Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The Rodgers and Hart Song Book—Verve (Acoustic Sounds Series) vinyl reissue [2026]

My dear friend and colleague Scott Wilson tipped me off to this brilliant remastering of Ella singing Rodgers and Hart songs.

This double 33 RPM release is from Chad’s Acoustic Sounds Series of Verve titles. They don’t come much better than the Queen herself, Ella Fitzgerald. Blessed with perfect pitch, flawless phrasing, enviable breath control, and a beautifully musical vibrato, it’s like listening to a female Frank—two of the greatest singers of the 20th century.

After mega-hits like Carousel and The Sound of Music, audiences gravitated toward the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein, but I much prefer Rodgers when he was teamed with American lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). Rodgers and Hart collaborated for 24 years and produced some of the most beautiful songs in the Great American Songbook.

Fitzgerald recorded eight “Songbooks” between 1956 and 1964. Rodgers and Hart was recorded in 1956 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles and produced by Norman Granz. It was recorded in mono.

The album is presented on two LPs with a total of 34 songs, including all the “hits” and many character songs from various shows (like the very funny “To Keep My Love Alive” from A Connecticut Yankee). Each is sung with consummate artistry by Fitzgerald—there are no weak spots on these records.

And when she phrases masterpieces like “Have You Met Miss Jones?”, “The Lady Is a Tramp”, “Spring Is Here”, “It Never Entered My Mind”, “My Romance”, and my personal favourite, “I Could Write a Book”, it’s breathtakingly musical. Check the track listing for your own favourites.

Buddy Bregman did the arrangements, and they fit the songs perfectly. They’re not Riddle-style swingers, but they match Ella’s style and sentiment beautifully. The personnel reads like a who’s who of L.A. studio royalty, including Harry “Sweets” Edison, Maynard Ferguson, and Pete Candoli on trumpets; Benny Carter and Ben Webster on saxes; and a rhythm section featuring Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Alvin Stoller (drums), plus a full string section.

The record shipped flat and silent in a stunning glossy Stoughton gatefold, mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape. These 180-gram LPs are pressed at Quality Record Pressings.

Lutthans’ mono mastering is superb—smooth, detailed, with glorious timbral accuracy, and Ella front and center. It’ll never get better than this, and the mono sounds like a fully fledged stereo. Amazing.

I’m hoping Chad and Matt release all the Songbooks—they are the cornerstone of American popular music. This one is an absolute gem and very highly recommended.

Tracklisting

LP 1 Side A 1. Have You Met Miss Jones? 2. You Took Advantage Of Me 3. A Ship Without A Sail 4. To Keep My Love Alive 5. Dancing On The Ceiling 6. The Lady Is A Tramp 7. With A Song In My Heart 8. Manhattan
LP 1 Side B 1. Johnny One Note 2. I Wish I Were In Love Again 3. Spring Is Here 4. It Never Entered My Mind 5. This Can't Be Love 6. Thou Swell 7. My Romance 8. Where Or When 9. Little Girl Blue
LP 2 Side A 1. Give It Back To The Indians 2. Ten Cents A Dance 3. There's A Small Hotel 4. I Didn't Know What Time It Was 5. Everything I've Got 6. I Could Write A Book 7. Blue Room 8. My Funny Valentine
LP 2 Side B 1. Bewitched 2. Mountain Greenery 3. Wait Til You See Her 4. Lover 5. Isn't It Romantic 6. Here In My Arms 7. Blue Moon 8. My Heart Stood Still 9. I've Got Five Dollars