In a world of diminishing returns, of declining value and bad-to-worse, how refreshing, how extraordinary is the singing of Anita O'Day. From her earliest rise to prominence with the Krupa band of the late thirties through jazz stardom in the fifties up to her renaissance in the seventies as a cabaret artist without equal, there has been a constant growth in musical excellence, in artistic adventurousness and communicative depth. Anita O'Day has never been content to stand still merely repeating what she has always done so well. Not only has her singing become consistently warmer, richer and more surprising, but also I have witnessed a remarkable growth in her technique as a visual, in-person performer in the five years or so since I first fell hopelessly under her spell one evening when, unsuspecting, I went to review her on what I thought was to be a routine assignment.

There is something about Anita O'Day, something alive and involved, which lifts her out of the nostalgia category and gives her singing a direct appeal which has nothing whatsoever to do with memories of the big band era. As she sings around the country, in Europe and in Japan (where she is enormously popular and where these recordings were made), Anita O'Day is nightly turning casual listeners into fanatics and fanatics into fast friends. Such is the magic of her art.
"

Magic" implies the intangible, and, while it plays its part, there is nothing intangible about Anita's subtle musicianship, her knowledge of chords and the structure of the songs she sings.. And there is nothing intangible about her fine sense of rhythm and musical time. These qualities, rare enough in instrumentalists and all but unheard of among vocalists, have made her a legend and a giant among jazz artists.
Although Anita's approach to a song is instrumental, I submit that, for those who know how to listen, there is no one who can get more out of a lyric's meaning. Anita O'Day never resorts to histrionics, sentimentality or pathos. Rather, she conveys a transparent, almost subliminal sense of the meaning of a song's story, which is inseparably entwined with its melody and form. BODY AND SOUL, and THE MAN I LOVE are two of the heaviest ballads in the standard repertoire. Generations of singers have sobbed and gasped their way through them. Anita's seemingly light and blithe delivery conveys fully as much meaning as do the wailings of any of the singers who have used these songs as excuses to have nervous breakdowns while sitting atop pianos. Anita doesn’t do the crying for you. When she sings, the listener feels. Anita O'Day can take you there and bring you back. The recordings in this superbly recorded album represent Anita O'Day at her relaxed, intimate best with a sympathetic trio. On several of the tracks she is heard with only piano, allowing for some extraordinarily poised and elegant phrasing. WHY SHOULDN'T I is an object lesson in classy musical storytelling.

The rollicking and spontaneous are a part of this set as well. Listen to the way Anita rides over the last chorus of OUR LOVE IS HERE TO STAY for a demonstration of why she describes herself as "a jockey of songs". It is pure, heaven O'Day, swinging all the way as she gallops down to the finish line.
To hear the best of Anita O'Day, you'd have to follow her around and listen to her every night. Only her drummer gets to do that. For the rest of us, this recording will have to do. And it will do very nicely, indeed.

Freeman Gunter New York City March 1979

Recorded June 30, 1975 at Mouri Studios, Tokyo.
Meril Hoover Piano
George Morrow Bass
John Poole Drums

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MY SHIP

 

September 23, 2003!

U.S. release date!

 

This 1975 recording is finally available on CD as a U.S. release-It is the inaugural release of Anita's new label! The label is Kayo named after Anita's first dog! This release has been repackaged and resequenced from the original.

This recording is really beautiful! A must have. Read the original liner notes below.

You can purchase this at all major retailers including:

Towerecords.com

Or autographed by Anita for $20. plus shipping. Click here to e-mail us with your order.