Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book (Acoustic Sounds)

Released in 1956 as the first album on the newly established Verve label—and now reissued on almost the exact same date 70 years after it was first issued—Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book inaugurated Fitzgerald’s Song Book series and marked the beginning of her extended focus on composers associated with the Great American Songbook. 

Produced by Norman Granz, the sessions paired Fitzgerald with arranger and conductor Buddy Bregman and a studio orchestra, establishing the large-ensemble format that characterized the early Song Book recordings.

The two-LP set presents 32 songs drawn from Cole Porter’s catalog, from “All Through the Night” to “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love” to “What Is This Thing Called Love?”. Recorded across February and March of 1956, the album frames Ella’s immaculate phrasing and clarity with polished West Coast orchestration that blends swing, ballad writing, and classic Hollywood sheen, emphasizing the lyrical wit and melodic elegance of Porter’s writing.

Celebrated upon release and formative in shaping both Verve’s identity and Ella’s artistic trajectory, it remains a cornerstone of her discography and a defining document of 20th century American popular interpretation.

Verve’s Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Tracklist

LP 1
Side A

1. All Through the Night
2. Anything Goes
3. Miss Otis Regrets
4. Too Darn Hot
5. In the Still of the Night
6. I Get a Kick Out of You
7. Do I Love You?
8. Always True to You in My Fashion

Side B

1. Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love
2. Just One of Those Things
3. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye
4. All of You
5. Begin the Beguine
6. Get Out of Town
7. I Am in Love
8. From This Moment On

LP 2
Side C

1. I Love Paris
2. You Do Something to Me
3. Ridin’ High
4. You’d Be So Easy to Love
5. It’s All Right with Me
6. Why Can’t You Behave?
7. What Is This Thing Called Love?
8. You’re the Top

Side D

1. Love for Sale
2. It’s De-Lovely
3. Night and Day
4. Ace in the Hole
5. So in Love
6. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
7. I Concentrate on You
8. Don’t Fence Me In