An Evening With Anita O'Day

iTunes Review

An Evening With Anita O’Day began its life as Songs By Anita O’Day, a ten-inch record released in 1954 for Norman Granz’ Norgran label and later expanded to its present form. The music is comprised of three small group sessions that took place in Los Angeles in the spring of 1954 and the summer of 1955. These are studio recordings, leaving the listener to assume that the titular “evening” refers to the time of day in which the listener will want to experience these songs, which feel like they must have been recorded by candlelight. The small group suits Anita — her vocals are seamlessly integrated into the instrumental playing, as if everyone was gathered tightly, which, given the limitations of recording technology, they probably were. The era’s equipment guaranteed that O’Day and her band would be captured with crystal detail, but the limited capabilities meant that they had to play the song perfectly when they committed it to tape. These performances have a wonderful precision to them. They are imbued with expertise and feeling that can only come from the close collaboration and concentration of a small circle of talented players.