Anyone who's read many of my tape collecting posts will know by now that I'm not a real big fan of Ebay. And when I do buy there, I try to go with tried and true sellers that have good return policies and a proven track record. Every now and then, I roll the dice and do bid on tapes that I have on vinyl and love to death. I don't bid too high but every now and then, I win. Now, anyone that's followed jazz tapes on the 'bay will know that the better known ones are going for ridiculous prices. I just picked up Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie" for about $25. I couldn't believe I got it for that price (not exactly cheap but considering I lost The Band's " Stage Fright" with a bid of $35 that same week) and the tape just sounds fantastic. I don't think I've ever heard Ella's vocal gymnastics quite as clearly. I guess that's it,.. there's a clarity to her voice that just tells you that you're hearing all of it. The recording is kinda funny on several of Ella's catalog. I have almost all of it on vinyl and it's the same there. Her vocals are center stage and the other musicians are secondary,.. both in the spotlight and in fidelity. The piano on the right goes plink, plink, plink. And the orchestra sounds more like a radio in the background ( if fact, from all the sonic evidence, I couldn't swear in a court of law that it isn't). But Ella,.. in that little girl voice that sounds more like she's singing to a favorite pet rather than a LD microphone in some uptown studio, just flat out glows. Whether she's telling us about Stella by Starlight or how Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, her vocal improvisations always ring true. I doesn't sound like something worked up in rehearsal or on a sheet of staff paper, it's more akin to a seed and the flowering tree that followed. And it's such a pleasure to be able to hear that seed take root and a simple melody spread to an organic whole.
If you see it, grab it. I kinda like it.