Companies, etc.
Record Company – King Record Co. Ltd
Notes
Multi-coloured splatter vinyl. Regular King Records "stereophonic" red label.
Released in printed hard plexi outer case (with sticker obi attached) and insert.
The gatefold cover sleeve is made of paper, not cardboard.
This release was an experiment by King Records to test consumer responses to gimmicks (splattered vinyl) and eliminating shrinkwrap (by using a plexi outer case).
The songs were originally Japanese folk songs/minyo that were given new lyrics in English.

Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve.

Ella Fitzgerald reigns supreme as one of the great, if not the greatest, singers of all time. She was a prolific performer, both on stage and in the studio and, as we saw in late 2009, with the release of Ella In Hollywood, a 4-CD box set of jaw-dropping unreleased live recordings, a never-ending source of surprises. Prepare to be surprised once again. `S Wonderful: Ella In Japan, a new release from the acclaimed Verve Select imprint at Hip-oSelect.com, is a brand-new 2-CD set of previously unheard Ella: on tour in Japan with the Roy Eldridge Quartet in January 1964, she and the band were hailed as American jazz heroes, feted in every city, then recorded over two brilliant nights in Tokyo. She ran through Song Book favorites, a smattering of other classics and Ella's own blues, first at Tokyo's equivalent of Carnegie Hall (Disc 1), then in an invitation-only, late-night gig at a luxury hotel's ballroom, with Japanese entertainers in attendance (Disc 2). Eldridge's Quartet got their own set as well, joined in a jam session with local musicians. (Ella fans take additional note: this album features the first recordings of Ella with her longtime pianist Tommy Flanagan.) Where was `S Wonderful: Ella In Japan all these years? Her producer/manager Norman Granz had made stereo mixes, created album sides, devised separate LPs for the American and Japanese markets, sent detailed memos to his staff and then, owing to the abundance of Ella in Verve's vault, cancelled the releases. Published discographies also had incorrect recording dates, adding to the mystery. After nearly 50 years, not only were the tapes rediscovered: writer Marc Myers made his own discoveries with Japanese journalists and surviving musicians, and in the liner notes he tells the full story of these extraordinary recordings for the first time. Myers' essay in the set's 24-page booklet is augmented with rare photos from the tour as well as tour program reprints, and more. All 26 tracks from both planned LPs are now available for the first time ever on `S Wonderful: Ella In Japan a 2-CD collection equal to Ella In Hollywood and, to some, better than that award-winning set, as it's Ella a few years later, a little more confident, swinging with supernatural ease.

Diana Krall has had a long time fascination with bossa nova, a type of music which perfectly suits her sophisticated yet sensual style. This culminated in her new studio album 'Quiet Nights' (released by Verve in spring 2009) and in this stunning concert filmed in the home of the bossa nova, Rio de Janeiro, in November 2008. Accompanied by her band and an orchestra, Diana Krall delivers a superb set of standards in true bossa nova style but clearly bearing her unique stamp. This Blu-ray captures Diana Krall at her scintillating best.

Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater.