I was in 10th grade, and read a review of this in ..., which I was not supposed to be reading at all. I bought it because I wanted to be like Hugh Hefner and like jazz and be cool, instead of what I was, a nerdy shy kid who had not bloomed and whose family was more "upper poor" than "lower middle class." It was 1960. When I listened to Ella, singing in Berlin, the focal point of the Cold War, standards like "How High the Moon" and "Mack the Knife" and "Too Darn Hot" I just transcended my immediate environment and for 40 minutes I was worthy of that ...Magazine. Imagine this orphan black woman, holding the concert stage in Germany only 15 years after the Nazi disaster, and having her audience eating out of her hand. Remarkable event, memorably preserved. Read all the reviews, then decide if this is worth adding to your CD shelf. I know MY decision!

I love Ella Fitzgerald, and I rarely do I go a day without listening to an Ella CD since I've been introduced to her outstanding talent. I went out on a whim and bought this album, expecting great Ella as usual. But how wrong I was! I have never been so crazy about an album as I am about this one. Every song is out of this world and the accompaniment is just as wonderful. Standouts include "That Old Black Magic", "Too Darn Hot", and my personal favorite "How High the Moon?" Whoever said Ella lacks feeling in her delivery needs to listen to this album, and recognize that melodrama does not always equal feeling. Ella epitomizes sunniness and spontaneity in this live album that I wouldn't give anything less than five stars. If you love Ella, do yourself a favor and buy this album -- thinks ranks as one of her top recordings.

This is arguably the most famous live performance in jazz, and with good reason. This is Ella at her peak. Arriving in Berlin, performing at the Deutschlandhallen, this album runs the full dynamic gamut. On the one hand, it contains a subtle "Summertime" where her melodic embellishments are absolutely inspired. But then Ella, now in the home of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, decides to fill the set with "Mac the Knife," recently made a hit by both Bobby Darrin and Louis Armstrong. When the words come unraveled before her, her improvisation is awe-inspiring. This is directly followed with the definitive live "How High the Moon," complete with an 8 minute scat that is unequalled. This reissue is somewhat marred by the presence of two tracks mistakenly thought to have been part of the performance, but which are of a noticeably different character. Nonetheless, amazing.

Ella Fitzgerald is even better live than in the recording studio.

This album showcases Ella in what I feel is her most comfotable setting; with a small band and live audience.

You can feel the love the fans have for Ella even before she starts singing and as she sings through each song in this live set. Ella's humble manner comes across as well as she daintily thanks the crowd for the thunderous applause that she receives after each song.

Ella's scat on How High the Moon is at its peak. She always loved volleying back and forth with the band members to see who could out-scat who.

But the shining star on this album by far is Mack The Knife. Ella's rendition is memorable since half-way through the song, she forgets the words, but still makes it work and takes the song to a new level by launching into an impromptu Louie Armstrong scat impersonation which sends the audience through the roof!

This is one of the best live albums I have ever owned. Ella, Live at the Opera House, is a close second, but Live in Berlin gets my vote.

I have been an Ella Fitzgerald fan for about 40 years. The album "Mack the Knife", for me, is THE most sublime Ella recording there is, in terms of the amount of fun she had obviously had doing this performance. There are others, of course, such as The Birthday Album, wherein her voice was absolutely marvelous, but, again, for me, it will always be "Mack the Knife - Ella in Berlin." Thanks for the opportunity to submit this review.