One of Fitzgerald's most acclaimed live performances, at this concert in Berlin, Fitzgerald improvised lyrics for "Mack the Knife" after forgetting the original lyrics.
Berlin | Berlin Wall | Ella Fitzgerald | West Berlin | Humboldt University of Berlin | Irving Berlin | East Berlin | Free University of Berlin | Berlin Philharmonic | Mack Brown | Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin | Deutsche Oper Berlin | Berlin (band) | Berlin State Opera | Technical University of Berlin | Berlin University of the Arts | Isaiah Berlin | Mack Sennett | Connie Mack | American Academy in Berlin | Mack the Knife | Bowie knife | Treaty of Berlin (1878) | Ted Mack | Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra | Berlin Hauptbahnhof | Battle of Berlin | Treaty of Berlin | Berlin Conservatory | Shonen Knife |
The album was recorded on Ella's 41st birthday, (though people thought her to be 40 at the time) and considered one of Ella's greatest live recordings, alongside her more famous concert in Berlin two years later (Ella in Berlin), which earned her a Grammy award.
The album's title refers to Fitzgerald's more famous concert in Berlin a year earlier (Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife), which had included her famous rendition of Mack the Knife, which earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance (Single).