Ella & Louis! Simone Craddock and Adam Hall
1956. The streets of America are humming with civil unrest and change. As the world turns, two of its brightest stars walk into Capitol Studios, and just for a moment, time stands still... Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong defined an era and standard of musicianship that have delighted fans & inspired musicians for generations. Against a backdrop of uncertainty, they created something beautiful and ageless, transcending the times they were living in. Winners of the FRINGE WORLD Music & Musicals Award, Simone Craddock (2020) & Adam Hall (2019), accompanied by Adrian Galante at the piano, come ‘cheek to cheek’ to pay homage to the greatest musical pairing of all time, Ella & Louis! "Enchanting and delightful!" ★★★★★ Fringefeed, 2021 "Absolutely brilliant!" ★★★★ Seesaw Mag, 2021
In 1956, Jazz impresario Norman Granz brings one of his brightest stars Ella Fitzgerald together with Louis Armstrong, backed by Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich to make an album of duets. It was in turns playful, personal, political and timeless while also being timely. It has also stood the test of time.
To hear it live, as sung by Simone Craddock alongside trumpeter and singer Adam Hall, with Adrian Galante channelling Oscar Peterson, was a pleasure beyond what I can write in words here.
The thing about live music like this is that it enables performers like Simone and Adam to tell us the stories behind the songs, to play with them, to tell us what makes the music so personally affecting for them, be it the song, jazz, or how Ella and Louis were key inspirations in their careers. In short, everything has meaning and it comes through the power of their performances.
They were not able to play all the songs on the original album, but there was a lovely narrative threading through Great American Songbook standards like 'Isn't it a Lovely Day', 'Can't We Be Friends', 'The Nearness of You', 'Stars Fell on Alabama' (recorded as the first key civil rights marches started in Alabama) and 'Cheek to Cheek'.
It takes some gumption to step into the shoes of legendary performers like Ella and Louis, but Simone, Adam and Adrian pull it off. They are able to be themselves as performers, yet still let you imagine it's Ella and Louis.
If you can get to see this show at the next Fringe or anytime you hear of it being performed, you cannot fail to be moved and have a smile on your face the whole time.