On the 7th of April, 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland a little girl was born.  She was named Eleonora Fagan.  At that time few people would ever have expected that this child would go on to become one of the most famous  as well as one of the most tragic, if not the most tragic, of figures in the history of Jazz.

We start this piece with two stories.  Anecdotes are important for getting a feel for an individual as opposed to just trotting out a dry biography of someone.

The year is 1955. The place is Chicago, Illinois.  A young jazz musician, only 25 as a matter of fact, has moved to town from New York.  He has already established a name for himself by playing and recording with Bud Powell (piano), Fats Navarro (trumpet), and Miles Davis (trumpet).

“A World of Jazz” turns now to Ella Fitzgerald,  First Lady of  Jazz  a.k.a.  First Lady of Song and  vocalist nonpareil.   There have been many, many good ones in terms of jazz singers and interpreters of American song.  However, I believe I can say without hesitation and after careful listening and consideration that Ella Fitzgerald's was the voice of the twentieth century.