Search - Anita O'Day, Anita O Day :: Vol 4 1944

Anita O'Day, the best of the great pre-WWII Jazz Singers...

10/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These are Anita O'Day's breakthrough recordings, when she cut loose and was able to improvise more(not to say she didn't improvise with Gene Krupa), Anita gets to express herself with Nat King Cole's trio backing her up on several enjoyable numbers, one being a beautiful rendition of Penthouse Serenade. There are also a few sides with Stan Kenton's modern for the time sounding orchestra, O'Day shines on In A Little Spainish Town. All of these recordings are wonderful, however I would start with her wonderfully deliciously juicy Verve recordings first(for newer O'Day listeners), start with Pick Yourself Up & Anita Sings The Most(both on Verve and made during the heighth of her creativity). Then go see her live, yes she still performs at the age of 81, and she still sounds wonderful. If you're in the Los Angeles area drop by The Club Atlas on most Tuesdays, she does three sets. The Atlas is off of Wilshire and Western. Also they are making a movie of her life, from her autobiography High Times, Hard Times(worth reading), Roseanne Arquette is sopposed to play the role of O'Day."

Anita and Two Kings

Steve Emerine | Tucson, AZ United States | 09/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The fourth CD in the Masters of Jazz complete Anita O'Day series is the best of the lot, as O'Day is finally free of some of the forgettable novelty tunes she recorded with Gene Krupa. She has now moved on to a tasty session with the King Cole Trio ("Penthouse Serenade" and "Rosetta" are two examples), followed by her early tunes with another king, Stan Kenton. She's cursed again with some of those novelty tunes, but also blessed with classics like "Salt Lake City Blues," "In a Little Spanish Town" and "The Lady in Red." Liner notes and sound quality are excellent on this one, as on the first three in the series."