You can't go wrong with a Gershwin tune! How often this statement was heard at Ella Fitzgerald's concerts, regardless of whether she performed with a big band, in a duet with Joe Pass, or at the Jazz at the Philharmonic jam sessions. One thing's absolutely certain: everyone - all the musicians and every single member of the audience knew the song.

The virtually impossible task of picking out the very best of the thousands of musical numbers and dashed-off compositions by George and Ira Gershwin was taken on by producer Norman Granz. The arranger and orchestra leader Nelson Riddle took more than a year to free the chosen titles from their touch of Broadway and treat them to a touch of jazz instead. And Ella herself had six months to set the works down in the studio to her complete satisfaction. All in all, this was a gigantic project, and one which could only be afforded by a large company such as Verve.

All these songs have been performed dozens, even hundreds of times, by a myriad of American entertainers. Almost all of them have been sung or played numerous times in greatly varying arrangements by jazz vocalists and instrumentalists - avant-garde, conventional - you name it. There isn't, and there never will be, a "definitive" version, but one thing is sure: in her Gershwin Songbook, Ella Fitzgerald has given us a whole series of absolutely first-class interpretations - and all the songs are complemented by their appropriate introduction in the complete version.

The Gershwin brothers turned their hand to the broad spectrum ranging from the Broadway musical to swinging jazz, and in doing so offered Ella a welcome opportunity to present her remarkably versatile vocal talent in songs with diverse styles. Ella surpasses herself in such numbers as "The Man I Love," "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Standards such as "Embraceable You" and "A Foggy Day" are absolutely the tops. "Slap That Bass" and "Who Cares" are pure jazz numbers and demonstrate the Gershwin brothers' affinity with jazz.

Track Listing
1. Sam and Delilah
2. But Not For Me
3. My One and Only
4. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
5. Beginner's Luck
6. Oh Lady Be Good
7. Nice Work If You Can Get It
8. Things Are Looking Up
9. Just Another Rhumba
10. How Long Has This Been Going On?
11. 'S Wonderful
12. The Man I Love
13. That Certain Feeling
14. By Strauss
15. Someone To Watch Over Me
16. The Real American Folk Song
17. Who Cares?
18. Looking For A Boy
19. The All Laughed
20. My Cousin From Milwaukee
21. Somebody From Somewhere
22. A Foggy Day
23. Clap Yo' Hands
24. For You For Me For Evermore
25. Stiff Upper Lip
26. Boy Wanted
27. Strike Up The Bank
27. Strike Up The Band
28. Soon
29. I've Got A Crush On You
30. Bidin' My Time
31. Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?
32. Of Thee I Sing (Baby)
33. The Half Of It, Dearie Blues
34. I Was Doing All Right
35. He Loves And She Loves
36. Love Is Sweeping The Country
37. Treat Me Rough
38. Love Is Here To Stay
39. Slap That Bass
40. Isn't It A Pity?
41. Shall We Dance?
42. Love Walked In
43. You've Got What Get's Me
44. They Can't Take That Away From Me
45. Embraceable You.
46. I Can't Be Bothered Now
47. Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!
48. Facinatin' Rhythm
49. Funny Face
50. Lorelei
51. Oh So Nice
52. Let's Kiss And Make Up
53. I Got Rhythm