Ella Fitzgerald - Let No Man Write My Epitaph (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)

Just a voice and a piano make up Ella Fitzgerald's Let No Man Write My Epitaph, reissued in the Verve Acoustic Sounds Series with the care it has always deserved.

Recorded in Hollywood in 1960 and produced by Norman Granz, the session strips everything back to Ella and pianist Paul Smith. The album was tied to the crime drama Let No Man Write My Epitaph, in which she appeared, and it was later reissued under the fitting name The Intimate Ella. Away from big bands and orchestras, her voice takes on a hushed, confiding quality that few of her other records capture quite so fully.

Black Coffee opens in a smoky, late-night mood, Ella stretching each phrase with patience and quiet ache. Angel Eyes is restrained and devastating, every word weighed, while Misty glows with gentle warmth over Smith's sensitive accompaniment. One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) turns the classic saloon song into a whispered confession, the last call of a very long night. Smith's touch is light and supportive, leaving space for every breath and inflection.

It is a record to play after dark with the lights down low. For anyone who loves great singing, it is a rare and lasting treasure.