In 1957, the greatest composer and bandleader in all of American music, Duke Ellington, went into the recording studio for the first time with the most miraculous of all jazz singers, Ella Fitzgerald. The resulting album, Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Duke Ellington Songbook, was the beginning of a decades-long collaboration that pooled together their artistic imaginations and star power in incredibly creative ways. It's time to explore the entire history of the sainted collaboration and their legendary work like never before.

Join New York Adventure Club as we take a deep dive into the historic collaborations of jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. In Part II, we'll explore the legendary musical collaboration between Ella and Duke Ellington, and their body of work that is more magnificent than anything either of them had achieved on their own.

Led by award-winning author Will Friedwald — one of the most respected and widely-read historians of music and popular culture — our epic virtual experience and conversation around these jazz greats will include:

• The great Ellington songs that Ella made shine even brighter, from well-known classics like Take the A Train to lesser known gems like Lush Life
• A discussion of Ella and Duke's first TV appearance
• Stories of their music companies touring Europe in the 1960s
• A look at some of their greatest collaborative albums, including Ella At Duke's Place (1966) and Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald At The Cote D'Azur (1966)
• An analysis of amazing performances from all over the world, such as Stockholm, Paris, Hollywood, and other far-flung locales
• How Ella connected with Duke's sidemen, from such legendary musicians Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, and Ben Webster, to Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, and other fabulous "Ellingtonians"

Afterward, we'll have a Q&A with Will — any and all questions about Ella Fitzgerald or Duke Ellington are welcomed and encouraged!

Can't make it live? Don't worry, you'll have access to the full replay for one week!

See you there, virtually!

*Immediately upon registering, you will receive a separate, automated email containing the link to join this webinar

**For the best possible viewing experience, please ensure you're using the latest version of your internet browser — Google Chrome is the most compatible. Exact technical requirements and a webinar user guide will be shared in the automated confirmation email upon registration.

***A full replay of the experience will be available to all registered guests for up to a week

About Will

Will Friedwald is a featured arts writer for The Wall Street Journal and Vanity Fair, and the award-winning author of ten books on music and popular culture, including the new Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole, as well as A Biographical Guide To The Great Jazz And Pop Singers, Sinatra: The Song Is You, Stardust Melodies, Tony Bennett: The Good Life, Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies, and Jazz Singing. He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received ten Grammy nominations, and appears frequently on television and other documentaries. He is also a consultant and curator for Apple Music.

Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks Series

Part I: George & Ira Gershwin

Part II: Duke Ellington

Part III: Nat King Cole & Cole Porter

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Categories: Virtual, Art & Entertainment