Anita O'Day - Take The "A" Train

Here is the coolest, swinging chick of them all, the legendary jazz singer Anita O'Day singing "Take The 'A' Train" from 1958. The slide show presents the incredible original album cover artwork from her superb Verve Records albums. Enjoy!

Check out my review of the album this track was taken from "Anita O'Day Sings the Winners" on my website:

http://www.paulsmusicworld.com/musical_notes.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• anita
• o'day
• verve
• records
• ellington
• 1958
• jazzsingers

[7z6kt]

do you know why some musicians like anita o'day get strung out drugs and booze? too much damn talent for them to deal with. being a jazz musician is about expressing some of your deepest and most complex feelings. that's a powerful and chaotic force to be continually exploring and i think sometimes it just sort of spills out of control. i think i can sort of hear that when i hear anita o'day sing. she's painfully beautiful.

[jamesrobert2]

Love her voice. It's a real instrument!

[tigreadroit]

@local802blues

Thank you very much.

[ance2006]

my name is Anita too. It is a beautiful name, but i wish i had voice like hers. it is real power!

[teltuker1104]

Damn it! Just listen and enjoy a fantastic voice and artist from the past. The crap on the airwaves today doesn't compare in any way to the singers and the bands of the 40's and 50's.

[MrJulioberne]

GREAT AUDIO! <3 THANK U

[boomerang905]

@bteniswood Oh, my bad. Forgive me for speaking on a subject I have no clue about, actually. When it comes to illegal drugs, I only go by what I have heard through people. There were people with $200-300 dollar a day habits. But you're right, no drug is 'elite', I simply meant the people that used it were considered the artistically 'elite' for lack of a better expression..my bad.

[bteniswood]

@boomerang905 No, it wasn't. Heroin back then was an inexpensive, underground drug. It's never been an 'elite' drug at all. It has always held that label of scourge and it's only widely used among the downtrodden, traumatised, repressed and depressed because it beautifully numbs your soul and stops the pain. It became, for a brief time at least, a hip 'jazz drug' but that was as much because people thought it made Parker better rather than worse and people thought it might help them too sadly.

[Chobowan]

7 ppl missed their quickest way to harlem

[boomerang905]

@7z6kt I know this response is 3 years late but you're right about your perception of why some musicians such as this turned to drugs. Back then it was an expensive, elite drug (though absolutely no drug ever was or will be) but the privileged and talented musician indulged. And I believe that this music form does bring out a person's innermost turmoil, happiness or sadness and leads to experimentation as expressions. You said it better than me......Thanks for sharing.

[boomerang905]

One more Jazzy Lady. I rank her with the very best! I loved her voice so much and she does this just great! Thanks for the upload.

[Mayjayy]

ahh shes so good :)