Search - Anita O'Day :: Essential O'Day: Basin Street West 1964

Best "non-Verve" Album by Anita

Brent Trafton | Long Beach, CA | 01/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Here's the scoop: Basin Steet West 1964 does not have sound quality equivalent to a major studio release, but if it were a bootleg, it would be considered to be high quality.



If you have never heard Anita O'Day before, then this is not the album you want to start with. Instead, buy some of her Verve albums. But if you are a dyed in wool Anita fan, this album is a treasure. It is well worth the $16 from Amazon. It is better than her Live in Tokyo DVD but not as good as At Mister Kelly's.



My favorite Anita albums are the ones with a small jazz ensemble. This one is with a trio. If you are a big Anita fan, this recording is "essential."



I ordered this album the week before Anita died and it arrived a month later. When I remember Anita, I don't remember her live recordings from the 70's and 80's. I remember her at her peak, in 1964, when her voice could perform miracles and magic.



You will be missed Anita."

More of Anita's music from her Emily label

Steve Emerine | Tucson, AZ United States | 10/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When Anita O'Day left Norman Granz and the Verve label, her next major recording stop was her own company, Emily, for which she recorded a number of swinging live LPs. This is the latest of them to be reissued on CD, and while the packaging and liner notes leave a little to be desired, the music itself is classic Anita. This live session from Basin Street West in 1964 includes a number of Anita's personal favorites from that era, including "Get Out of Town," "'S Wonderful," "Street of Dreams" and "Honeysuckle Rose," along with other tunes like the lesser known "Try Your Wings." The 14 tunes give you a 45-minute example of the jazz singer in her prime. She's still doing occasional appearances now that she's in her 80s, but -- unfortunately (and understandably) -- not singing as well as she did for the Verve and Emily labels."

A Great Performance . . . Poorly Produced.

Anthony J. Williams | Valley Center, California | 11/05/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"What you get here is an EXCELLENT performance by Anita O'Day, marred by poor production. The sound is muddy and tinny, and the songs are faded in and out. There is almost no between-song banter. (Additionally, although Anita is famous for singing at a break-neck pace, I'm not so sure that this recording insn't playing back a tad too fast. Her voice sounds especially unusual on a few of the tracks.) This one if for O'Day fanatics and completists only."