[.ca] All The Sad Young Men

From Amazon.com:
From her days with Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton in the '40s, Anita O'Day was a genuine jazz singer who could make the most of a big-band date. This 1961 recording pairs her with arranger Gary McFarland, who was just beginning to demonstrate his talent for creating constantly shifting backdrops filled with unexpected rhythmic figures and voicings. The title song and Willard Robson's "A Woman Alone with the Blues" gain orchestral dimension from McFarland's writing, while he's able to put his own stamp on Ellington's "Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me." The songs are well-chosen vehicles for O'Day, a singer capable of both bemused irony and emotional directness, with the diction for Broadway lyrics and a facility for inventive scat singing. "Boogie Blues" updates an early O'Day hit with Gene Krupa's band, while Al Cohn's "Night Bird" and Horace Silver's "Senor Blues" are unusual in being big-band vocal treatments of bop tunes. The band is terrific, and altoist Phil Woods and guitarist Barry Galbraith make particularly good solo contributions. O'Day's vocals were overdubbed at separate sessions. It may add to the vocal presence, and given her scat exchange with Willie Dennis's trombone on "Up State," it seems to take nothing away from her involvement in the band. --Stuart Broomer

Chronique amazon.fr:
C'est Creed Taylor, alors directeur artistique des disques Verve, qui eut la bonne idée d'associer Anita O'Day au grand orchestre de Gary McFarland. Ce dernier mit au point des arrangements sophistiqués, choisit ses interprètes et les réunit en studio. Absente, la chanteuse enregistra un mois plus tard sa partie vocale, cette façon de procéder ne la troublant nullement. Dans All The Sad Young Men, Anita communie avec l'orchestre, dialogue et répond aux musiciens comme s'ils étaient là, tous ensemble avec elle. Nous sommes en 1961 et Anita qui enregistre pour Verve depuis bientôt dix ans ne manque pas d'expérience. Elle se sent à l'aise avec un big band, surtout s'il contient de bons solistes pour la stimuler. Phil Woods, Willie Denis, Herb Pomeroy, Zoot Sims et Hank Jones lui offrent les excitants chorus qui lui permettent de placer sa voix, d'en contrôler la puissance. Une voix rauque, un peu enrouée, un brin canaille, qui attire sans en avoir l'air, semble chanter sans effort et surprend par sa charge émotive. --Pierre de Chocqueuse

BRING ON THE TEARS!:
Your girlfriend left you, and you feel sad and rejected, but aunt ANITA is there to confort you. Beleive me ,with ANITA O'DAY, all those sad young men finally end up being happy true fans.Once you get to know that wonderful singer you'll be hooked for good to her talents, and she'll make you feel good.On this original record ,she gets mostly moody and sad just like the title song, but in the end she does a little scat to live it up.Whether she is sad or gay(because ANITA sure can swing), we fans just adored her.

Another splendid O'Day verve re-issue...:
All of Anita O'Day's Verves are marvelous, she is one of the greatest bebop vocal improvisers of all time, and she is the last of the living lengendary jazz singers still performing today. This reissue of the original lp includes fine remastering as well as original cover art and comprehensive liner notes. O'Day's voice sounds "cooler" then usual, singing softly and sensually with a somewhat cooled down husky voice. The arrangements are equally cool by Gary McFarland. Overall an enjoyable set with spectacular versions of DO NOTHIN TILL YOU HEAR FROM ME, YOU CAME A LONG WAY FROM ST LOUIS and BOOGIE BLUES. Plenty of scatting and scat phrasing as usual and lot's of wonderful improvising. Highly Recommended as are all of her Verves are. Also see Anita O'Day live next time your in LA she sings every mondaay at the ATLAS.

A Jewel:
O'Day's singing, by turns playful and moving, is always interesting. On this album, her interpretations are more explicitly emotional (this due, perhaps, to a slightly rougher voice) than on the other Verves I've heard. McFarland's arrangments are rich and surprising, with out-of-left-field bits that turn out to serve the songs perfectly--as good a description as any of O'Day's technique. Standouts for me are "A Woman Alone with the Blues," the scatted "Up State," and the slow-then-swinging "Nightbird," but everything here is a treat.

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