Ella Fitzgerald

At the Opera House / in Hollywood Ella Fitzgerald

Two very good live performances: 1. '*Opera House, Chicago*' 1957 with a superb quartet that includes **Oscar Peterson**, **Herb Ellis**, **Jo Jones** and **Ray Brown**. 2. *'Crescendo, Hollywood'*, this recording from her May 1961 appearances generated one of the best (and certainly most underrated) live records in her discography. Although it's full of brilliance, the highlights are clear: a nine-minute scat masterpiece of *'Take the 'A' Train,'* with chorus after chorus of variations, '*Mr. Paganini*' along with a set-closing '*Air Mail Special*'.