultural worker and comedian
Ella’s voice is so playful and precise on “Too Darn Hot.” It’s like she’s dancing with the band. The song itself is a fast-paced number with cheeky lyrics, and Ella owns it. Her vocal agility, charisma and tone transform this Cole Porter tune into something uniquely hers. For someone new to jazz, it’s a perfect entry point: equal parts charm, skill and sass. As a cultural worker exploring Black feminist humor, I was especially drawn to the sass. The scholar J. Finley theorizes sass as a critical lens to better understand the power of Black women’s humor and humanity, as well as a key element of their expressive repertoire. “Too Darn Hot” feels like a clear example of how Black women use language, style, gesture and intent to create meaning, often with humor, while challenging the norms around them. I love that. And as a perimenopausal woman living on a rapidly warming planet, her refrain hits on multiple levels. It really is too darn hot.
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‘Day Dream’
Niama Safia Sandy, multidisciplinary artist and change agent
As “Day Dream” begins, you enter a soundscape that is somehow bewilderingly harmonious and dissonant at once. The opening instrumentation by Duke Ellington’s orchestra invokes a kind of wide-eyed wonderment. Maybe that is the best way to describe falling in love. At about 20 seconds in, Ella floats onto the track and completely resets the stage. That first moment hearing the sound of her voice sends a vibration to the chest and cascades up the synapses to the ears. It’s centering and yet heady. With her first blue note, Ella firmly but gently demands all of the attention. The orchestra follows her lead and settles into place around her. Her vocals on this track are bright, rich and controlled. An unctuous punctuation here and there by the horn section offsets her lower register. The strings tenderly buoy her voice. The lithe tension between Ella and Billy Strayhorn’s piano is one of the most beautiful and central elements of the tune. This song is a demonstration of all the reasons she is “The First Lady of Song.” Her phrasing is immaculate. There’s always just the right amount of restraint laced with desire. Even at her most heady, the depth of her longing is always pulsing somewhere beneath the color of the sound.
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‘It’s Only a Paper Moon’
anaiis, artist
My mom introduced me to Ella Fitzgerald when I was young. Even as a child, I could tell she had something extraordinary that I then (and perhaps even to this day) couldn’t fully describe but could feel with lasting intensity. I was drawn to Ella’s tone and I apparently stole my mom’s CD, which she was never to see again!
I have been trying to figure out how to speak of this woman, of this remarkable voice, and last night something beautiful happened. I was guided on a midnight walk through a quiet woodland to listen to the birdsong of the nightingale. As I heard them charm with their precision and clarity, all I could think about was Ella Fitzgerald. She, like the nightingale, was a singer of infinite song. Her melodies singular, effortless and full of depth. She was captivating in every syllable and could stir something in you that you didn’t know was there. Listening to her catalog, it’s almost impossible to choose one song over another. She makes each song her own. But when I think of her, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” is the song that plays in my head.
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‘Smooth Sailing’
Michela Marino Lerman, tap dancer, bandleader and choreographer
Ella Fitzgerald’s version of “Smooth Sailing” stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it. It’s soulful, groovy, exuberant, and by the end, I realized — she hadn’t sung a single word. This track is entirely scat, and from what I understand, was one of the first recordings to chart with fully scat vocals from beginning to end. That alone makes it remarkable, but what really gets me is how free and effortless she sounds, like she’s just hanging out and having a great time jamming with the Ray Charles Singers. To me, it’s Ella at her most relaxed and pure. I feel like folks can often take for granted how much mastery it takes to sound that easy, that joyful. I often play this song for my tap students as a lesson in rhythm, swing and improvisation — and it’s impossible not to move to it! I often think of a story one of my mentors, LeRoy Myers, a legendary tap dancer and former manager of the Copasetics, told me: When Ella first came to New York, she showed up at the Apollo to audition as a tap dancer, but switched to singing on the spot after seeing the competition. I can’t help but wonder if her rhythmic genius in scatting came from that same tap dancer’s instinct. This song feels like proof that it did.
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‘Midnight Sun’
YahZarah Oduro, multidisciplinary artist and musician
Ella Fitzgerald’s “Midnight Sun” is a shining example of why she remains one of the greatest vocalists of all time. The song doesn’t shout for attention; it seduces you. From the first note, Ella draws you into a memory that feels both personal and universal. She sings not from heartbreak, but from a place of deep reflection and sensual remembrance. There’s no bitterness, just warmth, elegance, sweet longing and no regrets.
Her voice glides effortlessly over the melody, like she’s talking to you in the softest voice possible, but hitting every note with crystal clarity. If you’ve never listened to Ella, think of the emotion in Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover,” the tenderness of Phyllis Hyman’s “Old Friend” or the passion in Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain.” But Ella does it all with ease, no vocal acrobatics needed. I call her the vocal bible, because her tone, phrasing and control are unmatched. In “Midnight Sun,” she turns memory into melody, and you don’t just hear her, you feel her. It’s a conversation, a diary entry and a timeless mood all in one.
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‘Don’Cha Go ’Way Mad’
China Moses, singer-songwriter, radio broadcaster and producer
This isn’t Ella the untouchable legend. This is Ella at 2 a.m., third-set energy, freed from studio constraints. This is “I lived in Denmark with a partner no one knows” Ella.
“Don’cha Go ’Way Mad” was written for male voices, typically sung by pleading men. Ella transforms Illinois Jacquet’s “Black Velvet” melody into her own cheeky confession — she’s not the victim, she’s the cheater. Listen to that barely suppressed smile as she snaps along to Ed Thigpen’s shuffle. The way Frank de la Rosa’s bass sneaks in mirrors the sentiment of reveling in being the one who stepped out: “Yeah, I cheated, but don’t be mad about it.” There’s something deliciously subversive about hearing America’s musical sweetheart confess to infidelity with such playful defiance.
Ella live is my favorite way to introduce her instrument to a new audience. Her voice isn’t that crystal-clear, forever youthful tone that her monumental “Song Book” recordings have accustomed our ears to. The tempo laid out by Tommy Flanagan enhances this version’s sampleability — I still don’t know how the beat makers missed this one. When she quotes Bizet’s “Carmen” in her gritty, soulful scatting, it’s Ella being mischievous, endorsing the role of the seductive woman. This is Ella when she ignored she was supposed to be perfect.
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‘Under a Blanket of Blue’
Imani Perry, professor and writer
Be patient. Swing with the gravel of Satchmo’s voice in the first verse. Ella is coming soon. She enters gently, with an unusual (though slight) rasp and the title words “Under a Blanket of Blue.” This duet with Louis Armstrong is a jazz standard from their 1956 album “Ella and Louis.” It’s a mid-tempo romantic ballad about a lovers’ tryst, blanketed by midnight skies. Capturing that languid summer nighttime magic, this is not a song in which Ella is her soaring or acrobatic self. Her voice is a rich and easy perfection, like the taste of freshly churned French vanilla ice cream. And still, her clear-as-a-bell tone can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Armstrong was her elder by 17 years; as a child, she’d counted herself a fan of his, and at first it seems as though he is perhaps setting the tone of this recording. But no, because as she sings, his trumpet follows, responding to each line with vampy, trilling, gentle riffs — flourishes on her gift. When the two are finally voice to voice, Ella is still the leader. Satchmo continues responding to her calls — soft-shoe dancing around her notes — and now she has made even him smoother. They end sweetly, and it’s like you can smell the golden trumpets of blooming honeysuckle.
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‘How High the Moon’
Leyla McCalla, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer
I recently saw a quote by Esperanza Spalding that talked about “playing the changes” as a metaphor “for a time and a place and a people who had to perpetually find beauty and purpose and meaning and logic out of this onslaught of changes that you didn’t have control over.” This line of thinking is a powerful framework for understanding Black American music as a road map to liberation. Ella Fitzgerald embodies this metaphor in every song that she sings, but her version of “How High the Moon” displays her stunning agility, tenacity and mastery of a musical vocabulary that seamlessly connects us to our own sense of possibility. It almost feels like she breaks through the ceiling of what we think of as transcendence and is about as close as music can get to feeling like flying.
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‘Cry Me a River’
Cecily Bumbray, singer-songwriter
Even before any words come out of her mouth, Ella is already pulling us by our heartstrings. Her voice glides in between the bass and guitar, gentle and soaring like a paper airplane on the breeze, dipping and diving, creating hills, valleys and plateaus. When the words begin, she alternates between giving us the smooth silkiness of a crooner and the rooted vocal throes of a blues singer.
As a vocalist, I am always thrilled by Ella Fitzgerald’s effortless control of her instrument, how she switches from straight tones to wide vibrato and from clear high notes to gritty low notes just in one phrase. After the bridge going into the third A section, she says, “And now you say, you say you love me,” and just in that phrase you hear her longing for that love to be true, as well as her annoyance with the timing of this admission, a little too late.
In this tune, you hear a touch of everything that makes her one-of-a-kind: Her unmatched sense of rhythm; a natural tonality that feels wrapped in cotton; inventive, yet somehow just right, improvisation; and storytelling, which is the main duty of any true vocalist.
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The post 5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Ella Fitzgerald appeared first on New York Times.
