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Rating: 
Summary: Dumb Book
Review: I can only write about my few years with her - but I certainly have more insight about the woman not so much the singer than this whole dumb book.Lots about recording - of course he was not there - and nothing about her other than "and then she did"...
Rating: 
Summary: Every step in recording studio and no other informations
Review: I read this book in for the first time in 1996. and now, second time around, still have the same feeling - Stuart Nicholson had obviously find easier to trace every step Ella Fitzgerald ever made in recording studio,than what she thought,felt and reasons behind her behaviour."A model in research and musical insight?" There is a year-by-year recording dates discography but not one single interview or even quotte!!Yes,Ella was a wonderful,gifted singer,but what eventually came out of this book (between the lines,if you bother to read) is that she was easily and ruthlessly pushed around by Norman Granz (manager) and made him a millionaire,toured 365 days in the year so Granz could collect Picasso paintings & move to Switzerland and that same Granz didnt have understanding for her,making a scene when she couldnt perform as her sister had just died (Duke Ellington stepped to protect her and got a slap on HIS nose instead).If Stuart Nicholson didnt have acces to do interview with Fitzgerald herself or at least some of her close friends,I wonder why did he bother to writte a book at all (just to dig some dirt & discover that she was - maybe?- a victim a child abuse,something that she kept behind her and didnt want to discuss,which we should understand and respect).No matter how appealing singer Ella was,I find repulsive idea of this big woman being lead around by her manager as beast of burden.And they said Billie Holiday was a tragic figure - hey, Billie at least had a good time! At the end of 245 pages,I find this book simply overrated - you can easily find Fitzgerald's discography in every jazz dictionary and perhaps as a subject of his book Nicholson should have consider Norman Granz instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable, enlightening, thoroughly researched.
Review: I'd have given this book 4 1/2 stars given the option. The only reason I didn't give it 5 is that it gets somewhat dry towards the end, but I blame my attention span for some of that. It's full of fascinating stories, tidbits and opinions from musicians, producers, friends and agents who worked with Ella. You'll come away from the book with a new understanding of Ella the person and Ella the musician. You'll learn much about the times and the musicians who created the story of popular music and jazz in America. You'll also have a fascinating guide to her recorded music, the whys and the hows of it, the circumstances that made it wonderful or less than great. I recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: MISTER NICHOLSON MISSED THE TRAIN TO HARLEM
Review: Overall this book collects most of the facts of ELLA's life and career in nice perspective.However i must say this:Mister NICHOLSON while preparing the biography has not met his subject and has included some totally out of place remarks that makes his book a shameful attempt to collect royalties he does not deserve.Mister NICHOLSON who i beleive never conducted an orchestra try to demonstrate that BUDDY BREGMAN the conductor of the PORTER and RODGERS songbooks failed to deliver the goods,allthough millions of fans throughout the world consider them to be the best of the series.Mister NICHOLSON sad to say has caught a severe case we should call the RIDDLE syndrome.Still,you can buy that book and still get to know ELLA if you can read between the lines.
Rating:
Summary: An elusive look at an elusive life.
Review: The book is loaded with facts about Ms. Fitzgerald's concert and recording careers, but gives almost nothing about her personal life.
Rating: 
Summary: Research of original documents, photos, and interviews
Review: The revised edition of this survey of jazz lady Ella Fitzgerald will appeal to any who haven't already gotten too many jazz biographies of Ella under their belts. Ella Fitzgerald defined the female voice in jazz, and Stuart Nicholson's biography was considered a classic in the genre. This updated edition includes further research of original documents, photos, and interviews to expand upon Ella's life.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Bios
Review: This is the best of the Ella bios. Authoritative, well-written, and insightful with a helpful discography. Avoid the much inferior "First Lady of Song" by Fidelman. THIS is the bio to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Bios
Review: This is the best of the Ella bios. Authoritative, well-written, and insightful with a helpful discography. Avoid the much inferior "First Lady of Song" by Fidelman. THIS is the bio to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Bios
Review: This is the best of the Ella bios. Authoritative, well-written, and insightful with a helpful discography. Avoid the much inferior "First Lady of Song" by Fidelman. THIS is the bio to buy.
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