When you think of jazz you might think of Louis Armstrong or Billie Holiday, but I think one of the most influential jazz artists is the Queen of Jazz, Ella Fitzgerald.
Ella was born on April 25, 1917, in Newport News, VA. She grew up loving dancing, singing, and going to the theater, but she had her first exposure to music through attending church with her family and listening to jazz with her mother.
A fact that many people may not know about the The First Lady of Swing is she got involved in mafia related activities, and after getting in trouble with the law she landed herself in a reform school in Hudson, New York. After facing inhumane conditions and brutal abuse in the reform school, she escaped and was forced to face the Great Depression on her own.
Her singing career started by performing in the streets of Harlem and signing up for singing competitions. Even though she would win competitions, the judges would determine her prize based on her looks. This did not stop Ella from entering competitions and pursuing her career. After that she took off and earned her title as the First Lady of Jazz.Â
Since it is Black History Month, I set a goal to listen to three of Ella’s songs, especially since I have only heard one or two of her songs before.
I started off with “Dream a Little Dream of Me”, which she sung with Louis Armstrong. This was definitely my favorite song of hers, I feel like this is a song that I could listen to while doing homework or cleaning my room, I found it to be a very relaxing and mellow song.
The next song I chose was “Isn’t This a Lovely Day?”, this song gave me the vibes of something you would put into your coffee house playlist, something to listen to while sitting in your local coffee shop replying to emails and studying.
The last song I chose was “Blue Moon”, and even though this song is about not having someone to love, while listening I just imagined a young couple slow dancing in the middle of the street to this song at the end of a romance movie.
After listening to these songs, I’ve come to have a greater appreciation for jazz music, considering I’ve never given it a chance before. So, I now challenge the rest of you to listen to a genre you’ve never listened to before, you might end up expanding your music taste.
I can now say that I will definitely be adding Ella Fitzgerald to my Apple Music homework playlist.Â
Angelucci, Ashley, and Bio Author By: Mariana Brandman. “Biography: Ella Fitzgerald.” National Women’s History Museum, www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ella-fitzgerald. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.Â