content: Perhaps the best thing to say about this Songbook is what Ira Gershwin said after hearing it. " I did not realize how good our songs( George and Ira Gershwin) were until I heard Ella sing them. In these Songbooks she is at her mature best. Her voice is smooth, elegant, clear , beautifully nuanced, rich in range, remarkable. It is sheer joy to listen to her in the very best of the songs. While many prefer the drive and rhythm of Ellington I myself prefer the more lyrical and slower swinging pieces. But what is important is that this is a great Masterpiece which presents the great works of the American Songook in the best way possible.One can listen to these songs again and again , and doing so brings only greater pleasure.