MISTY: THE DEFINITIVE VERSION
“Misty” (music Erroll Garner/lyrics Johnny Burke)
Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald in April of 1960 for her soundtrack to the film Let No Man Write My Epitaph. Produced by Norman Granz for Verve Records.
“Misty” is a jazz standard written and recorded in 1954 by pianist Erroll Garner. He composed it as an instrumental, including it in his 1954 album Contrasts. Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke.
After the lyrics were written Dakota Staton was the first to record the song with vocals in 1957. A number of other artists recorded the song, but it was the recording by Sarah Vaughan that drew the most attention to it.
Vaughan recorded the song in a July 1958 Paris session, with an arrangement by Quincy Jones for her album Vaughan And Violins. Her recording reached No. 6 on the Bubbling Under chart in July 1959.
Let No Man Write My Epitaph is a 1960 American neo noir crime film staring Burl Ives, Shelley Winters, Ricardo Montalban and Ella Fitzgerald. In her role as “Flora”, Fitzgerald performs several songs in the film.
In connection with the film’s release, Fitzgerald released the 1960 album Ella Fitzgerald Sings Songs From “Let No Man Write My Epitaph”, with accompaniment by pianist Paul Smith, on Verve Records.
Available only on CD as The Intimate Ella until 2014, the album is considered one of Fitzgerald’s greatest recordings.
The album hints at a depth of emotional understanding that establishes Fitzgerald as one of the supreme interpreters of the Great American Songbook.
Ella’s 1950 Decca album Ella Sings Gershwin is in a similar vein, with Ella accompanied by Ellis Larkins on piano.