1. Talent
AND
Good
Representation:
Discussing
the
Development
of
Ella
Fitzgerald’s
Career
under
Norman
Granz’s
Management
Nicole
Crawford
Ella
Fitzgerald,
known
as
the
First
Lady
of
Song,
began
her
career
as
a
shy,
badly
dressed
singer
with
a
voice
that
commanded
attention
and
welcomed
all
people
as
friends.
She
found
a
family
in
her
fellow
musicians
who
took
very
good
care
of
her.
In
fact,
without
them,
Fitzgerald
would
not
have
become
the
First
Lady
of
Song
at
all.
Chick
Webb,
her
adoptive
father,
was
one
of
Fitzgerald’s
first
major
protectors
and
supporters.
However,
along
with
her
first
manager
Moe
Gale
and
producers
at
Decca
Records,’
Webb’s
vision
was
short-­‐sighted
and
limited.
Yet,
Webb’s
influence
in
Fitzgerald’s
life
was
foundationally
important
to
her
life.
Norman
Granz
though,
was
the
one
who
ultimately
made
it
possible
for
her
to
have
a
life-­‐long,
successful
career
with
creative
freedom
to
boot.
Norman
Granz’s
role
in
Ella’s
career
is
not
well
understood.
In
this
study,
I
use
interviews
by
fellow
musicians,
friends
and
even
Granz
himself,
to
show
the
importance
of
his
vision
for
her:
to
ensure
the
“household
name”
had
a
paycheck
to
match.1
By
looking
at
her
first
major
success,
“A-­‐Tisket,
A-­‐Tasket,”
Fitzgerald’s
great
taste
and
capabilities
are
obvious;
Granz
recognized
this,
brought
it
out
and
capitalized
on
it.
I
will
show
Granz’
influence
by
analyzing
Fitzgerald’s
live
recording
of
“Mack
the
Knife”
in
Berlin
and
thereafter
the
awards
for
Best
Solo
Recording,
Female
Vocalist
and
Best
Female
Vocalist,
Jazz.
In
order
to
give
a
clear
depiction
of
Fitzgerald’s
growth
as
an
artist,
I
will
also
be
performing
a
portion
of
“A-­‐Tisket,
A-­‐Tisket”
in
contrast
to
the
recording
of
”Mack
the
Knife.”
1
Wyman,
39.

2. Discussing
the
Development
of
Ella
Fitzgerald’s
Career
under
Norman
Granz’s
Management
Ella
Fitzgerald
is
among
the
most
famous
jazz
vocalists
of
the
twentieth
century.
She
had
a
very
long
career,
“[spanning]
seven
decades.”2
“Her
repertoire
included:
swing,
jazz,
bebop”
and
more.
3
Beginning
as
a
poor
girl
from
Harlem,
Ella
was
noticed
at
local
talent
shows
by
musicians
such
as
Benny
Carter.
The
encouragement
and
help
from
those
who
saw
her
great
talent
made
her
career.
One
person
in
particular,
had
a
very
large
influence.
That
man
was
Norman
Granz.
Controversy
continues
over
how
big
his
role
really
was.
Some
believe
Ella
had
almost
no
say
in
her
career,
seeing
Granz
as
a
master
puppeteer.
Yet,
this
view
seems
to
undervalue
her
talent.
Some
of
the
confusion
comes
from
Ella’s
reluctance
to
speak
about
her
music
and
career.
From
my
analysis
of
the
situation,
the
secret
to
Ella’s
success
was
her
raw
talent,
grown
and
developed
by
great
musicians
around
her,
and
Norman
Granz’s
business
savvy
to
advance
both
of
their
careers.
Granz
did
more
to
advance
Fitzgerald’s
career
than
any
other
manager.
Under
Granz’s
management,
“Ella
performed
and
recorded
profusely,
progressing
from
a
jazz
star
to
a
world-­‐renowned
icon
of
both
jazz
and
popular
singing.”4
Of
course,
none
of
this
would
make
any
difference
whatsoever
if
Ella
didn’t
have
any
talent.
To
ignore
this
part
of
her
career’s
development
would
be
shortsighted.
In
order
to
accurately
look
at
the
growth
of
Fitzgerald’s
career,
I
will
analyze
stylistic
and
musicianship
differences
between
“A-­‐Tisket,
A-­‐Tasket,”
recorded
in
her
Chick
Webb
days,
and
“Mack
the
Knife,”
recorded
under
2
Ella
Fitzgerald:
The
Singer,
Not
the
Song,
Films
On
Demand,
1998,
Accessed
April
24,
2016,
fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=106564&xtid=12116.
(3’14”).
3
Lynda
Lane,
“Ella
Fitzgerald
will
live
on
in
our
hearts,
thanks
to
the
musical
legacy
she
left,”
Philadelphia
Tribune
113/42
(Jun
21,
1996).
6–E.
4
Norman
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion
(Westport:
Praeger
Publishers,
2004),
91.

3. the
management
of
Norman
Granz.
I
will
address
Ella’s
musical
education
by
way
of
her
fellow
musicians,
including
her
dive
into
bebop.
To
have
a
better
picture
of
Norman
Granz’s
management
style,
I
will
reference
interviews
with
musicians
who
worked
alongside
Granz
and
Fitzgerald,
as
well
as
friends
of
Ella
at
the
time.
I
hope
to
shed
light
on
the
mysteries
of
Ella
Fitzgerald’s
talents
and
how
Norman
Granz
was
able
to
draw
them
out
and
encourage
her
as
a
musician,
ultimately
elevating
her
to
“First
Lady
of
Song.”
Fitzgerald’s
time
performing
in
Chick
Webb’s
orchestra
was
pivotal
for
her
career.
In
the
big
band
era,
vocalists
were
commonly
considered
“eye
candy”
rather
than
being
a
key
member
in
the
band;
Ella
Fitzgerald
was
one
of
the
exceptions.5
According
to
Carolyn
Wyman
in
her
book
Ella
Fitzgerald:
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
“Her
voice
was
fresh
and
wholesome,
her
delivery
simple,
and
she
had
a
sure
sense
of
rhythm
as
well
as
an
ability
to
communicate
warmth
and
joy
through
music,”
making
her
popular
among
her
peers.6
Webb
saw
this
and,
wanting
his
band
to
succeed
financially,
fitted
the
band’s
performances
to
her
talents
by
having
his
arrangers
create
“musical
landscapes”
specifically
for
her.7
This
was
beneficial
for
the
band
as
well
as
Fitzgerald.
She
would
learn
a
lot
while
performing
with
Webb,
mostly
from
fellow
band
members.
Fitzgerald
decided,
“If
the
musicians
like
what
I
do,
then
I
feel
I’m
really
singing.”8
Well,
the
musicians’
tastes
were
good,
because
in
1937,
she
was
voted
best
female
vocalist
in
Down
Beat
Magazine.9
She
also
became
a
famous
songwriter
in
this
era,
writing
“A-­‐
Tisket,
A-­‐
Tasket”
for
Chick
Webb.
5
Carolyn
Wyman,
Ella
Fitzgerald:
Jazz
Singer
Supreme
(New
York:
Franklin
Watts,
1993),
36.
6
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
29.
7
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
100.
8
Cited
in
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
37.
9
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
36.

4. “A-­‐Tisket,
A-­‐Tasket,”
written
by
Fitzgerald
and
arranged
by
Van
Alexander
in
1938,
was
the
“only
recording
[Ella
Fitzgerald
and
Chick
Webb]
did.
.
.
.
to
rise
to
number
one
on
the
charts”10
and
it
is
a
display
of
Ella’s
character
and
musical
style
from
the
beginning.
Fitzgerald
prioritized
her
family–mostly
fellow
musicians
as
her
parents
had
died
by
this
time.
Her
care
for
them
can
be
seen
in
the
making
of
this
silly
song.
In
Chick
Webb’s
declining
health,
Ella
was
trying
to
cheer
him
up.
Nicknamed
“Sis,”
Ella’s
bond
with
her
fellow
musicians
is
also
shown
in
the
call
and
response
section
of
“A-­‐Tisket,
A-­‐Tasket”
as
the
band
mimics
her
whining.
It
didn’t
matter
whether
she
was
pretending
to
be
a
naïve
little
girl–not
a
major
stretch
based
on
Paul
Smith’s
account11
–she
decided,
“They’re
swinging
everything
else—why
not?”12
Even
with
the
song’s
childish
nature,
Fitzgerald
“established
a
legitimacy”
to
it,
proving
herself
to
be
a
Grade
A
performer.13
Norman
David
in
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion
says,
“Ella’s
youthful
voice,
coupled
with
her
natural
and
charming
innocence
as
she
delivered
the
uncomplicated
words
and
catchy
melody,
were
highly
attractive
to
the
general
listening
public”:
this
would
make
her
a
nationwide
talent.14
The
fact
this
success
happened
once
Ella
was
given
the
freedom
to
be
a
part
of
the
creative
process,
shows
just
how
important
it
was
for
things
to
continue
pressing
on
in
this
way.
By
having
arrangements
feature
Ella
and
playing
non-­‐jazz
music,
Webb’s
band
was
able
to
play
to
bigger
audiences
and
musicians
were
kept
busy
with
good
work.
In
a
time
where
commercialization
of
performance
halls
made
it
difficult
for
artists
to
“get
in
the
money,”
this
10
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
78.
11
Tad
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old
Man
Standing
Next
to
Ella
Fitzgerald,”
in
Norman
Granz:
The
Man
Who
Used
Jazz
for
Justice
(Berkeley,
CA:
University
of
California
Press),
227.
12
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
39.
13
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
78.
14
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
79.

5. was
incredibly
hard
to
do.
Christopher
Small,
author
of
Musicking:
The
Meanings
of
Performing
and
Listening
describes
commercialization
of
concert
halls
like
this:
“those
who
profit
from
their
labors
should
have
an
interest
in
keeping
their
numbers
low…
to
protect
the
status
of
the
profession
and
to
maintain
the
price
of
their
services
by
restricting
numbers.”15
Consider
racism
also
and
how
much
harder
it
would
be
to
get
into
an
already
small
market
as
a
black
group.
But
this
didn’t
stop
the
growth
of
Ella’s
career.
From
the
beginning
she
had
“an
instinctive
sense
of
rhythm,
pitch
and
harmony
and
precise
intonation.
She
could
improvise
off
the
rhythm
or
the
melody.”16
People’s
desire
to
help
move
her
along
in
her
career
because
of
these
abilities,
would
make
her
a
star.
After
the
death
of
Chick
Webb
and
the
later
break
down
of
the
band,
Ella
Fitzgerald
was
invited
to
a
series
of
tours
around
the
country;
first
to
Dizzy
Gillespie’s
bebop
tour,
then
to
Norman
Granz’s
Jazz
at
the
Philharmonic
tour.
During
Dizzy
Gillespie’s
tour
Fitzgerald
became
a
widely
respected
and
celebrated
jazz
musician,
mastering
scat
singing.
She
once
said,
“bop
musicians
have
more
to
say
than
any
other
musicians
playing
today.
They
know
what
they’re
doing.”17
As
in
Chick’s
band,
Ella
respected
her
fellow
musicians
abilities
and
was
always
learning
from
them.
Dizzy
once
said,
“When
I
showed
her
the
way
that
I
played,
.
.
.
she
just
picked
up
on
it.”18
Bebop
being
harmonically
rigorous
demanded
that
Ella’s
already
great
ear
for
music
get
even
better.
While
Ella
studied
Dizzy’s
style,
she
played
with
it,
making
it
her
own.
15
Christopher
Small,
Musicking:
the
meanings
of
performing
and
listening
(Hanover:
University
Press
of
New
England,
1998),
31.
16
Quote
from
Quincy
Jones
in
“At
75,
Ella
Fitzgerald
is
a
true
role
model
in
song,”
Telegram
&
Gazette
(April
29,
1993).
17
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
51.
18
Catherine
M.
Da
Silva,
“The
Influence
of
Dizzy
Gillespie’s
Bebop
style
on
Ella
Fitzgerald’s
‘Flying
Home,’
‘Lady
Be
Good,’
and
‘How
High
the
Moon’
Solos,”
(PhD
diss.,
Five
Towns
College,
2013)
24.

6. Ella
said,
“Dizzy
made
me
want
to
try
something
with
my
voice
that
would
be
like
a
horn.”19
One
of
the
songs
she
learned
from
Dizzy
was
“Oh
Lady
Be
Good,”
in
which
she
sang
a
very
famous
scat
solo.
In
reference
to
her
skill,
Kurt
Ellington
says,
“She
does
it
with
so
much
conviction
and
so
much
information
and
so
much
ease
and
naturalness
that
you
don’t
worry
about
.
.
.
anything.
You
just
enjoy
it.”20
Because
she
had
varied
interests
as
well,
she
had
an
internal
encyclopedia
of
music
that
she
could
resource
while
singing.21
This
ability
to
store
up
musical
ideas
was
a
major
part
of
what
made
her
so
great.
She
was
able
to
blend
pop
and
jazz
together,
making
it
easy
on
audiences
to
listen
and
enjoy
her
music.
All
she
needed
was
someone
who
would
understand
these
abilities
and
take
advantage
of
them:
enter,
Norman
Granz.
A
very
smart
and
business-­‐savvy
man,
Norman
Granz
set
up
the
Jazz
at
the
Philharmonic
concert
series
because
he
enjoyed
listening
to
musicians
jam
after
their
performances
and
thought
others
would
too.
Gathering
the
greatest
jazz
musicians
at
the
time,
including
Oscar
Peterson
and
Ella
Fitzgerald,
he
would
pair
them
up
for
concerts
and
tours
around
the
country.
He
was
quite
successful
with
it
too.
While
touring
the
South
though,
the
group
ran
into
intense
racism
and
had
to
be
very
careful.
In
Ohio,
a
hotel
refused
them
service
because
they
didn’t
want
white
and
blacks
to
share
rooms.
And
once,
Granz
had
to
fight
a
police
officer
to
make
sure
Fitzgerald
could
get
into
a
cab.
22
Having
grown
up
in
an
integrated
neighborhood,
Granz
could
not
understand
how
white
audiences
would
pay
to
see
black
musicians
play,
but
not
allow
them
to
come
into
the
building
using
the
same
door.
This
made
him
fight
for
equality
as
19
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
52.
20
Ella
Fitzgerald:
The
Singer,
Not
the
Song,
(15’48-­‐53”).
21
Ella
Fitzgerald:
The
Singer,
Not
the
Song.
22
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
60.
Lane,
“Ella
Fitzgerald
will
live
on
in
our
hearts,”
6–E.

7. he
began
his
career.
Starting
in
his
early
days
promoting
jazz
musicians
such
as
Nat
Cole,
Granz
would
even
put
stipulations
on
performances:
“one,
integrate
the
audiences;
two,
pay
the
musicians;
.
.
.
and
four,
all
integrated
crowds
the
other
six
nights
of
the
week.”23
He
was
also
known
for
paying
the
workers
at
clubs
to
seat
black
and
white
patrons
next
to
each
other.
In
fact,
during
a
concert
in
South
Carolina,
audiences
were
so
distracted
by
the
discomfort
of
having
mixed
seating
that
they
paid
no
attention
to
the
band
on
stage.24
Despite
discomfort,
the
amount
of
cash
coming
into
the
clubs
meant
that
there
was
little
resistance.
Christopher
Small
explains
how
concerts
had
been
events
where
middle-­‐class
white
patrons
desired
to
be
in
the
peaceful
comfort
of
like-­‐audiences.
“In
a
word,
a
concert
hall
is
a
place
where
middle-­‐class
white
people
can
feel
safe
together.”25
By
stipulating
rules
on
the
clubs
and
changing
how
audience
members
were
seated,
Granz
made
Jazz
at
the
Philharmonic
not
only
about
music,
but
also
a
social
statement
for
audience
members
against
stuffiness
of
the
middle
class.26
As
well
as
the
social
implications
of
Jazz
at
the
Philharmonic
and
Ella’s
obvious
musical
development
by
jazz
greats,
the
tours
were
beneficial
for
the
relationship
that
Granz
and
Fitzgerald
would
build.
Singer
Mel
Tormé
once
said,
Granz
“had
an
undeniably
keen
eye
and
ear
for
great
players
and
singers,
particularly
those
who
had
not
received
the
recognition
due
them”.27
That
list,
included
Ella
Fitzgerald.
And
by
1956,
Granz
would
establish
his
label
Verve
on
his
star’s
shoulders.
23
Cited
in
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
92.
24
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
61–62.
25
Small,
Musicking:
the
meanings
of
performing
and
listening,
42.
26
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
94.
27
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
91.

8. In
Granz’
hands,
Fitzgerald’s
career
would
reach
great
heights,
bestriding
the
gap
between
jazz
and
popular
music
by
way
of
the
Songbook
and
other
recordings–including
live
concerts.
Granz’s
success
as
Ella’s
producer
and
manager
was
due
to
his
“unswerving
resolve,
strong
business
sense,
loyalty
to
his
musicians,
and
uncanny
ability
to
know
what
would
play.”28
Ultimately,
he
had
a
greater
vision
for
Fitzgerald
than
her
previous
manager
Moe
Gale
and
Decca
producer
Milt
Gabler,
who
wanted
to
record
the
next
great
hit.
Granz
said,
“I
was
interested
in
how
I
could
enhance
Ella’s
position,
to
make
her
a
singer
with
more
than
just
a
cult
following
amongst
jazz
fans.”29
He
did
not
simply
see
what
she
was
worth
financially,
but
also
what
she
was
capable
of.
In
fact,
jazz
vocalist
Dee
Dee
Bridgewater
contrasts
the
renown
of
Ella
Fitzgerald
to
that
of
Sarah
Vaughan’s
stating,
“Sarah
Vaughan
did
not
have
a
manager
like
[Granz].
That
had
that
kind
of
vision
about
what
his
artist
was
capable
of.”30
If
Vaughan
had,
Bridgewater
believes,
her
name
would
have
been
as
well
known
as
Fitzgerald’s.
Because
of
Fitzgerald’s
ability
to
communicate
through
song
in
a
welcoming
and
easy
way
as
well
as
her
scatting
skills
and
comfort
with
jazz
rhythms,
Granz
came
up
with
the
Songbooks.
By
mixing
pop
and
jazz
music,
Ella
would
be
better
known
and
loved,
not
just
by
other
musicians,
but
pop
fans
too.
It
didn’t
stop
at
the
Songbooks
either.
In
the
sixties,
Ella’s
stardom
took
her
to
Berlin,
Germany.
There
she
recorded
the
album
Mack
the
Knife:
Live
in
Berlin,
for
which
Fitzgerald
won
two
GRAMMYS
in
1960
for
Best
Female
Vocal
Performance.31
Not
simply
best
jazz
performance,
but
best
performance
over
all.
The
title
28
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
185.
29
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old,”
217.
30
Ella
Fitzgerald:
The
Singer,
Not
the
Song
(16’38”).
31
“Ella
Fitzgerald:
Past
Grammy
Awards,”
The
GRAMMYS.
Accessed
April
24,
2016.
http://www.grammy.com/artist/ella-­‐fitzgerald

9. track
is
famous
for
the
effortless
grace
Fitzgerald
exuded
while
completely
forgetting
the
words,
improvising
her
way
out
of
it.
As
Sven
Bjerstedt
explains
in
his
paper
The
jazz
storyteller,
“improvising
is
at
the
core
[of
storytelling]
.
.
.
there
is
no
need
to
strive
for
perfection;
it
is
more
important
that
the
improviser
come
forward
as
a
human
being.”32
And
didn’t
she
ever!
While
some
may
wonder
why
I
did
not
choose
to
use
“Oh
Lady
Be
Good”
as
a
comparison
of
Ella’s
growth
as
a
musician,
“Mack
the
Knife”
is
a
prime
example
of
the
characteristics
audiences
loved
about
her.
Ella
once
said,
“I
thought
bop
was
it
.
.
.
[but]
there
was
more
to
music
than
bop.”33
She
explained
how
she
wasn’t
able
to
find
anywhere
to
sing
because
trends
were
changing:
so
she
adapted.34
After
all,
bebop
tends
to
limit
audiences
to
intellectuals
who
get
it,
because
of
the
reharmonizations
and
difficult
rhythms.
The
beauty
of
Ella’s
voice
is
her
ability
to
take
bebop
skills
into
the
pop
realm
and
make
them
seem
effortless.
Beyond
all
of
that,
she
was
extremely
down
to
earth
and
relatable.
According
to
her
ex-­‐husband
Ray
Brown,
Ella
always
had
“this
lack
of
realization
of
her
own
importance”35
and
she
demonstrates
her
wonderful
sense
of
humor
and
humanness
while
admittedly
“makin’
a
wreck”
out
of
the
popular
song.36
There
is
little
else
that
endears
an
audience
more
than
seeing
a
performer
they
idolize
acting
like
their
next-­‐door
neighbor.
Of
course,
considering
racism,
many
of
the
white
audience
members
probably
wouldn’t
desire
that
to
be
the
reality.
But
for
the
moment,
they
32
Sven
Bjerstedt,
“The
jazz
storyteller:
Improvisers’
perspectives
on
music
and
narrative,”
Jazz
Research
Journal
9/2
(2015):
45.
33
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
74.
34
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
74.
35
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
65.
36
“Mack
the
Knife,”
Fitzgerald,
Ella,
Paul
Smith,
Jim
Hall,
Wilfred
Middlebrooks,
Gus
Johnson,
Harold
Arlen,
Johnny
Mercer,
George
Gershwin,
Ira
Gershwin,
Herb
Magidson,
Allie
Wrubel,
Erroll
Garner,
Johnny
Burke,
Richard
Rodgers,
Lorenz
Hart,
George
Gershwin,
Cole
Porter,
Cole
Porter,
George
Gershwin,
DuBose
Heyward,
Kurt
Weill,
Bertolt
Brecht,
Marc
Blitzstein,
Morgan
Lewis,
and
Nancy
Hamilton,
writers,
The
Complete
Ella
in
Berlin
Mack
the
Knife,
Verve
Records,
1993,
CD.

10. could
pretend.
For
these
reasons,
“Mack
the
Knife”
is
the
perfect
example
for
her
growth
as
a
musician
as
well
as
the
culmination
of
all
of
those
“little
things”
that
made
her
so
popular.
As
far
as
Granz
and
Ella’s
business
relationship
goes,
there
are
a
couple
schools
of
thought.
In
order
to
“polish
her
talent
and
enhance
her
reputation,”
Granz
created
an
extremely
busy
schedule
of
appearances,
recording
sessions
and
live
performances;
some
wondered
whether
Norman
Granz
was
too
controlling
in
Fitzgerald’s
life
and
career.37
It
seems
that
Fitzgerald’s
friends
were
the
most
concerned,
seeing
the
danger
of
her
hectic
schedule
and
stardom
on
a
widespread
level.
To
explain
her
crazy
schedule,
Phillip
D.
Atteberry
shows
how
“The
Intimate
Ella
was
recorded
two
months
after
Ella
in
Berlin,
between
recording
dates
with
Frank
DeVol
for
the
Christmas
album,
and
just
as
The
George
and
Ira
Gershwin
Songbook
was
hitting
the
market.”38
Understanding
Fitzgerald’s
goals
of
singing
for
enjoyment
rather
than
fame,
Tormé
and
other
friends
believed
Granz
pushed
too
hard
and
of
course,
were
concerned.
But
to
claim
that
Fitzgerald
did
not
understand
the
situation
is
unjust.
Fitzgerald
understood
that
there
were
untrustworthy
people
in
the
music
industry,
as
well
as
life,
and
knew
she
could
trust
Granz
from
her
experience
with
him
in
Jazz
at
the
Philharmonic.39
Accompanist
Paul
Smith
and
arranger
Nelson
Riddle
had
more
tolerant
views.
Smith
and
Riddle
both
acknowledge
that
Fitzgerald
complained
about
the
grueling
schedules
and
Granz’s
“control,”
but
in
reality
she
was
as
much
of
a
workhorse
as
Granz
and
they
both
had
mutual
respect
and
fondness
for
each
37
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old
Man,”
213
&
224.
38
Phillip
D.
Atteberry,
“Remembering
Ella,”
The
Mississippi
Rag,
April,
1996,
accessed
March
31,
2016,
http://www.pitt.edu/-­‐atteberr/jazz/articles/ella.html.
39
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
71.

11. other.40
If
Fitzgerald
believed
Granz
was
really
misusing
her,
she
could
have
left
at
any
time.
There
was
no
contract
between
them
but
a
handshake.41
Despite
concerns,
Granz
was
not
a
master
puppeteer
after-­‐all,
but
a
catalyst
and
had
a
huge
impact
on
Fitzgerald’s
career:
according
to
Norman
David
in
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
“[Ella]
was
finally
with
someone
who
would
allow
her
to
concentrate
on
the
type
of
music
she
had
been
yearning
to
perform
and
record
for
a
long
time.”42
Granz
prioritized
her,
even
in
the
recording
process.
He
wanted
her
to
be
“way
out
front”
believing
the
“music
supported
Ella.”43
Granz
did
not
mind
if
there
were
mistakes
in
instrumental
sections:
“If
I
thought
she
sounded
great
on
the
first
take,
I
wasn’t
interested
in
wasting
time
doing
six
more.”44
As
Fitzgerald
did
not
like
to
stay
in
the
studio
for
unnecessary
amounts
of
time,
Granz’s
style
of
recording
was
perfect.
Granz
involved
Fitzgerald
in
music
decisions
as
well.
“As
far
as
the
songs
are
concerned,”
said
Riddle,
“Norman
brings
a
list
of
songs
which
represent
his
choice
of
material
for
her
to
record,
and
Ella
brings
a
list
of
tunes
which
she
would
like
to
sing,
and
they
sit
down
.
.
.
and
they
hash
the
thing
out.”45
This
was
not
always
the
case:
as
during
the
Cole
Porter
Songbook,
Ella
was
not
familiar
with
all
of
the
songs.
This
didn’t
seem
to
bother
Ella
too
much.
She
rather
enjoyed
improvising
and
this
gave
her
a
chance
to
do
so.
Yet,
Ella
said,
“Often
you
wish
that
you
knew
the
songs
a
little
bit
better.”46
According
to
Virginia
Wicks,
Ella’s
friend
and
PR
person,
Ella
was
quite
picky
about
what
she
sang.
“I
don’t
think
she
ever
40
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old
Man,”
226
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
97.
.
41
Garry
Booth,
“First
lady
of
song
Ella
Fitzgerald,”
Financial
Times
(1996):
17.
42
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
106.
43
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
108.
44
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
108.
45
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
97.
46
Wyman,
Jazz
Singer
Supreme,
74.

12. recorded
anything
she
didn’t
like.
After
Norman
[Granz]
began
to
handle
her,
it
was
Ella’s
choice,
more
than
what
Nelson
Riddle
or
somebody
would
decide
to
arrange.”47
Speaking
on
the
same
subject,
long-­‐time
accompanist
Tommy
Flanagan
said
Ella
“usually
picked
[the
songs]
because
a
lot
of
the
things
she
ended
up
doing
I
wouldn’t
think
of.
It
was
strictly
up
to
her.
We
worked
on
how
the
arrangement
would
feel
and
how
we
would
approach
it,
and
how
to
get
out
of
it.”48
Also
saying,
“She
will
still
do
all
kinds
of
things
within
the
framework.
Often,
she’ll
add
a
new
twist
or
improvisation,
even
when
we’re
actually
on
the
stage
performing…
but
she
always
knows
exactly
what
she
is
doing.”49
Ella
obviously
had
a
lot
of
say
in
her
music,
even
in
the
arrangements
of
them.
Granz
summed
up
their
business
partnership
by
putting
it
this
way,
“she
was
one
of
many
artists
at
Decca.
When
I
formed
Verve,
she
became
the
artist
and
she
had
the
advantage
not
only
of
someone
to
manage
her,
but
also
presenting
her
concerts.
I
was
unique
among
managers,
in
that
I
owned
the
record
company
and
I
was
also
an
impresario.”50
Ella
even
said,
“The
idea
was,
get
him
to
do
the
talking
for
me
and
I’d
do
the
singing.
I
needed
that.”
And
Granz
agreed.
“All
Ella
needed
was
a
good
manager,
which
I
was
for
her
compared
to
what
she’d
had.”51
Seeing
Ella’s
already
amazing
talents,
developed
by
fellow
musicians
and
influenced
by
Norman
Granz,
shows
how
she
became
the
internationally
loved
First
Lady
of
Song.
From
her
time
at
the
Philharmonic,
Ella’s
“godchild”
Oscar
Peterson
“learned
what
a
privilege
it
was
to
47
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
4.
48
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
5.
49
David,
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion,
3.
50
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old
Man,”
224.
51
Hershorn,
“That
Tall
Old
Man,”
224.

13. work
with
someone
like
Ella.”52
Quincy
Jones
said,
“When
you
listen
to
Ella,
you
hear
a
jazz
musician
interpreting
the
melody,
blending
variations
of
phrasing,
melody,
rhythm
and
spontaneous
improvisation.”53
Therefore,
Fitzgerald
brought
all
of
the
necessary
elements
of
a
jazz
great
to
the
table.
All
she
needed
was
someone
who
could
handle
the
business
side
for
her,
and
Norman
Granz
was
the
perfect
person
for
the
job.
52
Lane,
“Ella
Fitzgerald
will
live
on
in
our
hearts,”
6-­‐E.
53
Quote
from
Quincy
Jones
in
“At
75,
Ella
Fitzgerald
is
a
true
role
model.”

14. Bibliography
“At
75,
Ella
Fitzgerald
is
a
true
role
model
in
song.”
Telegram
&
Gazette
(April
29,
1993).
Atteberry,
Phillip
D.
“Remembering
Ella”.
The
Mississippi
Rag,
April,
1996.
Accessed
March
1,
2016.
Retrieved
from
http://www.pitt.edu/-­‐atteberr/jazz/articles/ella.html
Booth,
Garry.
“First
lady
of
song
Ella
Fitzgerald.”
Financial
Times
(1996):
17.
Bjerstedt,
Sven.
“The
jazz
storyteller:
Improvisers’
perspectives
on
music
and
narrative.”
Jazz
Research
Journal.
9/2
(2015):
37–61.
Da
Silva,
Catherine
M.
“The
Influence
of
Dizzy
Gillespie’s
Bebop
style
on
Ella
Fitzgerald’s
‘Flying
Home,’
‘Lady
Be
Good,’
and
‘How
High
the
Moon’
Solos.”
PhD
diss.,
Five
Towns
College,
2013.
David,
Norman.
The
Ella
Fitzgerald
Companion.
Westport,
Conn.:
Praeger,
2004.
“Ella
Fitzgerald:
Past
GRAMMY
Awards.”
The
GRAMMYS.
Accessed
April
24,
2016.
http://www.grammy.com/artist/ella-­‐fitzgerald
Ella
Fitzgerald:
The
Singer,
Not
the
Song.
Films
On
Demand.
1998.
Accessed
April
24,
2016.
fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=106564&xtid=12116.
“Mack
the
Knife.”
Fitzgerald,
Ella,
Paul
Smith,
Jim
Hall,
Wilfred
Middlebrooks,
Gus
Johnson,
Harold
Arlen,
Johnny
Mercer,
George
Gershwin,
Ira
Gershwin,
Herb
Magidson,
Allie
Wrubel,
Erroll
Garner,
Johnny
Burke,
Richard
Rodgers,
Lorenz
Hart,
George
Gershwin,
Cole
Porter,
Cole
Porter,
George
Gershwin,
DuBose
Heyward,
Kurt
Weill,
Bertolt
Brecht,
Marc
Blitzstein,
Morgan
Lewis,
and
Nancy
Hamilton,
writers.
The
Complete
Ella
in
Berlin
Mack
the
Knife.
Verve
Records,
1993,
CD.
Hanslick,
Eduard
and
Geoffrey
Payzant.
On
the
musically
beautiful:
a
contribution
towards
the
revision
of
the
aesthetics
of
music
(Indianapolis,
Ind.:
Hackett
Pub
Co.,
1986).
Harker,
Brian.
“‘Telling
a
Story’:
Louis
Armstrong
and
Coherence
in
Early
Jazz.”
Current
Musicology
63
(1997):
46–84.
Hershorn,
Tad.
“That
Tall
Old
Man
Standing
Next
to
Ella
Fitzgerald.”
In
Norman
Granz:
The
Man
Who
Used
Jazz
for
Justice
(Berkeley,
CA:
University
of
California
Press),
212–229.
Fay,
Brendan.
“Judging
Performance,
Performing
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Race
and
Performance
in
Weimar
Germany.”
Current
Musicology
96
(2013):
71–96.

15. Lane,
Lynda.
“Ella
Fitzgerald
will
live
on
in
our
hearts,
thanks
to
the
musical
legacy
she
left.”
Philadelphia
Tribune
113/42
(Jun
21,
1996).
6-­‐E.
Monson,
Ingrid.
Saying
Something:
Jazz
Improvisation
and
Interaction.
Chicago:
University
of
Chicago
Press,
1996.
Robinson,
Jenefer.
Music
&
Meaning
(Ithaca,
N.Y.:
Cornell
University
Press,
1997).
Small,
Christopher.
Musicking:
the
meanings
of
performing
and
listening
(Hanover:
University
Press
of
New
England,
1998).
Wyman,
Carolyn.
Ella
Fitzgerald:
Jazz
Singer
Supreme.
New
York:
Franklin
Watts,
1993.