Search - Anita O'Day - Live at Ronnie Scott's on DVD

Interesting 1986 live concert

Anthony Paul | 09/16/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure what Gloria was reviewing, but it wasn't this product. This is from 1986, and although Anita wasn't in her prime at age 67, she's still DAMNED good and well-worth hearing. Her performance of "I Can't Get Started" is stellar, and not only rivals her mid 1950's version, it's actually much better. This concert has been previously issued on CD as "Live at Ronnie Scotts" and it's nice to finally have it available on DVD."

Anita O'Day - Live at Ronnie Scott's

Pasquale J. Pratico | Trenton, NJ | 01/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Good recording. Anita still had a good quality to her voice. Good back up from trio."

A real surprise....

Matthew Watters | Vietnam | 02/01/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All too often, performances by jazz greats released on DVD date from the artists' declining years, when their technique or control has begun to slip, making most of these programmes slightly depressing affairs. I am happy to say, that's not the case here. O'Day benefits from never having depended on the quality of her voice for her greatness, so age doesn't really diminish her. Her vocal instrument was always merely pleasant, never spectacular. What makes Anita O'Day one of the greatest jazz singers of all time--nay, one of the great jazz *musicians*--is that she has such an innate feeling for the music. In every performance, she is constantly playing with time, rhythm, melodic variation. She is truly that jazz artist for whom the cliche fits: she never sings the same song twice. Watching her outfox and outplay her sidemen in this show (and she is outplaying them, albeit with her voice) is a real kick, as she gleefully deconstructs familiar old standards, sometimes several times within one song. Even the lyrics become almost secondary. For Anita, it's about the musical feeling, the improvisation, the sheer joy of getting inside a tune and blowing it up. Watch this show, and the years seem to drop away. Anita O'Day is truly ageless."

Lovely dvd

RSA Waijers | 08/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD for someone else, he loves it and says it's one the best shows he saw from O'Day."