[neobop]

I went online looking for replacements for my Anita O'Day records that were lost in the great flood.  Horror of horrors, no new pressings. 

If you're not familiar with Anita, let me tell you.  She was not only one of the two greatest jazz singers ever (other is Ella), she was cute as a button. 
You might think that doesn't matter, but it does.  Would Elvis ever have made it so big if he looked like a horse's ass?  I think not.

Scour the used record bins for albums like these"









Maybe someone with at least half a brain will reissue some on vinyl.
neo

[woodsyi]

There is this new pressing on Amazon.  Only one left....

[woodsyi]

Another one is cheaper through market places.

[Hear Clifford Brown]

Love Anita O'Day and highly recommend this documentary if you haven't already seen it:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0843838/

You can also see her complete performance of Sweet Georgia Brown from the 1958 Newport Jazz festival on this documentary:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052942/

[jimdgoulding]

I have her "Live at the City" from the Emily Records label with a terrific back-up band and it's a very fine live recording and I think I have  . . "Sings The Winners" around here somewhere unless I loaned it out and never got it back.  Got to add Carmen McRae to your list, Bop daddy.

[rockadanny]

I've been able to buy many on Amazon, although mine are small, smooth, and shiny silver albums. 

[richidoo]

I like her singing best with Krupa


Blow Roy Blow!

[Kenneth Patchen]

You might consider chasing the documentary and her knock-out performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, which is just incredible, with her autobiography writen with George Eells, "High Times, Hard Times". The title says it all. What a life but man, she sure could swing. I love the story how Roy Eldridge wanted her to cease with all the jive on-stage dancing because she then became a tripe threat (cute, swings, dances) and was stealing the limelight.

[neobop]

Thanks for replies everybody.   Funny, I seldom used to listen to jazz singers, but Anita knocked me out. 

She sang with Gene Krupa from '41 to '43 when he broke up the band for a couple of years.  He reformed the band in '45 and the new singer was June Christy. 
 
Anita's most famous albums were on Verve, produced by Norman Grantz.  The very first Verve album was:


1956

I think it was a compilation of previous numbers with big bands.   She went on to record 17 albums on Verve.  I had a few of those.

Anita was the star of the '58 Newport Jazz Festival and appeared on the cover of national magazines:



The following year she toured Europe with Benny Goodman.  She said that Benny tried to upstage her and when he wasn't successful he cut all but two of her numbers. 

I didn't know she recorded with the 3 Sounds.  One thing I like about her singing is the bop style with no vibrato.  My kind of singer.
neo

 

[jimdgoulding]

Speaking of June Christy, please DO give a listen to "Something Cool" on the stereo version Capitol label.  She embodies the title song like you are there sharing a drink with her and you know she's for real.

[Airborn]

I've always been partial to this Anita O'Day album.  Very good sounding, imo.

[charmerci]

You're into jazz vinyl so I assume know about www.mosaicrecords.com who have been around forever.

You missed out(?) on the Anita O'Day discs which I think included everything posted above - though I'm not sure if they released this in vinyl.

http://jazztimes.com/articles/10722-the-complete-anita-o-day-verve-clef-sessions-anita-o-day

[neobop]

You missed out(?) on the Anita O'Day discs which I think included everything posted above - though I'm not sure if they released this in vinyl.

Thanks for the heads-up, but I'm not interested in Mosaic CD reissues.  They're sold on Amazon BTW.  I previously had a few of the Verve LPs and if I remember correctly, one or two were Japanese pressings.  These were big, almost flat discs made out of vinyl that I play on one of my turntables. 
I'm really not interested in collecting every note uttered by Anita O'Day.  If I were, it would be on vinyl.  I was just in the mood to spin "Sings the Winners" and it wasn't there.

There's another issue about royalties.  I know Mosaic reissues stuff by artists who are long gone, and I think they do a good job of remastering some low fidelity recordings, but these artists often have estates.  I seem to remember reading about Moasic not paying royalties?   I'm not sure of all the gory details but this is what I'm talking about:
http://www.npr.org/2005/04/20/4608713/royalties-elusive-for-many-jazz-greats

This is a little off topic and I'm not sure about Mosaic.  All this stuff is available in some form of digital.
neo

[charmerci]

Thanks for the heads-up, but I'm not interested in Mosaic CD reissues.  They're sold on Amazon BTW.  I previously had a few of the Verve LPs and if I remember correctly, one or two were Japanese pressings.  These were big, almost flat discs made out of vinyl that I play on one of my turntables. 
I'm really not interested in collecting every note uttered by Anita O'Day.  If I were, it would be on vinyl.  I was just in the mood to spin "Sings the Winners" and it wasn't there.

There's another issue about royalties.  I know Mosaic reissues stuff by artists who are long gone, and I think they do a good job of remastering some low fidelity recordings, but these artists often have estates.  I seem to remember reading about Moasic not paying royalties?   I'm not sure of all the gory details but this is what I'm talking about:
http://www.npr.org/2005/04/20/4608713/royalties-elusive-for-many-jazz-greats

This is a little off topic and I'm not sure about Mosaic.  All this stuff is available in some form of digital.
neo

Mosaic is an independent company that leases the recordings from the labels. (It's the label's deal to pay artists.) They do a few vinyl releases still - whereas in the past, all their sets were released both on vinyl and CD. It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure the people there are on the artists' side. Anyway, what better way to help old artists than to release their stuff? They're not making huge amounts of money off of them.

[neobop]

Thanks for the heads-up, but I'm not interested in Mosaic CD reissues.  They're sold on Amazon BTW.  I previously had a few of the Verve LPs and if I remember correctly, one or two were Japanese pressings.  These were big, almost flat discs made out of vinyl that I play on one of my turntables. 
I'm really not interested in collecting every note uttered by Anita O'Day.  If I were, it would be on vinyl.  I was just in the mood to spin "Sings the Winners" and it wasn't there.

All this stuff is available in some form of digital.

Maybe you didn't know, this is a 9 CD only set that's no longer available.   You were probably trying to be helpful, but.....   
Thanks anyway,
neo

[charmerci]

Maybe you didn't know, this is a 9 CD only set that's no longer available.   You were probably trying to be helpful, but.....   
Thanks anyway,
neo

Yeah, I didn't realize that this was released so long ago! I did the research because I was mostly interested myself. I used to buy a lot of stuff from them but I'm not so heavily into jazz as I was then. As it is, I'll be getting one of their newer sets soon.

I love me some Anita but I find most of her albums up (great) and down (meh). Not so much about her singing but (IMO) the arrangements and the choice of tunes. My favorites are Time for Two (with Tjader) and Sings the Most. I have a song from one the two 3 Sounds albums and that seems appealing. Which is why I seriously considered the Mosaic box set years ago.

[charmerci]

Here's one!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anita-ODay-Sings-The-Winners-/361125762951?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item5414c5d787

[neobop]

Charmerci,
Nice of you to hunt that down or take the trouble to post if you just happened to come across this. 

I don't normally buy records off epay.  This one is tempting but the description says there's an audible scratch through the first 2 cuts on side 2, if I'm reading this correctly.  When I go to a used record store I can almost always tell if a scratch is audible or not.  Lightly rub your forefinger across the scratch.  If you can feel it, it's audible.  The problem usually isn't with audible scratches it's with hidden groove damage.  This can be especially hard to guess if the store has an RCM.

I'm lucky that I have a good used and new record store a couple miles from my house, although at the moment they have no Anita O'Day records.  One of these days I'll have to make another pilgrimage to the Princeton Record Exchange.  Although that store is a shadow of its former self, they still have quite a few records.

Since we're talking about used records I want to say something about expectations.  I think most record stores will accept a return or exchange of a record.  If you're buying a new record, chances are that store can't return it to the distributor.  A large store can take the loss only because they sell many.  A small store often can not. 
Having a small record store is a lousy, thankless, 2 bit business.  I never had or worked in a record store, but we sold records and CDs in the stereo store where I was the turntable guy.  We lost money on the records.  They were a draw and helped equipment sales.  I would give a small discount if someone bought a lot, but a batch of warped records was a big loss. 

I'm not sure what people expect when they go into a record store.  If you're selling a batch of used records, the store will probably offer a dollar for one they'll sell for 8 - $10.  That record could sit on their shelf for years before someone buys it. 
Just a comment on a business that reminds me of the show, Big Bang Theory, and the guy living above his comic book store. 
neo

 

 

[charmerci]

Actually, I was just looking at other jazz stuff on flea-bay and just thought....Anita O'Day! I've not had any troubles buying (and selling) stuff there. Just stick with 100% favorable reviews. As with any business, internet or not - as the joegator thread you commented on - there's always a risk, eh???

[jimdgoulding]

Charmerci,
Nice of you to hunt that down or take the trouble to post if you just happened to come across this. 

I don't normally buy records off epay.  This one is tempting but the description says there's an audible scratch through the first 2 cuts on side 2, if I'm reading this correctly.  When I go to a used record store I can almost always tell if a scratch is audible or not.  Lightly rub your forefinger across the scratch.  If you can feel it, it's audible.  The problem usually isn't with audible scratches it's with hidden groove damage.  This can be especially hard to guess if the store has an RCM.

I'm lucky that I have a good used and new record store a couple miles from my house, although at the moment they have no Anita O'Day records.  One of these days I'll have to make another pilgrimage to the Princeton Record Exchange.  Although that store is a shadow of its former self, they still have quite a few records.

Since we're talking about used records I want to say something about expectations.  I think most record stores will accept a return or exchange of a record.  If you're buying a new record, chances are that store can't return it to the distributor.  A large store can take the loss only because they sell many.  A small store often can not. 
Having a small record store is a lousy, thankless, 2 bit business.  I never had or worked in a record store, but we sold records and CDs in the stereo store where I was the turntable guy.  We lost money on the records.  They were a draw and helped equipment sales.  I would give a small discount if someone bought a lot, but a batch of warped records was a big loss. 

I'm not sure what people expect when they go into a record store.  If you're selling a batch of used records, the store will probably offer a dollar for one they'll sell for 8 - $10.  That record could sit on their shelf for years before someone buys it. 
Just a comment on a business that reminds me of the show, Big Bang Theory, and the guy living above his comic book store. 
neo

 

Bop daddy, what if a small store operator were to take records and equipment on consignment for, say, a 70/30 split?  I just don't know how many people there are that want to get rid of their records.  I don't.  You'd probably have to wait for some collector to pass on and then hope their heir knows about you.  Sounds like a good way to waste a lot of time.  But, if the store rent was cheap, might not be a bad way to do it.