November 22nd, 2009 
Admin 
Product Description
Anita O’Day was one of the greatest American Jazz singers and this critically acclaimed award-winning documentary tells her astonishing story – a journey of survival, and above all the enduarance of her talent, told in a number of frank interviews with her and with those who knew her. Her career was long and eventful, spanning seven decades; her last album recorded when she was 84.
Anita O’Day only ever wanted to be a singer and the film showcases performances that date back to the 50’s with such artists as Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armestrong and Hoagy Carmichael. She is shown teaching Billy Taylor how to be a jazz vocalist. Bert Stern comments on Anita performing “Sweet Georgia Brown” for his film JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY while George Wein, legendary impresario, states it was the greatest rendition of the song ever made.
She speaks candidly, always candidly, with Dick Cavett, Bryant Gumble and David Frost, and in interviews on 60 Minutes and CBS This Morning. Anita was a woman who lived her life the she wanted without every looking back and was a musical genius and pioneer who broke race barriers. She talks openly about how she had to overcome great adversities, including a 20-year addiction to heroin and alcohol. The film shows Anita on tour in Europe well into her eighties and making her final recording shortly before her death, the death of an icon.
2 Discs:
Disc 1 : The Movie with Director s audio commentary and French, Spanish and Japanese. We might add Italian subtitles. 16:9 formatting for widescreen and 4:3 televisions.
Disc 2: Bonus Disc with 45 minutes of the uninterrupted musical performances from the film and 45 Minutes of outtake interviews of Anita.
32 page full color booklet including:
Essay by Jim Gavin.
Essay by Will Friedwald
Selected chapter from Anita s autobiography, High Times Hard Times.
16 pages reproduced from Anita s personal scrapbooks.
Anita O’Day – The Life Of A Jazz Singer
Related posts:
- Anita O’Day – The Life Of A Jazz Singer Product DescriptionAnita O’Day was one of the greatest American...
- Anita O’Day – The Life Of A Jazz Singer Product DescriptionAnita O’Day was one of the greatest American...
- Anita O’Day – The Life Of A Jazz Singer Product DescriptionAnita O’Day was one of the greatest American...
- ANITA BAKER & SADE KARAOKE LEGENDS SERIES DISC CD+G/CDG 144 Product DescriptionBrand new factory sealed Karaoke Disc. The perfect...
- Anita Ward Product DescriptionTrack Listing: 1. I’m Ready For Yor Love...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Posted in 
Tags: 
I love anita o day and I am sure this will be great, but I preordered this item, and today is the first day one can buy it online and they dropped the price a few dollars already… I order things on amazon alot but this pissed me off, they made it seem, preorder this item and save a few dollars and I was intending to buy it anyway, but why drop the price already? I should have got a better deal for preordering.
Rating: 5 / 5
The people behind this documentary have made some good decisions, including the use of some of the most memorable footage from “Jazz on a Summer’s Day,” in which Miss O’Day was so brilliant. Other footage, from old interviews and short films, is good but lacks the bite of her amazing book, “High Times, Hard Times,” which I strongly recommend.
The really odd thing here (probably unintentional on the part of the filmmakers) is that (because of the use of 16 mm footage, most likely) a pretty substantial amount of the screen picture is made up of borders and period-inspired graphics and album covers in the first half or 2/3rds of the movie seems. As a consequence, that first big section seems VERY visually disjointed.
THEN, in a very strange coincidence, when we get to the point in the film where she begins a long addiction to heroin, the whole visual design of the documentary changes, and everything seems to “click,” and become unified into a single wide-screen exploration of her mature years, and from there on out, we feel more at ease with the imagery. Obviously, this is coincidental with the improvement in film technology, and her own rising stardom, but the odd, bizarre, creepy message seems to be that “thanks to heroin, her life and art finally came together.” In that sense, inadvertently, this becomes one of the most disturbing (and yet beautiful, in its own way) documentaries in recent years; and, one hates to say it, almost a subliminal commercial for one of the worst drugs on the landscape.
Rating: 3 / 5
Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer: 6 out of 10: I had no idea who Anita ODay was when I rented this film. I like Jazz well enough and enjoy having it as background music, but I am hardly what one describes as an aficionado.
Since viewing this film, I have watched the wonderful documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day and have downloaded some fine Anita ODay jazz albums.
Therefore, from one point of view, the documentary is a stunning success. It got me interested enough in its subject, for me to take actions after viewing.
The film however suffers from uneven interviews and presentation. Film quality is all over the map and some of ODays last interviews were clearly filmed by folks unfamiliar with the workings of a motion picture camera.
Even more disappointing is the poor sound quality of many of the musical tracks and the lack of sampling from her albums.
You know if you have a 16-year heroin addiction and four failed marriages and you still manage to live until 87 despite grinding poverty and botched healthcare, you are the definition one tough bird. Unfortunately that also signifies most of your contemporaries are long dead. Many of the war stories as a result, tend to be second hand at best.
The film does contain one wonderful non-musical highlight. In a mid-seventies interview a young Bryant Gumbel states to ODay Your life story involves rape, failed relationships, drugs, and multiple abortions”. ODays that is just they way it went down response is priceless.
Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer is a decent film but I would recommend renting Jazz on a Summer’s Day first. That concert seems to capture the magic better than anything else I have seen.
Rating: 3 / 5
I have been a fan of Anita O’Day for many years. This video only strengthens and deepens my regard for this unique jazz innovator and her art.
Rating: 5 / 5
What can one say? A first class documentary about a first class lady of jazz!
Rating: 5 / 5