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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 12, 2012
There is nothing I can say that will convey the essence and character of this album better than the sound samples on this page. So, before I launch into gory details and assumptions give those a listen first.
If you liked what you heard from the samples, then a purchase decision becomes easy. If you are a hard core fan then you probably noticed an almost subdued or centered quality to her singing. It's as if she was harnessing her energy. Certainly that approach fit the songs on this album, but as far as I am concerned I am glad this was a short lived phase too. Don't get me wrong - I love this album and the way she approached each song. I was sincere when I gave it five stars. It's just that I much prefer Anita's more energetic, in-your-face rhythmic performances that are more characteristic.
Even Nat Hentoff in his original liner notes discussed the uncharacteristic performances. At the time he chalked it up to Anita maturing and changing. She did evolve and mature over the years, but this album is not a milestone. I believe the following factors have something to do with it:
(1) This album was sandwiched between the two Billy May albums, Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart (I am citing a two album set that is value priced in case you do not have both of the albums.) Anita briefly discussed her clashes with Billy May who arranged those albums in Chapter XI of her autobiography, High Times Hard Times . She could have been simply worn down by clashes from the previous album and steeling herself for the next session.
(2) Most arrangers did not 'get' Anita's style and approach. Bregman's arrangements of her first two albums resulted in superb music, but he did not really 'get' nor make the best use of Anita's talents in my opinion. Jimmy Guiffre, on the other hand, understood Anita because he was a jazz musician himself (May and Bregman were not), so the arrangements on this album seem to be sensitive to Anita's unique approach to vocals. That said, Guiffre was a stalwart of the West Coast jazz movement, which may have cooled Anita down a tad on this album. Not necessarily a bad thing since she swings hard on every track, but different.
The session took place in in April, 1959, but this album was not released until 1960. I was unable to track down all of the musicians who backed Anita, but the ones I did manage to find were mainly Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars: Jimmy Giuffre & Art Pepper on Sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Conte Candoli and Jack Sheldon on trumpet, and Jim Hall on guitar. I have to guess the drummer and bassist. Possibly Stan Levey on drums and Rumsey himself on bass since they were Lighthouse All Stars. Those musicians were perfect for the arrangements, and equally perfect for the song selection.
The bottom line, of course, if the music itself. I personally loved each track, but some O'Day fans do not share my enthusiasm. That is fair because music is such a subjective thing with no single point of view being right. Listen to the sound samples and make up your own mind.
If you liked what you heard from the samples, then a purchase decision becomes easy. If you are a hard core fan then you probably noticed an almost subdued or centered quality to her singing. It's as if she was harnessing her energy. Certainly that approach fit the songs on this album, but as far as I am concerned I am glad this was a short lived phase too. Don't get me wrong - I love this album and the way she approached each song. I was sincere when I gave it five stars. It's just that I much prefer Anita's more energetic, in-your-face rhythmic performances that are more characteristic.
Even Nat Hentoff in his original liner notes discussed the uncharacteristic performances. At the time he chalked it up to Anita maturing and changing. She did evolve and mature over the years, but this album is not a milestone. I believe the following factors have something to do with it:
(1) This album was sandwiched between the two Billy May albums, Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart (I am citing a two album set that is value priced in case you do not have both of the albums.) Anita briefly discussed her clashes with Billy May who arranged those albums in Chapter XI of her autobiography, High Times Hard Times . She could have been simply worn down by clashes from the previous album and steeling herself for the next session.
(2) Most arrangers did not 'get' Anita's style and approach. Bregman's arrangements of her first two albums resulted in superb music, but he did not really 'get' nor make the best use of Anita's talents in my opinion. Jimmy Guiffre, on the other hand, understood Anita because he was a jazz musician himself (May and Bregman were not), so the arrangements on this album seem to be sensitive to Anita's unique approach to vocals. That said, Guiffre was a stalwart of the West Coast jazz movement, which may have cooled Anita down a tad on this album. Not necessarily a bad thing since she swings hard on every track, but different.
The session took place in in April, 1959, but this album was not released until 1960. I was unable to track down all of the musicians who backed Anita, but the ones I did manage to find were mainly Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars: Jimmy Giuffre & Art Pepper on Sax, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Conte Candoli and Jack Sheldon on trumpet, and Jim Hall on guitar. I have to guess the drummer and bassist. Possibly Stan Levey on drums and Rumsey himself on bass since they were Lighthouse All Stars. Those musicians were perfect for the arrangements, and equally perfect for the song selection.
The bottom line, of course, if the music itself. I personally loved each track, but some O'Day fans do not share my enthusiasm. That is fair because music is such a subjective thing with no single point of view being right. Listen to the sound samples and make up your own mind.
