Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things

Director: Leslie Woodhead

Wed 2 Oct 7.30pm      Book Now

Duration: 89 mins
AGE Rating: Cert PG
Adults £8
Under 15s £5

“Her music is one of the reasons it’s worth being on this planet” -Jamie Cullum

“She made it seem anything was possible” – Laura Mvula

Fondly referred to as ‘The First Lady of Song’ or the ‘Queen of Jazz’, Ella Fitzgerald’s place in the pantheon of Jazz greats is assured. She was the most popular female jazz singer in the United States for more than half a century, winning 14 Grammy Awards. These accolades were earned over an almost 60-year career, embracing multiple musical genres including Swing, Bebop, Scat & Jazz. Fitzgerald’s longevity can be attributed not only to her extraordinary voice, but her musically adventurous and savvy nature, and the hard-earned rags-to-riches story of her rise to stardom.

Ella Fitzgerald was a 15 year-old street kid when she won a talent contest in 1934 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Within months she was a star. “Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things” follows her extraordinary journey over six decades as her sublime voice transforms the tragedies of her own life and the troubles of her times into joy.

The film uses never-before-seen images and unheard interviews to bring Ella Fitzgerald to life and to tell the story of her music. – a black woman who makes her career in the face of horrifying racism.

Featuring interviews with: Tony Bennett, Jamie Cullum, Laura Mvula, Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Cleo Laine, Andre Previn, Norma Miller, Patti Austin, Izsak Perlman, Margo Jefferson, Will Friedwald and a rare interview with Ella’s son, Ray Brown Jr.