Product Description:
Personnel: Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Joe Pass (guitar).
Recorded at Group IV Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California on February 25 and 28, 1986. Includes original release liner notes by Benny Green.
Digitally remastered by George Horn (1987, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).
Recorded in early 1986, toward the end of Ella Fitzgerald's studio career, EASY LIVING is among the singer's quietest and most intimate recordings. Essentially a duet album with her longtime compatriot, guitarist Joe Pass, EASY LIVING, true to its title, finds the pair in a relaxed mood, tossing off jazz standards with a pleasing, casual feel. The material is first rate, with classics like "My Ship" and "On Green Dolphin Street" alongside bluesier material like the Billie Holiday-identified "My Man," "Why Don't You Do Right?," and a relaxed, swinging take of "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance (With You)." Pass's cool, Wes Montgomery-influenced playing and economical solos are remarkable throughout, with the latter placed perfectly in service to the songs.
