Fine and Mellow is an album by Ella Fitzgerald, recorded in early 1974 but not released until 1979. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album in 1980, Fitzgerald's second win in four years.
The album is subtitled Ella Fitzgerald Jams and represents a return to the informal jam sessions at the Jazz at the Philharmonic Concerts in the 1940s and 1950s. A review in Audio magazine called it "Ella's best album in years."
DownBeat assigned the album 4 stars. Reviewer Douglas Clark wrote, "Relaxed is the word for this recording. The session seems as informal and friendly as a Sunday afternoon cookout. The musical fare is as basic as barbequeâÂÂno exotic dishes hereâÂÂbut itâÂÂs all very tasty and enjoyable . . . It is as mainstream as the Mississippi. But there is a fine sense of fun here, the comfortable feeling of people who are having a good time.".
Recorded January 8, 1974, in Hollywood, Los Angeles: