I don't want to say the wrong thing, which I always do. I think I do better when I sing.
Ella FitzgeraldOnce, when we were playing at the Apollo Theater, Holiday was working a block away at the Harlem Opera House. Some of us went over between shows to catch her, and afterwards we went backstage. I did something then, and I still don't know if it was the right thing to do—I asked her for her autograph.
Ella FitzgeraldSome kids in Italy call me 'Mama Jazz; I thought that was so cute. As long as they don't call me 'Grandma Jazz.'
Ella Fitzgerald[On bebop years] All I did was sing 'How High the Moon.' It seemed like the only song I ever sang.
Ella FitzgeraldNobody else even approaches the trumpet like [Sweets Edison] does: Never too much and always plenty. He's the greatest trumpet player to play along with singers. He exactly knows how to play with you, how to answer you about what you just sang ... On top of that, he has some great sense of humor, both as a musician and as a man. Every time I see him, I'm laughing so much. Sweets is impeccable and incomparable.
Ella Fitzgerald