Ella Queen of Jazz

After Ella Fitzgerald takes over Chick Webb’s band upon his death that it becomes Ella and her orchestra, it seems as though the world is her oyster. Her voice is a triumph, while the sound is sublime. Furthermore, they are ‘taking their music up and down the country’. However this is 1950’s America, with many states unprepared for and unwilling to book African- American musicians.

Yet Ella’s music has reached people all over the world, including ‘one very special friend’. Marilyn Monroe volunteers to sit at the front of the audience at a top nightspot every night for a week to encourage the owner to book Ella and her orchestra. How have they become friends? What do they share with each other? What is the result of Marilyn’s actions?

Alongside this story is its history and the impact of Ella Fitzgerald on the listening public. Helen Hancocks tells her story clearly and directly. We love the modern pictures and bold colours. Ella Queen of Jazz merits reading, sharing and knowing about, rather like its two trailblazing subjects.