Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
Oct 23 - Oct 25, 2007
Ian McCrudden, Robbie Cavolina, 2007, USA, 90 minutes
Sponsored by La Spiga, Easy Street Records and kbcs 91.3fm Co-presented by Northwest Film Forum and the Earshot Jazz Festival
This new film is the first definitive documentary on the life of legendary jazz vocalist Anita O' Day, who passed away last fall. The swing era singer broke race barriers, lived her life boldly and unconventionally, and survived alcoholism, rape, heroin addiction and jail time to become a true jazz icon. In candid interviews with the feisty legend herself, O'Day gives a poignant and often funny account of her jazz odyssey spanning seven decades and 82 albums. The film showcases rare and never before seen footage of O'Day performing with the likes of Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael, as well as interviews with vocalists, arrangers, TV personalities and friends. An intimate and deeply moving tribute to a jazz diva extraordinaire, THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER zips along at the speed of her renowned up-tempo interpretation of "Sweet Georgia Brown."
Click here to see a trailer and visit the official website
"A masterpiece of the medium, the documentary relates her extraordinary life story as a musician with no softened edges and plenty of extended musical passages."- LA WEEKLY