Customer Reviews

Jazz Icons: Anita O'Day Live in '63 & '70

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I recently purchased and viewed the Anita O'Day DVD in the Jazz Icons series. I've collected O'Day's CDs for years, but what a revelation this DVD is! How marvelous her artistry is!

Too often, I buy a CD or DVD and am disappointed. Not this time. This DVD exceeded my expectations, which were already high. The packaging and mastering are excellent. This is really a must have item for fans of jazz singing. For those who haven't yet seen it, be prepared to fall in love.


Jazz Icons: Anita O'Day Live in '63 & '70

Anita O'Day deserves a lot more love. As fluid as Ella, as daring as Billie, and sassy as Sarah, she deserves a cult of young followers who may've found inspiration in new virtuosos like Bjork, Erykah Badu, and Cat Power. So heads-up, it's time to learn from a maestro.

In this fantastic DVD O'Day is virtually a one-woman band with her precision timing, saxophonic phrasing, crowd charming, and fiesty asides. She's backed by solid bands but she's clearly the engine driving this express. We're lucky to see two concerts here bookending the 60's which act as a master class in first class vocalese. Anita had the complex rhythmic sense of Gene Krupa and the liquid instincts of John Coltrane, all while she was singing a melodic tune. In a male field, she held her own with her whipsmart musicianship and earned deep respect from her legendary peers. Watch how she turns "Sweet Georgia Brown" into a bop opera. Or "Tea For Two" into a gatling gun of fireworks. Astounding. If you want to learn from the best, here's where you start...

I believe this is the 4th series in the Jazz Icons collections from Reelin' In the Years Productions. They have no peer. And now they have done their magic with Anita O'Day. In this sad economy it would have been understandable if the company had pulled back a little as the DVD home market has bottomed out. I salute their courage, but moreso I salute their results. There was an O'Day concert from Japan in the early 60s put out a couple years ago. (From a competing video group.) The video and audio were poor. This high quality production from Reelin' In The Years more than makes up for it.

It is so fine to find Anita O'Day represented in this series of jazz performances. For people who buy the box set, this disk may be their first encounter with Anita O'Day. If so, they will want to get the two-disk bio pic "Anita O'Day - The Life Of A Jazz Singer" Anita O'Day - The Life Of A Jazz Singer.

The performances of course are excellent: she was clearly a master of jazz vocals. O'Day was always inventive. Her command of pitch and timing was impeccable, and her phrasing always made you hear new things in lyrics.

The glossy color insert is a generous 20 pages and - fans take note - includes photos I have not seen elsewhere.

Apparently mastered from two Scandanavian TV shows of 40 years ago, the sound and video are excellent. My only regret is that the DVD lasts only an hour.

Anita O'Day is the best white jazz singer so far without a doubt.
I saw and heard her in the Copper Club in Monterey, California.
No, not Cotton Club, but Leo Copper's club on Munras and Eldorado in the early 70's. That was a treat!
I did not need to be convinced to buy this dvd.
I bought two other ones and want to get the one in which she sings the "Winners" of all the bands she sang with.
I have owned that LP for many years and treasure it.
I would love to see the dvd. She is the Top!

She is wonderful,swinging and Cool! The DVD includes two live,first one is better,a live stage in front of a small audience. because she controlls the audience by a skill all her own, we can feel it happened to be present at the stage. Her dress is not special, old style, but I am sure everybody will be fascinated by her sexy, beatiful performance.

I bought this. I'm glad I bought it.
But I like Anita in Tokyo better. More joyous.

A glorious presentation of a wonderful artist! I will watch this DVD many times! Anita truly had the ability to entertain....