Ella in Japan

Ella Fitzgerald reigns supreme as one of the great, if not the greatest, singers of all time. She was a prolific performer, both on stage and in the studio and, as we saw in late 2009, with the release of ELLA IN HOLLYWOOD, a 4-CD box set of jaw-dropping unreleased live recordings, a never-ending source of surprises. Prepare to be surprised once again. 'S WONDERFUL: ELLA IN JAPAN, a new release from the acclaimed Verve Select imprint at Hip-oSelect, is a brand-new 2-CD set of previously unheard Ella: On tour in Japan with the Roy Eldridge Quartet in January 1964, she and the band were hailed as American jazz heroes, feted in every city, then recorded over two brilliant nights in Tokyo. She ran through Song Book favorites, a smattering of other classics and Ella's own blues, first at Tokyo's equivalent of Carnegie Hall (Disc 1), then in an invitation-only, late-night gig at a luxury hotel's ballroom, with Japanese entertainers in attendance (Disc 2).