On September 30, 1997, “Verve” label released “Dear Ella”, the eleventh Dee Dee Bridgewater studio album. It was recorded January – February 1997.  At the 40^th Grammy Awards, the album won Bridgewater the “Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album” and Slide Hampton the “Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist”, for the arrangement of “Cotton Tail”.

Personnel:

• Dee Dee Bridgewater– vocals
• Cecil Bridgewater– trumpet, arranger, conductor
• Virgil Jones – trumpet, horn, soloist
• Byron Stripling– trumpet
• Ron Tooley – trumpet
• Diego Urcola – trumpet
• Slide Hampton– trombone, arranger, conductor
• Clarence Banks – trombone, horn, soloist
• Benny Powell– trombone
• Robert Trowers– trombone
• Douglas Purviance– bass trombone
• Robert Lloyd – horn
• Anderson – tuba
• Antonio Hart– alto saxophone, soloist
• Jeff Clayton– alto saxophone
• Teodross Avery– tenor saxophone
• Bill Easley– tenor saxophone
• Patience Higgins – baritone saxophone
• Taylor – flute
• Jowitt – clarinet
• Wallbank – bass clarinet
• J. Morgan – oboe
• Lou Levy– piano, arranger
• Milt Jackson– vibraphone
• Kenny Burrell– guitar, arranger
• Ray Brown– double bass
• Grady Tate– drums
• André Ceccarelli– drums
• Hakin – percussion
• Boguslaw Kostecki, A. Noland, T. Williams, R. Wilson – violin
• Graham and G. Jackson – viola
• Peter Willison – cello
• John Clayton – big band arranger, conductor
• Rob Eaton, Keith Grant, Al Schmitt– engineer
• Peter Doell, Koji Egawa, Brian Garten, Alex Marcou – assistant engineer
• Jean Luc Barilla – design
• Philippe Pierangeli – photography

Track listing:

1. A-Tisket, A-Tasket – Van Alexander, Ella Fitzgerald
2. Mack the Knife – Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill
3. Undecided – Leo Robin, Charlie Shavers
4. Midnight Sun – Sonny Burke, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Mercer
5. Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love – Cole Porter
6. How High the Moon – Morgan Hamilton, Nancy Lewis
7. (If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have to Swing It (Mr. Paganini) – Sam Coslow
8. Cotton Tail – Duke Ellington
9. My Heart Belongs to Daddy – Cole Porter
10. (I’d Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China – Frank Loesser
11. Oh, Lady be Good! – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
12. Stairway to the Stars — Matty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli
13. Dear Ella – Kenny Burrell