Take Love Easy

History

This album is the first of four studio albums that Ella recorded with Pass, and it was the latest in a long line of duets for Ella with just one other instrument. Ella had previously recorded two albums with just piano accompianment, and prior to this, one had previously heard her with just a guitar on 'Wait Till You See Her' from the Rodgers & Hart Songbook (1956), on several of the intros to the Riddle arrangements from the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959), and a few tracks on her 1957 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook ('Solitude', 'In a Sentimental Mood', and 'Azure'. The compilation The First Lady of Song includes a couple of more previously unreleased duets, "Detour Ahead" and "Angel Eyes".)

Ella and Pass didn't only record in a studio environment however, Newport Jazz Festival: Live at Carnegie Hall (1973) and Digital III at Montreux (1979) are both live recordings.

The three later albums that Ella recorded with Pass were Fitzgerald and Pass... Again (1976), Speak Love (1983), and Easy Living (1986). In addition, Pass featured prominently on Fitzgerald's 1981 album of songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ella Abraça Jobim.

Reception

In his Allmusic review, critic Scott Yanow wrote "Because the emphasis is on ballads and not all of the songs are that well suited to Fitzgerald's musical personality... this set is only a mixed success.,, this is not one of the more essential Ella Fitzgerald records."

Track listing

1. "Take Love Easy" (Duke Ellington, John Latouche) – 4:36
2. "O Amor Em Paz" ("Once I Loved") (Vinícius de Moraes, Ray Gilbert, Antônio Carlos Jobim) – 2:19
3. "Don't Be That Way" (Benny Goodman, Mitchell Parish, Edgar Sampson) – 4:39
4. "You're Blasé" (Ord Hamilton, Bruce Sievier) – 3:27
5. "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn) – 3:34
6. "A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 6:10
7. "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You?" (Andy Razaf, Don Redman) – 4:04
8. "You Go To My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 5:44
9. "I Want to Talk About You" (Billy Eckstine) – 3:28

Personnel

Recorded August 28, 1973, at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio, Los Angeles