Ella Fitzgerald. A Jazz Legend Who Changed American Music

The legendary Ella Fitzgerald, owner of one of the most amazing voices of the twentieth century, dreamed of becoming a dancer in her childhood. Ambitious and prone to risk, she presented herself to the audience as her true self, honest and genuine, without trying to act. «I want to do something special, I want to be someone important. You will still see my name in newspaper headlines» – this is what little Ella said, firmly stepping onto the path of becoming who would be called «the First Lady of Jazz». She set the standard for American perfection, almost unmatched in the twentieth century. Thanks to rare press publications, archival interviews, and concert recordings

Judith Tick – the author of the book – narrates about the singer's difficult childhood in Yonkers, the tragic death of her mother, encounters with racial discrimination, and many other pages of Ella's life that remained in the shadows before. Judith Tick is a distinguished professor of music history at Northeastern University in Boston. In 2004, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in her honor, a permanent research fund was established by the Society for American Music – the leading professional organization in the fields that interest her the most.