This episode, from a Jazz on Film session on the Journey of Jazz cruise, features an engaging discussion about the legacies of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson with guests Cecile McLorin Salvant, Sullivan Fortner and Kelly Peterson, Oscar’s widow.

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Episode 110 of Jazz Cruises Conversations, is drawn from a "Jazz on Film" session on the Journey of Jazz Cruise. This session focuses on the lives, careers, and close relationship of Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. The episode features the reading of a poem Oscar Peterson wrote about Ella, and includes audio excerpts from Oscar Peterson's 1980 BBC television show where he interviewed and performed with Ella Fitzgerald.

Following the clips, Lee Mergner hosts a post-screening discussion with vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, pianist Sullivan Fortner, and Kelly Peterson (Oscar Peterson's widow), exploring the profound influence and dynamic between these two greats.

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Key Takeaways

Oscar Peterson's Dedication: The episode includes the reading of a poem Oscar Peterson wrote about Ella Fitzgerald, emphasizing her voice as "quite beyond belief". The voice reading the poem is identified as Christian McBride.
The 1981 Interview: The discussion includes audio from Oscar Peterson's television show appearance with Ella, recorded in 1981 when Ella was 64 years old. During this segment, Ella and Oscar perform "Mellow Tone," "Baby Won't You Please Come Home," and the Vincent Youmans tune, "More Than You Know".

Ella's Early Career: Ella Fitzgerald reveals that she initially wanted to be a dancer. She started singing after making a bet with girlfriends to enter an amateur contest in Yonkers. She tried to sing like Connie Boswell and performed "The Object of My Affection," winning the first prize of $12.50. She later joined the Chick Webb Orchestra after an attempt to join Fletcher Henderson's band failed because she was "real skinny" and "not the glamour type".

The Song Books: Oscar Peterson notes the "almost monumental project" of her Song Books. Ella mentions that the first one, the Cole Porter song book, was completed in about three weeks. Cécile McLorin Salvant considers this project a foundational part of American music history, setting Ella apart as a "historic Mount Rushmore figure" who archived the music.

The Accompanist's Role: Sullivan Fortner explains that a good singer, like Ella, creates a "harmonic need" within the accompanist, making the players better. For an accompanist, the lyric and the message behind the song must be the priority, overriding melody, tone, and the piano player's input at the bottom.
Ella and Oscar's Relationship: Kelly Peterson describes their relationship as a deep, loving friendship. She shares the story of Oscar's famous ink spill prank on Ella's new white fur coat. Kelly also recounts the moving anecdote of Oscar wearing his heavy gold lion pendant (his "medal" given by Ella) on the day he instinctively knew she had died.

Vocal Evolution: The guests discuss the comparison between early Ella (1957 clips) and later Ella (1981), noting that while the quality of her voice changed (wider vibrato, deeper, songs in lower keys), her core concepts remained largely the same and "spot-on".

Musical Configuration: Cécile McLorin Salvant expresses a preference for the quartet configuration because it maintains the versatility and looseness of a duo setting, although she enjoys singing with

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• Theme Music: Provided by Marcus Miller from his song "High Life" on his album Aphrodesia on Blue Note.