Anita O’Day, Live in ’63 & ’70 (2009) (Jazz Icons IV series)
Concerts filmed in Sweden in 1963 and Norway in 1970
Performers: Anita O’Day, vocals; Sweden: Göran Engdahl, piano; Roman Dylag, bass; John Poole, drums; Norway: George Arvanitas, piano; Jacky Samson, bass; Charles Saudrais, drums
Studio: Reelin’ in the Years/Jazz Icons 2119015 [Distr. by Naxos] [Release date: 10/27/09]
Video: 4:3 B&W
Audio: Dolby mono
All regions
Extras: 20-page illustrated booklet
Length: 60 minutes
Rating: ****
I had put off getting to this DVD in the Fourth Jazz Icons package because I’m not that heavily into vocalists and thought I might find it less than exciting. I was wrong. Had almost forgotten about Anita O’Day, who died in 2006, but Doug Ramsey’s essay in the note booklet reminded me of hearing her as the girl singer in front of the Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton bands as well as her appearance in the documentary on the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival “Jazz on a Summer’s Day.”
O’Day was a one-of-a-kind vocalist who was described by fellow musicians as “first of all a musician and then a singer.” She had a thoroughly hip and swinging style that stills stands up beautifully in these two videos. She also had a serious predilection for heroin that dogged her a good part of her career until she went cold turkey in the later 60s. Fellow non-junkie musicians said she never exhibited any addict behavior at all, but she end up serving time on a drug bust.
For these European appearances, O’Day recruited musicians on the continent – expect for her drummer John Poole on the Swedish concert (he was also her drug source). Her pianist for this session was one of the finest young jazz pianists in Sweden, who was influenced by Bill Evans. Her bassist for this date said later he never felt in his career that any other singer was that much of a musician. For Norway O’Day used a tight French trio led by George Arvanitas at the keyboard. He had played with Coleman Hawkins and Dizzy Gillespie among others. With the big bands, Anita had often sung one of the four horn parts in Four Brothers; here she scats the difficult part solo and is a good as any tenor sax. Everything she does sounds fresh and swinging – even the three numbers that are repeated in the Norway concert from the Swedish one. The video coverage and mono sound are fine. Interestingly, there are lots of long shots of the entire stage to balance the close ups of Anita.
– John Henry
