Ella

Of course, the greatest and most revered Ella in the world is Ella Fitzgerald...amazing even to this day.

Which is one of the reasons I chose Ella for the name of Maestro's music curator. How many "people" understand music and its emotional connection as well and as deeply as Ella?

Aside from the extraordinary sound quality of streaming music that Maestro uncovered for the first time, one of the proudest achievements I enjoy about this program is Ella Radio. Oh, my gosh.

Just the other night Terri had organized a pizza party for our neighbors. There were 18 of us enjoying a warm summer's evening on our deck as I roasted pizzas in the wood-fired oven, staying as true to Italian DOC rules of cooking no more than 90 seconds as the burning logs would permit.

Ella Radio was playing in the background from a prompt I had generated: Evening music not wild certainly not hard. Easy songs a mixture of Beatles, CSN and Y, Joni Mitchel, Coldplay, Ella Fitzgerald, bluegrass, folk, light jazz, lots of mellow music to support conversation, keep it attached to the weather and time of evening. Surprise and delight us.

At the end of the four hour long evening more than a few of our guests asked what the playlist was: "never heard anything like that. How do I get a copy?"

That put a smile on my face. Ella had entertained in a way none of our guests had ever heard. They were treated to music as if a live DJ was reading the crowd and making the most out of the moment: the warm weather, the darkening sky, the hint of a thunderstorm brewing in the west.

This is magic of the best kind. Levearaging technology in service of musical delight. If you haven't had a chance to try Ella Radio (or Ella Playlists though those are fixed once created) I would encourage you to narrate your personal desires to her and sit back and enjoy the ride.