A singer with an exciting presence and a voice to immerse yourself in. A band that lit up with high wattage a repertoire including both standards and popular songs. A band leader who had his ensemble under control through proven discipline and could, when needed, take the lead as a soloist, but tended to hold back amidst his all-stars. The result a mixture that whisked the concert hall in Freiburg (Germany) for one evening in October 1959 into a wonderful world of successful jazz entertainment and sent the audience out into the night with an earworm.
Anita O'Day has long been admired as one of the very best jazz singers of the post-war era, with a rhythmic and dynamic style that she could readily deploy in big band, small group and sophisticated orchestral environments. Acrobat has already showcased her work during the early 1940s with the orchestras of Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton ("Anita O'Day - The Early Years 1941-45" ADDCD3098), and in this collection we focus on a similar period of years during the 1950s when she firmly carved for herself a significant place in the jazz pantheon. During the decade from 1952-62, she recorded for the labels established by jazz impresario Norman Granz - Clef, Norgran and, most famously, Verve - and her recordings during that time are recognised as the most significant of her career. This excellent-value 46-track 2-CD set comprises the complete content of her albums during the first five years of that era - "Anita O'Day Collates", "Songs By Anita O'Day", "An Evening With Anita O'Day", "Anita" and "Pick Yourself Up", (some titles appear on more than one LP) plus tracks from singles. On those albums she is accompanied variously by the orchestras of Ralph Burns, Roy Kral, Larry Russell and Buddy Bregman, with musicians on the sessions including Barney Kessel, Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Shelly Manne, Budd Johnson, Andy Secrest, Jimmy Giuffre, Paul Smith and many more. It's a snapshot of a key era in her career, and a fine showcase for her unique talent working across a range of musical environments.
One of the greatest of all female American jazz singers, Anita O'Day shattered the typical "girl singer" stereotype and presented herself instead as a hip jazz musician, and her skills in improvisation cemented her stature among the pioneers of be-bop and the West Coast "cool" school. Presented here is O'Day's classic 1978 album, "There's Only One" featuring Billy Webb (guitar); Al Bruno (guitar); Ed Holtz (piano); Silvio Tucciarone (steel guitar); Johnny Greer (drums) and Eddie Jo Downs (bass). All selections newly remastered.
Two hard-to-find LPs by two treasured jazz singers. Sublime balladeer Irene Kral sings Mad at the World; Sometime Ago; Is It Over, Baby?, and more on her 1965 LP Wonderful Life. Anita fully recaptures her early glory on the 1978 LP There's Only One : Ace in the Hole; Chicago; I Cried for You, and more!
