Photo Credit: Verve Records / Universal Music Group
Verve Records releases a never-before-released live concert album from Ella Fitzgerald, recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1967.
The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum from Verve Records is out now on all formats. The recordings were mixed and mastered from the original analog multi-track tapes, resulting in pristine high-fidelity audio typically unheard of for a live concert recording of that era.
The album was recorded at the Oakland Coliseum on June 30, 1967, and was recently unearthed in the private tape collection of Verve Records founder Norman Granz. Comprising nine tracks, most of them never heard before, the album features Ella Fitzgerald accompanied by members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra at its prime. The resulting recordings underscore Ella’s reputation as a renowned live performer.
This live album marks an interesting time in Ella’s career. In the summer of 1967, she was in the middle of an especially rewarding three-year tour run and recording collaboration with Duke Ellington. She was incorporating hit pop songs of the late ‘60s into her concert repertoire — two of which are presented for the first time on record: “Alfie” and “Music to Watch Girls By.”
Encouraged by members of The Duke Ellington Orchestra on stage with her, Ella is both playful and powerful. She cracks jokes with the audience before stunning them with her unrivaled voice. Her band includes the rarely heard but hard-swinging trio of Jimmy Jones, Bob Cranshaw, and Sam Woodyard. The Ellington ban, captured here at its peak, features Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, and Russell Procope.
The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum Tracklist
- “The Moment of Truth” (2:52)
- “Don’t Be That Way” (4:33)
- “You’ve Changed” (4:37)
- “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)” (4:43)
- “Bye Bye Blackbird” (5:02)
- “Alfie” (5:43)
- “In a Mellow Tone” (4:41)
- “Music To Watch Girls By” (3:56)
- “Mack The Knife” (4:53)
