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Title: Good but not great
Review: This should have been a dream match, since Ella and Oscar had been performing together for more than 20 years by the time of this record. Unfortunately, the record is more often a sparring match than a piano-voice duet. Yes, there are fine moments on "Mean to Me," "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "April in Paris." But Ella made two better piano-voice disks than this one: "Pure Ella" with Ellis Larkins (Decca Jazz) and "The Intimate Ella" with Paul Smith (Verve -- aka "Let No Man Write My Epitaph" in outstanding sound on Classic Compact Disks). Try those first if you want to know how great the First Lady of Song sounded in a minimalist setting.
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