Anita Sings The Most

In the mid-1950s, the Oscar Peterson trio (with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis) served as a house rhythm section for Norman Granz's Verve label and his Jazz at the Philharmonic tours. Stars in their own right, they were also superb accompanists, propelling Granz's swing-era giants to some of their best performances of the era. This 1957 date is a superbly swinging session that may be Anita O'Day's finest hour in the recording studio. Although she first found fame as a singer with big bands like Gene Krupa's, O'Day's freewheeling style was most at home in a small group setting. Here she sings swing tunes at breakneck tempos and adds boppish scat with genuinely instrumental fluency. O'Day's wistful treatments of ballads are graced by luminous accompaniments, by Ellis on "I've Got the World on a String" and Peterson on "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered." --Stuart Broomer