Ella Fitzgerald, often referred to as the “First Lady of Song,” and Joe Pass, a legendary jazz guitarist, collaborated on four duet albums together. This album, their second, has endured as a classic in the jazz canon, remaining highly regarded by jazz enthusiasts and musicians alike. Fitzgerald’s performance on this album, released in 1976, won her the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Fitzgerald’s celebrated musicianship remained exceptional after four decades in the limelight, and her ability to get inside the meaning of a lyric and convey it to an audience had been woefully underestimated. Pass, who gets to display the subtler aspects of his own virtuosity and his overlooked strengths as an accompanist, was the perfect partner for an effort where the relaxed “after hours” feeling intensified the level of communication. Duke Ellington’s songbook is generously represented by four titles, “‘Tis Autumn” and “Tennessee Waltz” are transformed, and there are spellbinding wordless performances of “Rain” and “One Note Samba.”

Cut from existing metal parts mastered by Doug Sax from the original analog master tape, and pressed at Quality Record Pressings for optimal sound quality, this Analogue Productions 180-gram reissue is a must-have for jazz fans. Housed in a single pocket Stoughton Printing tip-on jacket.