Ella Fitzgerald
»ELLA IS THE GREATEST OF THEM ALL!« (BING CROSBY)
THEY CALLED HER THE QUEEN OF JAZZ and the First Lady of Song, and without her music history would have been completely different. 13 Grammys, many millions of records sold, dozens of awards as »Best Female Singer« – those are just a few milestones in Ella Fitzgerald’s (1917−1996) career of over 50 years. She came from the poorest of backgrounds, made her way from being the daughter of a washer woman to a hugely-admired singer, celebrated in renowned concert halls all over the world. Her
vocal range spanning over three octaves is just as unique as her importance for American culture. Until today, her life testifi es to a time in which racist humiliations were commonplace, but black jazz and blues musicians were admired. This book also tells about the integrative power of jazz. In the conversations that Johannes Kunz held with Ella Fitzgerald, her manager Norman Granz or the pianist Oscar Peterson, the aura of this fascinating personality comes to life.
Johannes Kunz, born in 1947 in Vienna, started working for the Austrian broadcasting company ORF in 1968. From 1973–1980, he was the spokesperson for Austrian
chancellor Bruno Kreisky and afterwards became the publishing director of the Molden- Verlag. In 1982, he returned to the ORF. From 1986–1994, he worked as a TV news
director. As the founder of Vienna Entertainment, he organised many big concerts, from 1996–2012, he also managed the renowned Salzburg Autumn Jazz Festival. He has written and edited numerous books, radio and TV shows.