Wilfred Middlebrooks, the double bassist whose elegant, understated sound was heard in the band that backed jazz great Ella Fitzgerald and in the Paul Smith Trio, died of heart failure March 13 at ...

Now, Payne, 79, stars in a new production of "Ella," which comes to the Madison Theatre at Molloy College in Rockville Centre from Aug. 18 to Sept. 11. In the show, Fitzgerald's life is an open book.

A Century of Ella Jenkins: Tributes to the First Lady of Children’s Music. To celebrate Ella Jenkins on her hundredth birthday in August, we asked a group of musicians how Ella has inspired them.

Ella’s voice is so playful and precise on “Too Darn Hot.” It’s like she’s dancing with the band. The song itself is a fast-paced number with cheeky lyrics, and Ella owns it.

It’s impossible to rank the records in Ella Fitzgerald’s songbook series, but the 1958 Irving Berlin collection is surely essential in any music library. This Verve reissue packages the two CDs ...