"Moonlight in Vermont" is one of the most tender performances on the 1956 Verve album Ella and Louis, with Louis Armstrong's half-chorus trumpet solo over the 26-bar AABA form at a gentle 69 beats per minute creating a moment of quiet beauty. Karl Suessdorf's composition, with its famous lyric by John Blackburn that contains no rhymes, is one of the most distinctive songs in the American popular songbook. Armstrong's trumpet tone at this late stage of his career had acquired a weathered warmth that was perfectly suited to ballad performance, and his solo here is a model of melodic restraint and emotional directness. The unusual 26-bar form gives the piece a slightly asymmetric quality that sets it apart from more standard structures. Ella Fitzgerald's vocal interpretation brings her characteristic clarity and intonation to the material, her phrasing complementing rather than competing with Armstrong's instrumental contributions. The Oscar Peterson Quartet, with Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums, provides accompaniment of exquisite sensitivity. Ella and Louis captured the intersection of two legendary careers at an ideal moment, and this ballad performance exemplifies the album's rare combination of musical excellence and emotional warmth.
