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In an article written for Melody Maker in 1938, Leonard described an unforgettable evening of music he'd experienced at the Savoy. Chick Webb's band, "the perfect swing orchestra," was playing. The highlight of Leonard's evening came when a young Ella Fitzgerald walked onto the bandstand, asked, "Please, Mr. Webb, may I sing this number?" and captivated the audience utterly.
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It was with Webb's band that Ella had her first successes, including the Decca hit "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." When her mentor died, she kept the band together for a year. Unlike many singers who were uncomfortable with the bop movement, she incorporated it into her style, and became a master of the new wordless singing known as scatting. Leonard's respect for her grew even greater as years went by, and he wrote: "Ella Fitzgerald's is one of the most flexible, beautiful and widely appreciated voices of this century."
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Ella recalls her early career in an interview from 1983.
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Ella recounts the influence of the Boswell sisters.
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