Anita O'Day

James is a Grammy-nominated music journalist who has written articles for The New York Times, as well as several books, including George Michael: A Life, Is That All There Is: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee, and Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne.

His latest book is Cool Heat: Anita O'Day and Her Dangerous Jazz Life, and it's published by Equinox Publishing.

James, thanks so much for joining me today.

Wonderful to meet you.

Uh, to get us started, can you share with us what your book is about?

My book is about one of a handful of legendary jazz singers who created something that had never been done before, and that is copied to this day.

Anita O'Day started a school of jazz singing in the '40s called the Cool School, and the secret of the Cool School is that on the surface you seemed hip, above it all, and a little bit blasé, but underneath the surface were some very murky waters that made things kind of heat up.

They burbled in between the cracks.

But I would say those are probably my top female artists.

Well, I would love for you, when you can, check out especially some of the jazz, but Blossom Deary, Anita O'Day, some of these women jazz singers.

Of course, Ella Fitzgerald was there and Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.

And then from current times, Diane Reeves, who is wonderful.

The song is called Let Me Off Uptown.

And this is with the Gene Krupa Orchestra with Anita O'Day on vocals.

And it was recorded in May of 1941, Columbia Records.

And you would call this a novelty swing hit.

Well, blowing.

Let me off uptown.

Jim John is my guest and we are talking, well, that was, you know, Anita O'Day, Gene Krupa.

Drummers often were kind of the stars of the show, you know, the Buddy Rich Band, Gene Krupa Band, you know, in those days.

Billy arranged for Nat King Cole, giving those silky swing numbers that paired Nat's velvet voice with a band that practically sparkled.

He worked with Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, Anita O'Day, Bobby Darin and so many others, shaping the sound of the era with a blend of sharp technique and devilish charm.

Billy May also created one of the great lounge-centric projects of the mid-century, the Billy May Orchestra.

His albums, Sorta May and Sorta Dixie, showcased his playful side, parodying the styles of other bands while still delivering top-tier musicianship.

I listened to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan.

Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day.

Those are, yeah, a lot of jazz vocalists at that time.

And I still listen to them, but I think it's grown since then and it's expanded into listening to various songwriters.