35. Kate Schutt Discusses Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book

Send us Fan MailSongwriter/guitarist/vocalist/producer/arranger Kate Schutt nudges me out of my comfort zone for this episode of You, Me and An Album, as we discuss Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book (1956), the first pre-1960s album featured on this podcast. We talked about Kate’s latest album (Bright Nowhere), how she absorbed Ella Fitzgerald’s music by osmosis during her childhood, Cole Porter’s unique place among songwriters and her thoughts about selected tracks from the featured double album.I mentioned Kate’s TEDx talk on helping friends and family who are grieving. It’s a must-watch, and you can find it here: https://youtu.be/IfDV103duCMKate recommended that we all check out Ella Fitzgerald’s famous performance of Mack the Knife — the one where she forgot the lyrics. I put a brief clip in the show, but you can hear the whole thing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OkasoG1gtcKate is easy to find on Twitter and Instagram at @kateschutt. You can find out more about her and her music, art and book on her website, kateschutt.com.Al is on Twitter at @almelchiorBB and on both Twitter and Instagram at @youmealbum. Be sure to follow the latter accounts for announcements of upcoming guests and albums.1:22 Kate joins the show2:33 Al breaks one of his rules with this album3:28 Kate worked with Rob Mounsey on her latest album, Bright Nowhere5:59 Kate wrote the songs for Bright Nowhere while her mother was in remission from ovarian cancer9:37 Kate hopes to be able to play her songs live again soon11:42 Kate heard Ella Fitzgerald a lot growing up15:30 Kate’s musical taste is eclectic; she just likes great songs16:29 Herbie Hancock’s The River is a great example of songs that are just as great with different vocalists singing them17:22 This Ella Fitzgerald double album went a long way towards making Cole Porter’s songs a part of the Great American Song Book18:48 The Red, Hot and Blue compilation brought Cole Porter’s songs to a new generation20:27 Cole Porter’s style of writing lyrics and his economy with words remains distinctive23:28 How did Kate wind up writing a book about songwriting?28:52 Which Ella Fitzgerald song is Kate’s favorite?31:11 We’re not discussing the entire double albumBreakdown of selected tracks32:17 Anything Goes38:05 Miss Otis Regrets45:27 Too Darn Hot49:41 I Get a Kick Out of You52:07 How do Cole Porter and Ella Fitzgerald help Kate with her songwriting?59:19 Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love1:01:43 One of Those Things1:04:51 Begin the Beguine1:08:56 You Do Something To Me1:13:19 Ridin’ High1:15:47 Love For Sale1:21:45 It’s De-LovelyOutro music is from Roll the Stone Back by Kate Schutt.Support the show