Currently only available as a very pricey Japanese import, Ella Fitzgerald's Songs in a Mellow Mood finds the singer in the ideal and intimate company of pianist Ellis Larkins. A precursor to her equally stunning Gershwin set with the pianist, this 12-track set includes such first-tier standards as "Imagination," "You Leave Me Breathless," and "Until the Real Thing Comes Along." Presaging her masterful series of songbook recordings, Fitzgerald is equally at home with Gershwin, Porter, and Rodgers & Hammerstein, never faltering while she balances vocal power and interpretive nuances. Larkins only adds to the rarefied atmosphere with supple voicings of his own. A perfect way to soak up one of jazz's most glorious singers.