Anita O'Day Sings the Winners

For Anita O’Day Sings the Winners the singer takes a big band in her sway and completely revitalizes several of the best-known songs in jazz history. The original 1958 LP was divided into two sides, the first arranged and conducted by Marty Paich, the second by Russell Garcia. Led off by an unstoppable version of Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” the first half is notable for its bold, brassy performances. In “Four” and “Four Brothers” O’Day pushes the orchestra to be wily and flexible, but it’s nothing compared to her fearless take on Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night In Tunisia.” The performance is testament to Anita’s unmatched maneuverability as a vocalist. The big band arrangement of “Tenderly” is complex and melancholy, but the real blue-flame goodies are on side two. Anita moves through “Body and Soul” and “My funny Valentine” like a low ripple across a lake. The finale is “Peanut Vendor,” a Caribbean pastiche that could be corny in the hands of another singer — Anita makes it the coolest, grooviest song on the album. Triple your mirth with a culinary trifecta formed by bonus tracks “Blue Champagne,” “Hershey Bar” and “Peel Me a Grape.”