"My One and Only" from Ella Fitzgerald's 1950 album Ella Sings Gershwin features a half-chorus piano solo from Ellis Larkins that epitomizes the intimate duo format of this groundbreaking recording. Performed in E-flat major with a 32-bar AABA form at 125 BPM, the track showcases Larkins's refined touch and harmonic sensitivity. The album, one of Fitzgerald's earliest concept records, pairs her voice exclusively with Larkins's piano, creating a chamber music intimacy rarely heard in vocal jazz. George Gershwin's composition receives a treatment that emphasizes its melodic sophistication, with Larkins's solo complementing Fitzgerald's vocal interpretation through subtle harmonic embellishments and graceful melodic lines. Ella Sings Gershwin was released on Decca Records and predated the more elaborate Gershwin songbook albums Fitzgerald would later record for Verve. The stripped-down duo format places extraordinary demands on both performers, and the musical chemistry between Fitzgerald and Larkins is immediately apparent. Larkins, a classically trained pianist known for his delicate touch and harmonic refinement, was the ideal accompanist for this material. The album helped establish the model for the comprehensive songbook recordings that would become Fitzgerald's signature achievement throughout the late 1950s.
