If you want to sit down and acquaint yourself with the standards of 1920s jazz, this compilation would be a good place to start. Fitzgerald would certainly have heard of many of these performers, and you can imagine Jay Gatsby's partygoers dancing to these songs.
A rare two-record vinyl LP. It is the only album we know of organized specifically around Fitzgerald's life. If you can find an actual copy consider yourself a talented scout.
This album covers the hits of bandleader Jan Garber. For a sense of what was considered racy in the Twenties, check out saucy numbers like "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate" and "There Ain't No 'Maybe' in My Baby's Eyes." Scandalous.
This dance band was popular from 1930-32, during the early years of the Great Depression. They were among the musicians who played lively, infectious tunes that lifted people's spirits during the Depression and perhaps comforted those who missed the good times of the Twenties.
Josephine Baker was an African-American singer, dancer and entertainer who left the United States for Paris to escape the racism she encountered in her own country. She became a French citizen in 1937. She was extremely popular in France, and Fitzgerald would definitely have been acquainted with her work.
This album showcases one of the legends of American jazz in his earliest years, during the 1920s. This is an important album by an important musician. As no less a legend than Miles Davis said, nobody has played anything that Louis Armstrong didn't play first.