Anita O'day - Jazz Stylings Of + 2 Bonus Tracks!

O'Day, Anita

The expression "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" can be boileddown to its essence in one word: resiliency. It is often the case that peoplewith specific disabilities learn to get around their handicap by developing othertalents, and in the process create a style that is unique. This is as true in music as inany other walk of life. Just as guitarist Django Reinhardt created a highly individualstyle after losing two fingers from his left hand, so did the legendary vocalist AnitaO'Day (1919-2006) overcome the accidental removal of her uvula (the fleshy partof the soft palate which hangs over the back of the tongue) to become one of thefinest exponents of the vocal jazz genre and one of its truly original song stylists.Unable to sustain notes or use vibrato, O'Day used her clean sound to great effectand developed a fast staccato style based more on eighth and sixteenth notesthan quarter notes. She also had excellent intonation, a strong understanding ofharmony, a great rhythmic sense and an irrepressible swing style. Her superlativeskills as an improviser made her one of the great vocal champions of the bebopmovement during the late-forties and fifties. Anita's discography contains a total of187 separate studio sessions or live recordings between 1941 and 2005, of which,89 were released under her own name. While the singer gained fame with the likesof Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman, her 17 albumsrecorded between 1952 and 1962 for Norman Granz's Clef and labels arewhat secured her place as one of the great divas of jazz. This LP comprises someof her very best recordings from that period.

Price: $30.98