I’ve not had Ella and Louis Again in my record collection for very long. Perhaps, about two months back. The sister of my dear school friend who had passed away in January this year had wanted to dispose of her brother's possessions and asked me whether I would like to pick out anything from his room. So this record was one of many that I had chosen. I would have liked every one of his records but for want of a storage space at home. So i was quite contented to pick and choose, and then I called Paul Augustin, previously of the Penang house of Music, to cart away the rest of my friend's records. He was rather thankful.
Released in 1957, Ella and Louis Again was the much-anticipated follow-up to the hugely successful Ella and Louis from the year before. Both albums are standards in any serious jazz collection: two musical giants enjoying each other’s company in the studio. There are solo spots—Ella singing alone on tracks like Autumn in New York or Louis growling through Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off but the magic is in the duets. When they come together on Stompin’ at the Savoy or A Fine Romance, there’s a natural give-and-take that’s impossible to fake. You can hear the grin in Louis’s trumpet. Above that, Ella's silken voice.
The Oscar Peterson Trio held everything together. Oscar on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar, with Louis Bellson on drums, creating a swinging rhythm that never overshadowed Louis or Ella, but always keeping the music alive. Volumes 1 and 2 split the sessions into two single albums. Between them, there’s no dip in quality. They deserve a spot in my collection; thank you, Oon Hup.
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