Let Me Off Uptown: The Best of Anita O'Day with Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa came to epitomize Swing Era drumming during his tenure withBenny Goodman, and he brought the same kinetic energy to his own big band. The band really developed steam, though, when Anita O'Day joined it as vocalist in 1941. She was the perfect singer for the drummer's approach, with a hipster personality, high-flying energy, and fluent, jazz-rooted phrasing that easily distanced her from the other white band singers of the day. It resulted in a string of hits, many of them included here, usually delivered with a manic vitality that would embarrass current pretenders to the form. While the uptempo swing, boogie, and novelty tunes were the band's forte, O'Day's wistful voice and the tight horn sections also distinguish the renditions ofHoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" and "Georgia on My Mind." The great trumpeter Roy Eldridge was a jewel among a good collection of soloists, and his brash trumpet and bantering duet with O'Day on the title track contribute to a period masterpiece.--Stuart Broomer