Disc 1 60:22
01 Introduction 00:48
02 Lover Come Back To Me 01:55
03 Too Close For Comfort 02:40
04 Little White Lies 03:02
05 On The Sunny Side Of The Street 02:50
06 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive 02:54
07 Baby, Won't You Please Come Home 03:48
08 I Found A New Baby 02:28
09 On A Slow Boat To China 02:25
10 My Heart Belongs To Daddy 03:15
11 Perdido 06:52
12 I've Got A Crush On You 02:23
13 But Not For Me 02:10
14 You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me 03:03
15 Across The Alley From The Alamo 02:00
16 I'm Glad There Is You 03:16
17 'Round Midnight 03:38
18 Take The "A" Train 06:45
19 Mr. Paganini 04:10

Disc 2 53:21
01 Nice Work If You Can Get It 02:30
02 I Can't Get Started 03:31
03 Give Me The Simple Life 01:54
04 Caravan 02:06
05 One For My Baby 04:19
06 Lorelei 03:16
07 A-Tisket, A-Tasket 01:54
08 Witchcraft 03:04
09 Gone With The Wind 02:32
10 Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe 03:46
11 It's De-Lovely 02:15
12 The Lady Is A Tramp 02:41
13 That Old Black Magic 03:33
14 Lullaby Of Birdland 02:08
15 Ella Introduces The Band 00:40
16 Imagination 02:41
17 Blue Moon 03:09
18 Joe Williams' Blues 07:22

Disc 3 75:20
01 The Lady's In Love With You 01:40
02 Love Is Here To Stay 03:35
03 Come Rain Or Come Shine 03:36
04 Anything Goes 02:27
05 This Could Be The Start Of Something Big 02:26
06 Candy 05:08
07 Little Girl Blue 03:50
08 You're Driving Me Crazy 03:30
09 It's All Right With Me 02:34
10 Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me) 02:49
11 'S Wonderful 02:28
12 How High The Moon 06:20
13 Deep Purple 02:17
14 In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning 03:34
15 Mack The Knife 03:54
16 Exactly Like You 04:30
17 Rock It For Me 03:36
18 Stompin' At The Savoy 06:50
19 Love For Sale 04:11
20 St. Louis Blues 06:05

Disc 4 62:31
01 All Of Me 03:16
02 Hard Hearted Hannah 02:38
03 Broadway 02:47
04 My Kind Of Boy 02:43
05 It Had To Be You 03:56
06 C'est Magnifique 03:29
07 How Long Has This Been Going On? 02:50
08 When Your Lover Has Gone 02:11
09 Taking A Chance On Love 02:23
10 Good Morning Heartache 04:25
11 Clap Hands! Here Comes Charlie! 03:24
12 Hallelujah I Love Him So 02:20
13 Angel Eyes 03:25
14 Ol' Man Mose 03:13
15 Teach Me Tonight 03:06
16 Medley: Too Darn Hot/Ella's Twist 01:10
17 Too Darn Hot 02:42
18 Bewitched 05:20
19 Bill Bailey 03:42
20 Bill Bailey (reprise) 03:31

Musicians
Vocals: Ella Fitzgerald
Piano: Lou Levy, Paul Smith
Guitar: Herb Ellis
Bass: Wilfred Middlebrooks
Drums: Gus Johnson, Stan Levey

Credits
Producer: Norman Granz
Engineer: Val Valentin
Liner Notes: Harry Weinger; Richard Seidel

Details
Studio / Venue: The Crescendo Club
Place: Hollywood, Calif.
Recording Date: 1961-1962
Live: Yes
Date Of This Release: 2009
Sound: Mono; Stereo
UPC/EAC: 602527044026

Review/Notes
AMG review by John Bush
An appearance in Hollywood for a first-rate jazz vocalist was not necessarily an opportunity to broadcast your visage and pander to everyone from Tacoma to Tallahassee. It could also include a date at the Crescendo, the Sunset Strip's best chance to find premier jazz. Gene Norman's nightclub hosted dozens of jazz legends (and a comic or two), and produced more than its share of excellent LPs recorded on location. Better even than Mel Tormé's 1954 classic, the Ella Fitzgerald LP that resulted from her May 1961 appearances generated one of the best (and certainly most underrated) live records in her discography -- and almost 50 years later, it became a four-CD set compiling ten days' worth of performances. All of her hallmarks (technical wizardry, breakneck scatting, irrepressible humor and warmth) are on full display, with a small but expressive quartet backing her performance, including pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, drummer Gus Johnson, and bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks. Although it's full of brilliance, the highlights are clear: a seven-minute scat masterpiece of "Take the 'A' Train," with chorus after chorus of variations, and the shorter but still excellent "Mr. Paganini." The balladry is masterful as well, with "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" high on the list. Verve label-head Norman Granz recorded each of Ella Fitzgerald's sets between May 11th and 21st, 1961, at the Crescendo, and Twelve Nights in Hollywood contains the fruits of that labor -- 75 songs with nary a repeat in the list (although the fourth disc actually consists of a 1962 date finding Fitzgerald back at the Crescendo). Although its comprehensiveness may be a hindrance, Twelve Nights in Hollywood is a classic glimpse of Ella at her on-stage best.

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AAJ review by Ken Dryden (Jan. 17, 2010)
Ella Fitzgerald needs no introduction to most jazz fans because the "First Lady of Swing" had a remarkably productive recording and performing career that spanned from the mid '30s until around 1990, when multiple health problems forced her into retirement. Ella was 44 in 1961, recording several albums a year for Verve and managed by impresario Norman Granz, who was very interested in seeing that the singer earned a hefty income from concert bookings and record royalties.

This four-CD set consists of live performances made at the Crescendo over 10 nights in 1961, plus a two-day return to the club the following year, during which Granz arranged to record every set. This vast volume of tape produced only one LP, Ella in Hollywood; while some of the songs within it are repeated, none of the issued performances are included in this boxed set. 74 previously unheard selections are the set's bounty. It is peculiar that this relatively small venue had an unusually loud audience response on the earlier album; there is no such artificial applause added to this collection. Although Fitzgerald rarely was recorded in a club setting, she reacts to the intimacy of the venue by connecting with her audience as if she is performing for a small group of close friends. The listener feels like they are at a front-and-center table, taking in Fitzgerald's effortless swing and energy, with her matchless scatting plus lots of fun ad-libs and song quotes, along with recognizing friends and fellow celebrities in the audience.

The energetic interpretation of "Lover, Come Back to Me" signals that Fitzgerald is on fire from the opening of the show. Her slowly savored take of "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home" interpolates both "Am I Blue" and "Blue and Sentimental" in a bluesy setting. Extended workouts of "Perdido," "Take the A Train" and "How High the Moon" feature her matchless scat singing, with the latter song including numerous interpolated song quotes (often messing with the lyrics such as "Sweat Gets in My Eyes") and her campy imitation of a bowed bass. She milks the childish humor in her long-popular hit "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" and swings through an engaging take of "Lullaby of Birdland." The breezy "Joe Williams Blues" is another obscurity in Fitzgerald's discography, as only one other version has ever been released; she never runs out of ideas in her seven-plus minute workout, detouring into "Alright, Okay, You Win," "Fever" and even "Georgia on My Mind" while also scatting up a storm.

Fitzgerald reprises her cheerful rendition of Steve Allen's "This Could Be the Start of Something Big" (though her studio version recorded earlier in the year remained unreleased until the expanded 1989 reissue of Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie). When she recognizes Mack David in the audience, she decides to tackle an impromptu version of "Candy," which she claims not to know and jokes that "Those are the only records of mine that sell." She has trouble remembering the words and continues "The lyrics are not handy / I'm messing up your song" to the delight of the audience. The grand finale consists of Fitzgerald's hilarious series of vocalist impressions in "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home," which prompts a brief encore of the piece.

Pianist Lou Levy, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks and drummer Gus Johnson make up Fitzgerald's band on discs 1-3, while pianist Paul Smith and drummer Stan Levey join Middlebrooks on the final disc. The musicians primarily serve a supporting role, as Fitzgerald is the show, though their accompaniment is flawless throughout the collection.

The audio is generally excellent (minor miscues like a bumped microphone), with detailed notes and lots of photos in the package, though some fans may be disappointed with the open-top CD cardboard sleeves, which leave the discs exposed to dust and possible scratching.

Fitzgerald was always at her best performing live (and thus many of her finest albums are concert recordings). Fans of jazz, vocals and just excellent showmanship will enjoy this limited edition boxed set, which is clearly music for the ages.

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