Anita O'Day - A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (live in Sweden)

[higginbottomd]

@scatmando You obviously take me seriously enough to have responded - you remind me of a person who argues with himself/herself and loses the argument. You are clearly the architect of your own discontent. I feel sorry for you that you have had to resort to such vile abuse.

[scatmando]

See you two silly pricks arguing about how this song should be performed ???? Just enjoy it for what it is............. Great MUSIC. Fucking pair of eejits !!!!

[higginbottomd]

@Bluzme Oh dear, is that the best you can do?

[jamieboy170]

I love to hear this lady. She sings with a smile in her voice

[WyckliffeJ]

How funny to argue about which version is right. This is a beautiful song and can be interpreted many ways. We play it more upbeat/swing - but I love Anita's take - so sensual. It's dreamy...

[higginbottomd]

@nandesneto A reasonable question. I think you have to remember this beautiful song was written in 1939/1940 and consider how it would have been treated at that time. I hope you can see what I mean if you listen to Anne Lenner with the Carroll Gibbons Orchestra from 1940 or Anne Shelton with Ambrose & his Orchestra from the same year. I think Vera Lynn's version and a recent one by katherine Jenkins also make the point. I didn't mean to upset O'Day fans but I don't think this song is her.

[higginbottomd]

@NoRosesForMe You are clearly a naturally abusive and intolerent individual with little depth. I am not impressed. I suggest you open your mind and accept that O'Day's version of this song is not how it is meant to be performed. Incidentally, the word is "listening" not "listenin".

[nandesneto]

@higginbottomd and how, mind you, this song was "meant to be performed" ?

[Jadedjago]

@higginbottomd she remembers lyrics really well. baby boomers are just now learning how great Anita ODay truly was. What a terrific lady, and terrific survivor.

[Bluzme]

@higginbottomd that's a very stupid thing to say period

[NoRosesForMe]

Awww....*sigh* ...Best song she ever sang. And this is the best "version". This one. Right here. Sho'nuff! Always love seeing this footage. ♥ Thanks so much for posting. xx Peace 

[higginbottomd]

How to murder a beautiful song. Very poor in comparison to Anne Shelton.

[NoRosesForMe]

@higginbottomd oh shut up. If you dont want to hear anyone but ....pft....Anne Shelton.....then dont bother listenin to Anita! Who is one of the Queens. Real genuine queens of jazz,,,,,and the universe. ya dig? Ya Better!

[NoRosesForMe]

@higginbottomd PS...nobody even remembers who Anne Shelton is,,,,,,is she one of those American Idol kids? haha pft!

[scatmando]

@higginbottomd LOL I can't take cunts like you serious !!!! Murdered ???? What an absolute fanny you are.

[tmosho1]

Ms. O"Day, funilly, thought she sang better when she was interpreting and scat-ing. Truth is, she sang exceedingly well as a true standard jazz singer. She had minimal vibrato---which was unique. A syncopated, bee-bop style. Still... Her pure voice was lovely. I wish she had sung more standards classically because naturally, she would have left an enormous legacy.

[DebbSaxx1]

Great!!!

[OldieMusicMan]

I love jazz. 'nuff said.

[Rickriquinho]

Anita, I live to listen to you!!!!

[purplecloud191702]

my mother loved this lady and Ella and Sarah. They were sooooo good and sang jazz.

[marcosfnj]

She' an A1

[humanbeing524]

listen to these elegant lyrics ..."when Dawn came interrupting of our rendezvous ..." ummm, so what happened here?

[humanbeing524]

@humanbeing524 I meant "when Dawn came stealing our golden bloom to interrupt our rendezvous"! I don't remember this in the Manhattan Transfer (sterilized) version. This line reminds me of the balony scene from Romeo and Juliet

[rpmhart]

Hard to imagine anyone labelling this with 'dislike'. Have to assume they have a neural disorder that caused them to hit the wrong button...for which I can forgive them. She was amazing. What phrasing. What purity of voice.

[honeybee7700]

just gorgeous

[MsFabah]

This is one of my all-time-favorite-songs, and Anita sings it like nobody else, really inspiring.

[harritwin]

My God, what ever happened to this?

2011 has honestly been, in my opinion, the worst year for music. We need to go back to this.

[badback22]

Nutty for Nita

[dubpoet]

people can still carry a tune... but why can't people deliver a vocal like this anymore? *sigh*

[jsbach15]

Just saw the documentary on her life; via the "Documentary" channel. Her voice and phrasing is amazing! This is one of my favorites from the comparable "Anita." Thank you for posting. P.S. When she sings the word "younger" she does a little thrill ala Billy Holliday :-D

[mankkaa43]

And great dummer is John Poole!

[pierrejammes]

Thank you ! I was listening to it yesterday and never thought I'd be able to "see" her live.

[kathielee01]

She was the ultimate jazz singer. Pure swing. Connor and Christie are her offshoots.

[steveknows62]

@kathielee01

Ultimate. Absolutely.

[closencouters]

Never imagined too see this clip. ever. Thanks!!

[AcousticUplift]

I don't know why I don't hear Anita's name mentioned more amongst the jazz greats. She's exceptional. I'm only just discovering her and she's an instant favourite.

[jsbach15]

@AcousticUplift Jazz singers' appeal began to wane during the 1960's in the US. Japan loved Anita, so she went there to perform and record albums during the early 60s. Unfortunately, Anita suffered from a severe heroin addiction, which most likely affected her record contracts and long term deals. She was an amazing talent!

[satziebaby]

she taught so many of us how a lyric SHOULD sound

[waynebrasler]

Adored her and still adore her. No one like her. It always drove me nuts that people lumped O'Day, Christy and Connor together. Very different instruments and very different approaches to their music. They did record a lot of the same songs and you can hear the differences in those cases. Anita was always gorgeously groomed and dressed; that's often forgotten. She was a free spirit who had a terrible time coping with daily life. She was only happy on stage.

[NorthernPlus]

Would have been a great live performance to have attended. Her own style...great.

Norbert

[waki27221]

very splendid!

thank you !

[Getzwho]

She cared for the music. She cared nothing for musical politics. She sang like a nightingale, she loved with a free spirit, she like a few other jazz greats will never be forgotten. In this concert she was past her

" twelve o' clock" prime. But still wonderful. She could match any great song/tune/arrangement to her superb interpreting skill and fabulous voice.

[defundthewar]

@Getzwho I think she's pretty prime here. Now, if you see some comments on Anita trying to sing in the 1980s, 90s, and beyond, and they seem to think she sounds as good as ever, it shows that they never really had the musical appreciation to know what the prime Anita sounded like. And let's face it, just as not all voices are created equal, and not all talent is created equal, not everybody's ear for music is created equal.

[teazle2]

@defundthewar There's a fair amount of 'flake' and true that she was way off the 'boil' in her later stuff. But wow when she was up to say 60 in my humble opinion she outsang all the girl greats. And inher prime ? She looked delightful !!

I started Jazz with Pee Wee Hunt in 1946 !!! ( Twelfth street Rag )and on and on ! Surprisingly Anita was the first Woman jazz singer I ever heard but that is no reflection on my opinion of her - GREAT !!

[defundthewar]

@teazle2 By "prime" I didn't mean her appearance. With a voice and style like hers, who really care what she looked like? I'm sure she never confused herself with a great beauty. But she had a sense of style.

[teazle2]

@defundthewar I felt that in this number her voice, due only to age, the register had dropped a shade, but I loved this song. I felt her voice was clearer earlier in her career? Her appearance in this was ok but only for me ok. BUT when she sang 'Georgia' at that jazz festival in France, and in Japan wearing a superb black and white hat looking stunning, I've never ever seen a girl singer look better. Not June Christy, not Christy Connor, not Lena Horne and for me they were great to look at.

[AlessandroForghieri]

@teazle2 Her "prime", in my opinion, is just about around this time.... well maybe a little earlier, when she was less juiced, she was even better, but, for taste, technical skills and sheer melodic, harmonic and rhithmic creativity, I do not believe she was ever in better shape than in the 1950/early 60s. That goes also for ballads - never her forte, but still, wow.

By the way, Georgia in the black hat was (methinks) Newport in 1958 (that makes it U.S.A., not France, or Japan).

[teazle2]

@AlessandroForghieri Useful comment-thank you-nb my other comment was getzwho which I've dropped. I think she wore this outfit in France in Japan & according to Timewaste75 -Stockholm Sweden. But like you I think she was magnificent. My first listen to her was a vinyl LP not sure if Woodie Herman or Count Basie-david

[local802blues]

Absolute knockout version!

[damone77]

Thank you so much for one of my favorite songs and singers. Anita will be missed for her talent as well as her candor.RIP

[satziebaby]

@damone77 Hey Vic, thanks for singing Happy Birthday to me last year in Marcello's ...Loved rapping about the old days,the Brill Bldg and old NY..Just remember Frank said you had the best pipes in the business..Alan

[damone77]

@satziebaby ROFL! Yes I am not Vito Farinola. I am an admirer of his and therefore use his name as my Youtube name. Check out the Vic and Judy duets from her show. They're faboo1!!

[Timewaste75]

The incomparable Anita O'Day with Göran Engdahl (p), Roman Dylag (b), John Poole (dr). Live in Stockholm, Summer 1963.

[paysagebleu]

thanks for uploading! this is great!

[wgaule]

Why did you upload this awful awful tripe?!!!