A beautiful duet by the great jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The song is the first on the album, Cheek to Cheek, and is an absolute classic. This is a wonderful set of recordings that includes some lovely Bing Crosby radio shows with the two vocalists singing together, a pair of numbers recorded at a Hollywood Bowl jazz concert in 1956 and a lot of outtakes from their recording sessions.
The music to this piece was written by Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt with lyrics written by Gus Kahn. There is a considerable amount of confusion as to when the pair wrote the song but Schwandt once recalled that they wrote it during a 10-minute break at a gig in Paw Paw, Michigan while Andre once said they wrote it while working in Milwaukee.
This song would enjoy its highest chart presence in 1968 when it was recorded by Cass Elliot with the Mamas and the Papas and then again in 1969 by Anita Harris. The Harris version of the song debuted in the UK Top 50 dated 10 August 1968 at #46 while Cass’ single peaked at #11 that same week.
This song is a wonderful lullaby that would be appropriate for either a baby or an adult. It has a moody quality to it that would help to lull listeners into a more relaxed state of mind. It also works well in a more swinging style and can even be used for dancing purposes. This is a classic that should be in every jazz lover’s collection. ella fitzgerald dream a little dream of me