Improvisando

Sorprendente Ella Fitzgerald en una actuación de 1960 en Berlín durante la cual, como deferencia al público alemán, interpreta la canción "Mack the Knife" de La Opera de los tres peniques de Kurt Weill con letra de Bertolt Brecht. Ya al principio avisa de que no tiene muy segura la letra, y la advertencia toma carta de naturaleza un poco más adelante cuando va cambiando la letra original o directamente comienza a improvisar con frases que inventa sobre la marcha, que consigue hacer rimar y que encima van a constituir una sucesión de citas y homenajes a Louis Armstrong, que popularizó la melodía con la versión en inglés de Bobby Darin, imitando su estilo después de reconocer el destrozo (wreck) que están haciendo con la canción. A pesar de todo, la actuación, con una Ella en estado de gracia, es un ejemplo histórico de interpretación jazzística y recibió el reconocimiento con un Grammy en 1961 a la mejor interpretación vocal femenina (single) y un segundo Grammy para el Album que recoge la actuación completa.

A continuación la transcripción de la letra (en negrita las improvisaciones y comentarios):

Thank you. We'd like to do something for you now.
We haven't heard a girl sing it. And since it's so popular,
we'd like to try and do it for you.
We hope we remember all the words.


Oh, the shark has pearly teeth, dear
And he shows them, pearly white
Just a jack knife has Macheath, dear
And he keeps it out of sight

Oh, the shark bites with his teeth, dear
Scarlet billows start to spread
Fancy gloves though, wears Macheath dear
So there's not, not a trace of red

On a Sunday, Sunday morning
Lies a body, oozin' life
Someone's sneaking 'round the corner
Tell me could it be, could it be, could it be
Mack the Knife?

Oh, what's the next chorus?
To this song, now
This is the one, now
I don't know
But it was a swinging tune
And its a hit tune
So we tried to do Mack The Knife

Ah, Louis Miller
Oh, something about cash
Yeah, Miller, he was spending that trash
And Macheath dear, he spends like a sailor
Tell me, tell me, tell me
Could that boy do, something rash

Oh Bobby Darin, and Louis Armstrong
They made a record, oh but they did
And now Ella, Ella, and her fellas
We're making a wreck, what a wreck
Of Mack The Knife

(Louis Armstrong imitation)
Oh Snookie Taudry, bah bah bah nop do bo de do
bah bah bah nop do bo de do
Just a jack knife has Macheath, dear
And do bo bo bah bah bah nop do bo de do {}

So, you've heard it
Yes, we've swung it
And we tried to
Yes, we sung it

You won't recognize it
It's a surprise hit
This tune, called Mack The Knife

And so we leave you, in Berlin town
Yes, we've swung old Mack
We've swung old Mack in town
For the Darin fans,
And for the Louis Armstrong fans, too
We told you look out, look out, look out
Old Macheath's back in town