Ella Fitzgerald toured Europe many times in her illustrious singing career. But on February 13, 1960 in Berlin’s ”Deutschlandhallen”, something special and magical happened. Ella thought it would be nice and fitting to sing „Mack the Knife“, as a tribute to German Composer Bertolt Brecht. An adaptation of the song by Bobby Darin and Louis Armstrong was currently in the American charts. No Brainer right? Well, halfway through the song, Ella realized that she didn’t remember all of the words and had to „wing it“ through the second half of the song. And due to the forethought of Producer Norman Granz, who had decided before the tour, to record all of the performances, this „Beautiful Screw up“ became one of the most memorable and well-loved „live“ recordings of Ella’s career. www.vimeo.com/28363383. Enjoy!
Aaron – Daily Grind
