Joe Pass with Ella Fitzgerald - Take Love Easy (1974)

01.Take Love Easy
02.Once I Loved
03.Don’t Be That Way
04.You’re Blase
05.Lush Life
06.A Foggy Day
07.Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You
08.You Go To My Head
09.I Want To Talk About You.

Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Joe Pass (guitar).
Digitally remastered by Joe Tarantino (1987, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).
Recorded in Los Angeles, California on August 28, 1973. Includes original release liner notes by Benny Green.

One of several voice-and-guitar albums recorded by Ella Fitzgerald ... Joe Pass in the early '80s, TAKE LOVE EASY is possibly the best of the lot. Voice and guitar albums are arguably the trickiest projects to pull off in jazz; with no rhythm section to weight the music, the results can often float off into the ether. Fitzgerald, of course, is one of the greatest singers in jazz history, and her vocals on languid versions of classics like Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" are simply magnificent, but Pass's fluid, bop-influenced guitar style is equally important here. Rather than playing in a strictly melodic style, Pass subtly emphasizes the rhythm behind the melodies, creating a sense of forward motion missing from most solo jazz guitar showcases, particularly on sprightlier material like "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," but also in quiet ballads like the title track.