Anita O'Day The Life of A Jazz Singer revised trailer Dec 2009

2010 Grammy Nominated! Best Long Form Video

"SUPERB" Time Magazine's #1 Shortlist!

2008 SATELLITE Award WINNER for Best Documentary International Press Academy

"This documentary is an UPPER " USA TODAY

"invaluable.- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"The epitome of cool; a heartfelt documentary Hilton Als, The New Yorker

"Enthralling" New York Times

"A Masterpiece of the Medium" LA Weekly

"A Lively Valentine" Boston Globe

100% Rotten Tomatoes since the premiere at Tribeca Film Festival April 2007. Consensus: This rich documentary chronicles the highs and lows of one of the medium's finest singers, utilizing remarkable archive footage and insightful interviews with O'Day herself.

Anita ODay was one of the greatest of American jazzsingers and this is her astonishing story—a journey of survival, and above all the endurance 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. This documentary of a legend was co-directed by Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden who produced with Melissa Davis. Anita ODay only ever wanted to be a singer and the film showcases performances that date back to the 50s with such artists as Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. She is shown teaching Billy Taylor how to be a jazz vocalist. She speaks candidly, always candidly, with Dick Cavett, Bryant Gumble and David Frost, with clips from interviews done on 60 Minutes and CBS This Morning. Bert Stern, commenting on his experience filming Anita perform Sweet Georgia Brown for his film Jazz on a Summers Day, said it was the greatest rendition of the song ever made. Anita was a musical genius and pioneer who broke reverse race barriers. She was commonly regarded as one of the top female artists of her time, together with Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday. The film portrays her as a woman who lived her life the way she wanted without ever looking back. She speaks openly about how she had to overcome great adversities, including a 20-year addiction to heroin and alcohol. She chose never to have children and married for only a brief period. She lived an often lonely life that was sustained only by her passion for music. Personalities talk about her quirky personality, while jazz critics and her few still living contemporaries speak of her extraordinary talent and how amazing it is that she continued to sing for so long. The film shows Anita on tour in Europe well into her eighties and her making that final recording, shortly before her death, the death of an icon.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Anita
• O'Day
• Jazz
• Singer
• Verve
• Records
• Kayo
• Stereophonic
• Vocalist
• Belle
• Colton
• great
• singers

[1nightstorm]

Anita O'Day was not promoted adequately during her career and as a result a lot of people know nothing about this gifted, gorgeous woman.

I sincerely urge the copyright holders of this documentary to either post a low resolution version online or permit Anita's fans to help educate a global audience & provide instructions on how to buy the highest quality DVD as opposed to having nothing online. Currently the DVD is hard to find as stores don't stock it. Some libraries have it.

[eltesguino]

I just heard of her recently and ordered her book and a CD. She had an amazing voice and wasn't nearly as well known as Ella, Billie and Sarah. She lived a rough life, but lived a very long life. I am so glad I found her!