A massively comprehensive look at the earliest years of Ella Fitzgerald on record – the legendary recordings she made with the Chick Webb orchestra at the end of the 30s and start of the 40s! Ella was way more than just another singer with a band – as her presence in the Webb group really dominated its recording history, so much so that there were nearly five times as many Chick Webb singles with vocals by Ella as there were instrumentals by the group! Fitzgerald's placement was for good reason, too – as her singing abilities were landmark – almost more with the deftness of an instrument than most other singers who'd come before, and developed amazingly over the course of the seven years presented in the set. If you only know Ella from all her later famous sides – and plenty of those are wonderful, too – you'll find even more to love here – a beautifully remastered presentation of 187 titles that were originally issued on 78rpm singles, all collected here for the first time ever – with amazing notes, photos, and details on all the music. The set's not only a great illustration of the strength of the Webb and Fitzgerald team, but also of the way that Mosaic's talents for compilation can work especially well for the pre-LP years of jazz!
CD1 {76:43}
01. Dog Bottom (2:40)
02. Jungle Mamma (3:16)
03. Heebie Jeebies (3:11)
04. I'm Left with the Blues in My Heart (3:10)
05. Soft and Sweet (3:09)
06. Rhythm Man (2:53)
07. On the Sunny Side of the Street (2:49)
08. Lona (2:48)
09. Blue Minor (3:04)
10. It's Over Because We're Through (3:16)
11. Don't Be That Way (2:37)
12. What a Shuffle (2:53)
13. Blue Lou (3:03)
14. I'll Chase the Blues Away (2:34)
15. Down Home Rag (2:53)
16. Are You Here to Stay? (3:11)
17. Love and Kisses (3:18)
18. Rhythm and Romance (3:05)
19. Moonlight and Magnolias (2:52)
20. I'll Chase the Blues Away (2:45)
21. I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful) (3:07)
22. Facts and Figures (2:34)
23. Love, You're Just a Laugh (3:03)
24. Crying My Heart Out for You (3:06)
25. Under the Spell of the Blues (3:00)
26. When I Get Low I Get High (2:26)
CD2 {56:45}
01. Go Harlem (2:24)
02. Sing Me a Swing Song (And Let Me Dance) (2:34)
03. A Little Bit Later On (3:02)
04. Love, You're Just a Laugh (3:11)
05. Devoting My Time to You (2:26)
06. (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (2:58)
07. Swingin' on the Reservation (3:05)
08. I Got the Spring Fever Blues (2:59)
09. Vote for Mr. Rhythm (2:27)
10. My Last Affair (2:45)
11. The Organ Grinder's Swing (2:51)
12. Shine (2:52)
13. The Darktown Strutter's Ball (3:04)
14. Oh, Yes, Take Another Guess (2:41)
15. Love Marches On (2:53)
16. Big Boy Blue (2:50)
17. There's Frost on the Moon (2:53)
18. Gee, But You're Swell (2:40)
19. Dedicated to You (3:16)
20. (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It (alt tk.-B) (2:54)
CD3 {75:23}
01. Rusty Hinge (3:09)
02. Wake Up and Live (2:38)
03. It's Swell of You (3:13)
04. You Showed Me the Way (2:59)
05. Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! (2:31)
06. Cryin' Mood (2:39)
07. Love Is the Thing, So They Say (2:51)
08. That Naughty Waltz (2:59)
09. All Over Nothing at All (2:42)
10. If You Ever Should Leave (3:14)
11. Everyone's Wrong But Me (3:08)
12. Deep in the Heart of the South (3:17)
13. In a Little Spanish Town (2:42)
14. I Got Rhythm (2:35)
15. I Ain't Got Nobody (3:06)
16. Just a Simple Melody (2:59)
17. I Got a Guy (3:22)
18. Strictly Jive (3:16)
19. Holiday in Harlem (3:12)
20. Sweet Sue, Just You (2:49)
21. Rock It for Me (3:11)
22. Squeeze Me (3:11)
23. Harlem Congo (3:15)
24. You Showed Me the Way (-B) (3:19)
25. If You Every Should Leave (-B) (3:06)
CD4 {71:55}
01. I Want to Be Happy (4:29)
02. The Dipsy Doodle (3:13)
03. If Dreams Come True (2:39)
04. Hallelujah! (4:02)
05. Midnite in a Madhouse (2:33)
06. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (3:04)
07. It's My Turn Now (2:57)
08. It's Wonderful (2:58)
09. I Was Doing All Right (2:57)
10. A-Tisket, A-Tasket (2:35)
11. Heart of Mine (2:56)
12. I'm Just a Jitterbug (3:18)
13. Azure (3:06)
14. This Time It's Real (3:08)
15. (Oh Oh) What Do You Know About Love? (3:02)
16. You Can't Be Mine (And Someone Else's Too) (3:05)
17. We Can't Go on This Way (3:01)
18. Spinnin' the Webb (3:04)
19. Liza (All the Cloud'll Roll Away) (2:46)
20. (I've Been) Saving Myself for You (2:50)
21. If You Only Knew (2:46)
22. I Want to Be Happy (4:28)
23. You Can't Be Mine (And Someone Else's Too) (-B) (2:58)
CD5 {77:39}
01. Pack Up Your Sins and Go to the Devil (2:56)
02. MacPherson is Rehearsin' (To Swing) (3:09)
03. Everybody Step (2:44)
04. Ella (2:46)
05. Wacky Dust (3:04)
06. Gotta Pebble in My Shoe (2:54)
07. I Can't Stop Loving You (3:05)
08. Strictly from Dixie (2:49)
09. Woe Is Me (2:52)
10. Who Ya Hunchin'? (2:53)
11. I Let a Tear Fall in the River (3:12)
12. F.D.R. Jones (2:58)
13. I Love Each Move You Make (3:02)
14. It's Foxy (3:00)
15. I Found My Yellow Basket (2:38)
16. Undecided (3:15)
17. 'Tain't What You Do (It's the Way That Cha Do It) (2:59)
18. In the Groove at the Grove (2:38)
19. One Side of Me (3:19)
20. My Heart Belongs to Daddy (3:05)
21. Once Is Enough for Me (3:03)
22. I Had to Live and Learn (3:08)
23. Sugar Pie (3:10)
24. It's Slumbertime Along the Swanee (2:50)
25. I'm Up a Tree (3:07)
26. Chew Chew Chew (Your Bubble Gum) (3:03)
CD6 {73:53}
01. Don't Worry 'Bout Me (3:13)
02. If Anything Happened to You (3:08)
03. If That's What You're Thinking, You're Wrong (3:07)
04. If You Ever Change Your Mind (3:04)
05. Have Mercy (3:11)
06. Little White Lies (2:57)
07. Coochi-Coochi-Coo (3:07)
08. That Was My Heart (3:04)
09. Betcha Nickel (matrix 65903) (2:55)
10. Stairway to the Stars (3:20)
11. I Want the Waiter (With the Water) (3:09)
12. That's All Brother (3:09)
13. Out of Nowhere (3:00)
14. My Last Goodbye (3:20)
15. Billy (I Always Dream of Bill) (2:42)
16. Please Tell Me the Truth (3:18)
17. I'm Not Complainin' (3:08)
18. Betcha Nickel (matrix 66138) (2:58)
19. You're Gonna Lose Your Gal (3:09)
20. What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry (2:52)
21. Baby, What Else Can I Do? (3:08)
22. My Wubba Dolly (3:03)
23. Lindy Hopper's Delight (2:51)
24. Moon Ray (3:00)
CD7 {65:35}
01. Is There Somebody Else? (2:55)
02. Sugar Blues (2:49)
03. The Starlit Hour (3:08)
04. What's the Matter with Me? (2:58)
05. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home? (2:33)
06. If It Weren't for You (3:01)
07. Sing Song Swing (3:02)
08. Imagination (3:00)
09. Take It from the Top (2:57)
10. Tea Dance (3:17)
11. Jubilee Swing (3:16)
12. untitled instrumental (2:58)
13. Deedle-De-Dum (2:40)
14. Shake Down the Stars (2:51)
15. Gulf Coast Blues (2:58)
16. I Fell in Love with a Dream (3:13)
17. Five O'Clock Whistle (3:10)
18. So Long (3:05)
19. Louisville, KY (3:08)
20. Taking a Chance on Love (3:10)
21. Cabin in the Sky (2:47)
22. I'm the Lonesomest Gal in Town (2:39)
CD8 {61:20}
01. Three Little Words (2:33)
02. Hello Ma! I Done It Again (2:34)
03. Wishful Thinking (3:03)
04. The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else) (3:03)
05. The Muffin Man (2:27)
06. Keep Cool, Fool (3:02)
07. No Nothing (3:08)
08. My Man (3:03)
09. I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me (2:35)
10. I Must Have That Man (3:10)
11. When My Sugar Walks Down the Street (2:44)
12. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) (2:59)
13. Melinda, The Mousie (2:45)
14. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man (2:48)
15. Jim (3:02)
16. This Love of Mine (2:57)
17. Somebody Nobody Loves (3:14)
18. You Don't Know What Love Is (3:26)
19. Who Are You? (2:56)
20. I'm Thrilled (3:03)
21. Make Love to Me (2:48)
