Fri 6/26-Thu 7/16
Jazz/pop singer Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) rose from a rough start in life to becoming one of the most iconic jazz singers. She was an orphaned teen sometimes living on the streets of New York and in a reform school, when, in 1934, she won amateur night at the Apollo, leading a long and successful career. Known for her incredible skill in scat singing (using the voice to imitate an instrument), she also had such huge pip hits as the novelty tune “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” She performed at Tri-C JazzFest in 1992, shortly before she had both lower legs amputated due to diabetes.
The 2019 film Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of the Those Things tells her incredible story, drawing on the remembrances and appreciations of such admirers as Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Patti Austin, Tony Bennett and her own son Ray Brown Jr. The film will be available as a streaming exclusive from the CIA Cinematheque from June 26-July 16.
Screening fee is $12; you have 72 hours after renting to watch it. Go here to get it. Theres also a live conversation with the writer/producer of the film Reggie Nadelson and others on Sunday June 27.
EllaFitzgeraldJustOneOfThoseThings
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106
Cleveland, OH 44106