German filmmaker Katja Duregger pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald in this extraordinary documentary about the Queen of Jazz.

Focusing on the phenomenon of her extraordinary voice, this film pays tribute to The First Lady of Song – Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice is a phenomenon and unrivalled to this day. With absolute pitch and perfect intonation, her voice spanned three octaves, her phrasing seemed effortless, and the odd moments in her nearly 60-year career when she sang off-key were few and far between. There is almost no style of music in which she did not excel, and her numerous – now legendary – recordings of the Great American Songbook with pieces by US composers such as George and Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter and Duke Ellington remained a benchmark for the interpretation of those songs for generations of singers.

Ira Gershwin is rumoured to have said: “I didn’t realise how good our songs were until Ella sang them.” Duregger unravels the secret of Fitzgerald’s voice via insights from singers Dianne Reeves and Dee Dee Bridgewater, jazz drummer and producer Terri Lyne Carrington, jazz violinist Regina Carter, author Tad Hershorn and the eminent jazz critic Will Friedwald, among others. They describe the impact her voice had and continues to have on their lives.

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COMPETITION: Win 1x pair of tickets to attend Doc’n Roll Film Festival: Pure Love - the voice of Ella Fitzgerald at Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury at 16:00 on Sunday 18 November. To enter the competition, send an email to vienna@run-riot.com with the correct answer in the ‘subject’ line. The winner will be randomly selected.
Q: "She personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night". So, with that quote in mind, which American actress, model and singer helped book Ella at the
popular 50s nightclub Mocambo?
A: .1) Kim Novak .2) Ruby Dee .3) Marilyn Monroe .4) Lauren Bacall