Bath's Little Theatre to screen a moving documentary on the life and times of Ella Fitzgerald tonight
Posted on: 03 Jun 2019A revealing, moving documentary uncovering the unknown life of American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald will be screened at Little Theatre in Bath on Monday 3rd June 2019.
Ella Fitzgerald: Just One Of Those Things uses previously unseen and unreleased footage and interviews of The Queen of Jazz. At the age of 15, she was a street kid who got lucky winning a talent contest in 1934 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. In an unbelievably brief period of time - a matter of months, in fact - she was a singing sensation and a bona fide star.
Over a period of decades, this First Lady of Song changed the shape of jazz music (and, quite frankly, music) irrevocably, renowned and revered for her improvisational ability, faultless diction, intonation and purity of tone. Her voice was wonderful and sublime, a voice that she would use to transform the tragedies of her own life into moments of joy and happiness. Just One Of Those Things follows her through that remarkable journey.
Previously unseen footage in the documentary depicts a different side of Ella, an Ella that the majority of fans and indeed the world probably never knew. Funny, thoughtful, resilient, tough, she was also a musical pioneer who overcame shocking racism and championed civil rights causes. She was also an incredibly private person whose life was filled with sacrifice and loneliness; in fact, her friend and famed pianist Oscar Peterson once referred to her as "the loneliest woman in the world". Contemporary jazz supremo Jamie Cullum, however, has an upbeat appraisal of the influence she had and what she brought to the world: “Her music is one of the reasons it’s worth being on this planet.”
Directed by Leslie Woodhead and with appearances by Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett and the aforementioned Cullum, this is a riveting, intimate, revealing, poignant documentary of one of the most important and iconic jazz singers the music world has ever known.
The screening starts at 6.15pm. Ticket prices range from £11.90 to £7.90 and can be purchased here. The Little Theatre Picturehouse is located at St Michael's Place, Bath BA1 1SF - contact the team on 0871 902 5735 for more info.
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