Anita O’Day, R.I.P.

Posted 24 November, 2006 in Jazz, Music, Obits

One of my all-time favorite jazz singers is gone. Thanks for the music. You’ll be missed…

ANITA O’DAY
October 18, 1919-November 23, 2006

Jazz Vocal legend Anita O’Day passed this morning October 23, 2006 at 6:17AM in West Los Angeles. The cause of death was cardiac arrest according to her manager Robbie Cavalina.

Born Anita Belle Colton in Chicago, Illinois on October 18, 1919, O’Day got her start as a teen. She eventually changed her name to O’Day and in the late 1930′s began singing in a jazz club called the Off- Beat, a popular hangout for musicians like band leader and drummer Gene Krupa. In 1941 she joined Krupa’s band, and a few weeks later Krupa hired trumpeter Roy Eldridge. O’Day and Eldridge had great chemistry on stage and their duet “Let Me Off Uptown” became a million-dollar-seller, boosting the popularity of the Krupa band. Also that year, “Down Beat” magazine named O’Day “New Star of the Year” and, in 1942, she was selected as one of the top five big band singers.

After her stint with, Krupa, O’Day joined Stan Kenton’s band. She left the band after a year and returned to Krupa. Singer Jackie Cain remembers the first time she saw O’Day with the Krupa band. “I was really impressed,” she recalls, “She (O’Day) sang with a jazz feel, and that was kind of fresh and new at the time.” Later, O’Day joined Stan Kenton’s band with whom she cut an album that featured the hit tune “And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine”

In the late’40s, O’Day struck out on her own. She teamed up with drummer John Poole, with whom she played for the next 32 years. Her album “Anita”, which she recorded on producer Norman Granz’s new Verve label, elevated her career to new heights. She began performing in festivals and concerts with such illustrious musicians as Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Georg Shearing and Thelonious Monk. O’Day also appeared in the documentary filmed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 called “Jazz on a Summer Day”, which made her an international star.

Throughout the ’60s Anita continued to tour and record while addicted to heroin and in 1969 she nearly died from an overdose. O’Day eventually beat her addiction and returned to work. In 1981 she published her autobiography “High Times, Hard Times” which, among other things, talked candidly about her drug addiction.

Her final recording was “Indestructible Anita O’Day” and featured Eddie Locke, Chip Jackson, Roswell Rudd, Lafayette Harris, Tommy Morimoto and the great Joe Wider. A documentary, “ANITA O’DAY-THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER” will be released in 2007.

Meet John Mayer’s sax player on The Jason Crane Show

Posted 21 November, 2006 in Jazz, Music, Podcast, The Jason Crane Show (Updates)

Check out Show #17: Bob Reynolds – Saying A Lot for an interview with Reynolds, who’s made a name for himself with Jonah Smith and Nellie McKay. Starting in January 2007, Bob will be on the road with John Mayer.

Rutner & Wierenga! Wierenga & Rutner!

Posted 18 November, 2006 in Jazz, Music

Here’s a message from my good friend Josh Rutner:

Mark it on your calendars! Josh Rutner and Red Wierenga will be bringing the Respect Aesthetic back to Java’s Cafe in Rochester, after several years away. Here’s the short take:

• WHO: Josh Rutner (saxophone), Red Wierenga (piano) + a possible appearance by Respect’s drummer, Ted Poor!
• WHEN: Friday, November 24th 2006 – 9:00 PM
• WHERE: Java’s Cafe; 16 Gibbs Street, off East Avenue, Rochester
• WHY: It’s been a while; we should see each other again!
• HOW MUCH: No cover; tips would be greatly appreciated.

Josh and Red will be playing some great Respect Sextet gems, a bunch of new originals (and unoriginals, of course,) as well as a sampling from Respect’s
new project: SIRIUS RESPECT, THE MUSIC OF SUN RA & KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN

We hope to see you back at the ol’ stomping grounds! Also, don’t forget that The Respect Sextet proper will be playing their annual “RESPECT THE HOLIDAYS” show at the Bop Shop on Tuesday, the 19th of December at 8PM!

Thanks,
Josh

Podcast news: 2,000 downloads; new shows

Posted 1 November, 2006 in Podcast, The Jason Crane Show (Updates)

If you haven’t yet listened to The Jason Crane Show, now is a great time to start. This week, we passed our 2,000th download, thanks to the strong support of all of you and folks like Norm at One Good Move. Here are the most recent episodes:

• Show #14: Richard Dawkins – It Aint Random. An archival interview with Professor Richard Dawkins, originally broadcast on The Jason Crane Show on April 2, 2005. Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist, outspoken atheist, and tireless campaigner for science and truth. In this interview, he talks about his books A Devil’s Chaplain and The Ancestor’s Tale. You can find out more about Richard Dawkins at RichardDawkins.net.
• Show #15: Problematic Patriotism. My wife and I discuss patriotism, being an American, and how we can create real change without compromising ourselves.
• Show #16: Susan Jacoby – Freethinkers In America. An interview with author Susan Jacoby about her book Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism. Jacoby dispels the myth that the United States is a nation founded on Christian principles, and talks about prominent American freethinkers who’ve shaped this country’s intellectual and political history. If you decide to buy the book, please support The Jason Crane Show by buying Freethinkers using this link. Thanks!