The great pianist Bill Evans once remarked that the problem with the question "What is Jazz" is that it is the wrong question. Jazz, he explained, is not a "what" but a "how". Jazz musicians look at songs as vehicles for improvisation and they transform the music through a combination of new harmonies and original approaches. To prove the point, just compare Ella Fitzgerald's original recordings to the same songs performed here by April Varner. The arrangements and the genres presented on the enclosed disc are quite different from Ella's vintage discs. April never imitates her long-time idol. Instead, she captures the spirit of Ella, and mixes elements from Ella's style with her own creative imagination.

April came to jazz late, when she was an undergraduate student at Indiana University. She learned the basics in a show choir called The Singing Hoosiers and deepened her knowledge through her studies with noted jazz vocalists Sachal Vasandani, Tierney Sutton (and later in graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music), Theo Bleckmann. In 2023, she won the International Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition, an experience which deepened her love for the First Lady of Song. This tribute album further illuminates her appreciation of Ella's artistry.

As with most singers of her generation and all to come, April Varner learned about Ella Fitzgerald from recordings. Born just one year after Ella's passing, she had to discover the wonderful music that was forgotten by many others. Yet Ella's expansive recorded legacy continues to inspire young jazz vocalists. It reminds me of a beautiful song written by pianist Russ Freeman and vocalist Annie Ross called "Music is Forever". The lyrics give a roll call of late jazz icons, and concludes with this message to their spirits: You still live when we listen to you.