for any of us who think we are born to late for good music..take heart!! this cd is a must for anyone who likes music..ella is at her best and louis is the perfect partner...the new, remastered songs sound like they are singing a private concert just for you!! Their rendition of "I got plenty of nothin" is a treat for any Gershwin fan. I can not recommend this cd highly enough. I was turned on to this cd while spending a semester in Koeln Germany. (If anyone is planing a trip..i highly recomend Gonski Music at Neumarkt...the best selection of jazz cd's and they let you listen to cd's before you buy them..even if you don't buy them!! A great way to spend a rainy afternoon!)

Ella and Louis are undoubtfully one of the greatest duets of the popular music. Many others tried to emulate them, but we'll have to wait a very long time until another couple of great singers develop the perfect chemistry showed in this records.

This album it's a collection of 16 Gershwin's songs. The best tracks are with Ella and Louis singing together with small groups or big bands, but you can find great moments of each one singing alone (as Ella in "Oh Lady Be Good"). The collection also brings some samples of the opera "Porgy and Bess". You can face this album as a test: if you like it (and it's virtually impossible dislike the music of a great composer sang by the greatest musicians), you are ready to know the other masterpieces recorded by Ella & Louis, like "Ella & Louis", "Ella & Louis Again" and "Porgy and Bess".

I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Ella and Louis were born in the `70s or `80s. Does anybody think that either of them would have stood a snowball's chance in Hell of being recognized for their immense talents? We live in a television age, a video-friendly age, an age that puts physical appearance before talent; that puts followers ahead of leaders. With her comparably plain looks, would anybody glance twice at Ella, or listen enough to realize her gift? Would Louis' ebullience be enough to propel him into the limelight, or would he be forced to succumb to producers and commercial sponsors? It's a sorry comment on today's music marketplace to consider that two of the most talented musicians of this century might not have even got their due if they were born too late, but we must be grateful that they came along when they did. We also must be willing to go back and listen as often as we can, so that we don't lose track of musicianship as grand and wonderful as theirs was.

Ella and Louis Sing Gershwin is a collection that is cobbled together from various other releases, including Porgy and Bess, Louis Armstrong meets Oscar Peterson, and of course, the duo's two sublime, rapturous duet albums and Ella's Gershwin songbook. Each of these albums is a work of art in and of itself, so any compilation of their fruits simply cannot be anything but brilliant. I will admit that I bought this because I believed it to contain unique material, so I was initially disappointed to discover that it recycled material from familiar sources, but when the music is this good, how can I complain? "They Can't Take That Away From Me" is the definitive version of the tune, as is "Love Is Here to Stay," and "S'Wonderful." From the intimacy of a four-piece combo to full-blown orchestral arrangements, the collection runs a wide dynamic range. Nelson Riddle's touch is particularly apparent on "S'Wonderful," with an arrangement that suggests the dynamic majesty of his work on Frank Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin." You don't have to pay homage when you listen, but it is hard not to be awed, especially from today's perspective. We surely do not have a modern-day equivalent of Louis and Ella, so I suggest that you make the best of the situation and enjoy this collection for the wonder that it is. A+ Tom Ryan

When Ira Gershwin first heard these, his comment was, "Now I know how really good our songs were..." When you hear these songs next to any other CD, You can be certain, that "Nobody sings them like Ella & Louie!"

After listening a dozen times in the car, I realized my depression was being lifted! When I got to "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, and A Foggy Day in London Town", I was singing along! Those are the 2 Highlights for me, alongside the early ones, "I Got Plenty of Nuttin, Summertime, There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon for New York and I Was Doin All Right!" The real winners are those in which Louie plays the tune on his horn first before or after singing...1,4,11,13,15...On 15, he sings, "I was doin all right, but Now I'm doin a little Better!"

Chalk this CD up for a Great One in History for Gershwin!

Ella and Louis back together to sing Gershwin. This cd is teh best of the best.