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Anita O' Day documentary


mr jazz

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Well, overall I enjoyed the film though too many performances were cut and there were too many commentaries from people who added nothing. I found the Swedish footage from 1964 striking especially as she was evidently high as a kite on junk (what a waste!) though she was also in a similar state, according to her, during Jazz on a Summer's Day. My wife and I both agreed that she doesn't come across as very likable but what a tough life she had; yes, due to her life decisions but rape and poor medical care were hardly her fault. That said, we both thought the film looked bad with most footage very grainy with poor sound; I know my topaz label recordings from the 40s sound better. It's a documentary well worth seeing but maybe wait for the DVD.

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I believe that Stereo Jack's photo is from that performance -

Hers is still one of my favorite Mosaic sets, and one I return to more often than most of the others.

Greg Mo

So am I, a great Mosaic work indeed. The music I discovered in that box was and is wonderful! Her segment in Jazz On A Summer's Day is just as magic as those recordings. Peter Cavolina's documentary work about Anita O'Day is very good, (I saw the Europe's Premiere in 2007, if I remember well) with some wonderful never seen -at last froom me- hystorical video footage.

A work of love I hope to see finally in DVD soon

Edited by ArmandoPeraza
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  • 1 year later...

Some months ago, as soon as was released I had the 'luxury' version of 'Anita O'Day - The Life Of A Jazz Singer' documentary. Well, it is fine and well done, a hard cover book, maybe 100 pages, containing the DVDs and essays about the singer's life and work (by Will Friedwald, George Eels -excerpt from the book 'High Times, hard Times'), many well readable articles and pictures from 'Anita's scrapbooks', papers and magazines in chronological order. Touchy suff with fine pictures. Pretty expensive; as I always blessed when I buyed her Mosaic nearly fifteen yers ago I thought it was worth it.

Now after some incredible quality video seen on YouTube (see

) I am waiting to receive her Jazz Icons 4 DVD.

The second DVD offers complete footage of the performances briefly shown on the documentary between the interviews. Anita at her best.

Edited by ArmandoPeraza
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  • 2 years later...

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