Anita O'Day and the Three Sounds

Anita O’Day closed out her extraordinary tenure at Verve with one last venture into new territory. This time she chose for her backing band the Three Sounds, a young trio led by Gene Harris. The Three Sounds were a lean, groovy group — very “with it.” They would soon be among a subset of Blue Note groups that would pioneer the R&B-jazz hybrid known as “soul jazz.” Their collaboration with O’Day has the kind of chemistry that can only come from an unlikely pairing. The burgeoning Afro-African trio from Chicago meets the white songstress in decline — and yet everyone involved speaks the same language. There is incredible affection in these recordings — signs of deep care and the gentle exchange of secrets between generations. Anita’s physical decline is evident. Her voice is lower and less spry than it had been even three years prior, and yet she never sounds debilitated. She owns every note, and even in a troubled state she is able to articulate her inner story. When she gives space over to the Three Sounds, it feels like a gesture of goodwill, not defeat — an understated, classy, and undeniably bittersweet goodbye.