Ella Fitzgerald Hasn’t Run Out of Surprises

At age 72, singer Ella Fitzgerald says she still enjoys performing because she has something to offer.

“I like to feel like I can give people something they know and want and maybe something that’s new to them,” Fitzgerald said in a telephone interview from her home last week.

When she performs, the “first lady of song” gives more than a simple musical retrospective of five decades on stage. She also surprises.

“I even did a rap in a concert in Washington,” she said. “I was just messing around, and they seemed to like it. Sometimes people will ask for a song, and I try to do it.”

“You’d be surprised how many young ones there are there,” she says of her concerts. “They tell me their parents have my records and that’s how they learned.”

She still loves adoring fans at sold-out concert halls.

“That’s what you thrive on. Sometimes when I’m out, I’ll sing to children, and their mothers will say, ‘Oh my gosh! She’s listening to you,’ ” Fitzgerald said.

“Sometimes the tour buses stop and people wave, and if they catch me outside, I take pictures with them. I love that. If people take the time and want to meet you, I think’s it wonderful.”