Anita O'day: Tea For Two (A Centenary Tribute)

Description

October sees the centenary of the most influential white female postwar jazz vocalist of them all: Anita O’Day (1919-2006), whose appearance on Jazz On A Summer’s Day singing Tea For Two established the singer as a jazz icon. Retrospective’s tribute offers insight into her unique talent through 53 carefully chosen examples. They start with the fruits of her very first recording session (Alreet & Georgia On My Mind), when she rapidly became a star with Gene Krupa’s Orchestra, enjoying a series of hits (Let Me Off Uptown, Just A Little Bit South Of North Carolina), through her time with Stan Kenton (And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine) and back to Krupa (Boogie Blues) before taking off for a solo career. Her golden period came with the stream of high-quality Verve albums recorded in the 50s and early 60s, the cream of which is presented here: 33 classics featuring O’Day in the company of a broad array of top jazz artists. These include the Oscar Peterson Quartet as “her Rhythm Section” on six scintillating numbers (Them There Eyes, Tenderly), plus the best of contrasting sessions with Buddy Bregman, Billy May, Jimmy Giuffre, Galt McFarland, Cal Tjader and many more.