82. THE LOST BERLIN TAPES by Ella Fitzgerald

There’s a sense of exhilaration when something long lost is suddenly found or, even better, when something not even known to exist abruptly does. The former applies to “The Lost Berlin Tapes” - a recording of Fitzgerald made in 1962 Berlin. When the tapes were finally found almost 60 years later, yellowed cellophane tape was still shutting the precious contents out from the rest of the world. Inside was a recording from March 25, 1962, released just this past week for us to awe over. So, if you’re into vocalists like Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and the like, this is a must listen. Songs you will recognize are contained within (‘Cheek to Cheek,’ ‘Mack the Knife,’ etc.), but I love the slow blues number that closes out the album, ‘Wee Baby Blues.’