Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella & Louis

The complete album - 180g vinyl audiophile pressing with gatefold sleeve. This was the first album pairing Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong produced by Norman Granz for his Verve label. After recording a series of duets in the late 1940s for the Decca label, they were summoned by Granz in 1956 to make a series of sessions which would result in the present LP and two further double sets: Ella and Louis Again, and Porgy and Bess. To get the marvellous music heard here, Granz surrounded the stars with an outstanding quartet, consisting of Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums.

Ella & Louis] is one of the very, very few albums to have been issued in this era of the LP flood that is sure to endure for decades. - ***** Nat Hentoff, DownBeat

Ella & Louis is an inspired collaboration. Gentle and sincere, this is deserving of a place in every home. - **** 1/2 AllMusic