{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Anita | type = studio | artist = Anita O'Day | cover = Thisisanita.jpg | released = {{start date|1956|03}} | recorded = December 6–8, 1955 | studio = Capitol Studios | genre = {{hlist|Jazz<ref name="BB">{{cite magazine |title=Review Spotlight: Jazz |magazine=Billboard |date=May 19, 1956 |page=16 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1956/Billboard%201956-05-19-OCR-Page-0014.pdf#search=%22anita%20o'day%20honeysuckle%20rose%22 |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>|pop<ref name="DownBeat">{{cite magazine |title=Reviews |magazine=DownBeat |date=April 18, 1956 |page=32 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/DownBeat/IDX/50s/Down-Beat-1956-04-18-23-8-IDX-32.pdf#search=%22anita%20o'day%20honeysuckle%20rose%22 |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref>}} | length = | label = Verve | producer = Buddy Bregman | prev_title = Songs by Anita O'Day | prev_year = 1954 | next_title = Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day | next_year = 1957 | misc = {{Singles | name = Anita | type = studio | single1 = You're the Top | single1date = August 1956 }} }} '''''Anita''''' is a studio album by American singer, Anita O'Day. It was released in March 1956 by Verve Records and was the second studio album of her career. The project was also the first for the newly-formed Verve label after O'Day was chosen to sign with them by Buddy Bregman. It has been considered a classic album in O'Day's discography for its mix of jazz and pop stylings used in 12 of the standard tracks chosen.
==Background== Anita O'Day first garnered acclaim and commercial success in the 1940s as a big band singer alongside Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton. She then went into a solo career, finding her greatest success with a series of jazz albums recorded for the newly-established Verve label. Her first Verve effort was 1956's ''Anita''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bush |first1=John |title=Anita O'Day Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anita-oday-mn0000479028 |website=AllMusic |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> According to O'Day's autobiography, arranger, Buddy Bregman, and Verve founder, Norman Granz, were looking over a list of jazz artists when Bregman noticed O'Day's name. Bregman recalled that she went to his Chicago junior high school and decided to "take a chance" on her.<ref name="Book">{{cite book |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |last2=Eels |first2=George |title=High Times Hard Times |date=1981 |publisher=Applause Theatre Books |isbn=978-1-4930-5299-8 |pages=227–228; 321}}</ref> O'Day became the first artist to sign with Granz's new label in 1955.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chilla |first1=Mark |title=Cool Heat: Anita O'Day in the 1950s |url=https://www.ipm.org/show/afterglow/2019-10-15/cool-heat-anita-oday-in-the-1950s |access-date=31 December 2025 |work=Indiana Public Media |date=October 15, 2019}}</ref>
==Recording and content== ''Anita'' was recorded in three sessions on December 6, December 7 and December 8, 1955 at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Arrangements, conducting and production were oversaw by Bregman.<ref name="Book"/><ref name="Box Set">{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''The Complete Anita O'Day Verve-Clef Sessions'' (Box Set Information) |journal=Mosaic Records |date=1999 |id=MD9-188 (9-CD box set)}}</ref> O'Day recalled being impressed by the studio and praised its "great acoustics". O'Day also was fond of the session players chosen by Bregman, calling them "all tops" and "Class A" musicians. She also admired the album's sound engineer who was known being a musical collaborator of Doris Day.<ref name="Book"/>
The material on ''Anita'' was chosen entirely by Bregman and given final approval by Grantz, resulting in a 12-track collection.<ref name="Book"/><ref name="Liner Notes">{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (Liner Notes) |journal=Verve Records |date=March 1956 |location=United States |id=MG V-2000 (LP mono)}}</ref> The material was labeled by ''DownBeat'', writer Walt Friedwald and O'Day herself as pop in style.<ref name="DownBeat"/><ref name="Book"/><ref name="Bio">{{cite book |title=A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers |pages=358–59 |author=Will Friedwald |publisher=Knopf Doubleday |date=2010 |isbn=9780307379894}}</ref> The music backing O'Day featured a mix of big band orchestras, a rhythm section and strings while the material chosen for the project were American standard songs.<ref name="Bio"/> Among them was Cole Porter's "You're the Top", Fats Waller's "Honeysuckle Rose" and the George–Ira Gershwin tune "Who Cares?" The latter song was originally from the Broadway musical, ''Of Thee I Sing''. "Fine and Dandy" was also a Broadway original that first appeared in ''Ziegfeld Follies''.<ref name="Liner Notes"/>
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}} | rev2 = ''DownBeat'' | rev2Score = {{Rating|5|5}} }} ''Anita'' received positive critical acclaim from writers and critics. ''DownBeat'' rated the album five out of five stars and chose to review it because they considered Anita "a major female jazz singer" despite it being a pop collection. The publication described the trombone section as "crisp" and found that the strings "hardly ever get in the way" of O'Day. They concluded by further praising the project.<ref name="DownBeat"/> ''Billboard'' considered the album a jazz collection with "a happy sound". "Annetive looking and rounding set is Miss O'Day's most potent effort in a welcome 'comeback'," the publication wrote.<ref name="BB"/>
''CashBox'' called it "a superb effort", praising O'Day's phrasing and the choice of material. They concluded, "This corner wouldn’t be surprised if this waxing takes the jazz-wise public by storm. Anita’s voice has a unique character that’s tough to beat."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Album Reviews: Jazz |magazine=Cash Box |date=March 31, 1956 |page=17 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Cash-Box-IDX/50s/1956/CB-1956-03-31-OCR-Page-0017.pdf#search=%22anita%20o'day%20verve%201956%22 |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> AllMusic's Scott Yanow gave the album 4.5 out of 5 possible stars and wrote, "Anita O'Day is heard in prime form on this early Verve date. One of her better recordings, this date is recommended."<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |title=''Anita'': Anita O'Day: Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/anita-mw0000649674?cb=1767207464 |website=AllMusic |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> Walt Friedwald, author of the book ''A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers'' called the record "an instant classic" with arrangements that do not overpower the album.<ref name="Bio"/>
==Release and aftermath== ''Anita'' was originally released by Verve Records in March 1956 and was the second studio album of her career. It was originally offered as a 12-inch vinyl LP that featured six recordings on each side of the disc.<ref name="Liner Notes"/> In 1963, the album was re-released under a different title, ''This Is Anita''.<ref>Neal Umnphred, ''Goldmine's Price Guide to Collectible Jazz Albums, 1949-69'', Iola, WI: Krause, 1994, pp. 378, 379.</ref><ref name="This Is Anita">{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''This Is Anita'' (Liner Notes) |journal=Verve Records/La Voz de Su Amo |date=1963 |id=V-8483 (V-8483); LCLP 215}}</ref> In August 1956, "You're the Top" was issued as the album's lead single.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Strictly Ad Lib |magazine=DownBeat |date=August 8, 1956 |page=5 |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/DownBeat/IDX/50s/Down-Beat-1956-08-08-23-16-IDX-5.pdf#search=%22anita%201956%22 |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title="You're the Top"/"We Laughed at Love" (45 RPM single) |journal=Verve Records |date=August 1956 |id=V-2014X45}}</ref> O'Day recalled that the project received heavy promotion from Granz who put trade ads for it in several magazines. Additionally, O'Day remembered seeing her face being featured on the covers of ''Cash Box'' and ''Metronome'' magazines after its release.<ref name="Book"/> According to Bregman, ''Anita'' sold an estimated 185,000 units and made him successful in the jazz field.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hershon |first1=Tad |title=Norman Granz The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice |date=2011 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0520267824 |page=217}}</ref>
==Track listing== Details taken from the original 1956 liner notes may differ from other sources. Song length was not included in the original liner notes, therefore song lengths are taken from the 1963 reissue ''This Is Anita''.<ref name="Liner Notes"/><ref name="This Is Anita"/>
{{track listing | headline = Side one | title1 = You're the Top | writer1 = Porter | length1 = 2:23 | title2 = Honeysuckle Rose | writer2 = {{hlist|Razaf|Waller}} | length2 = 3:11 | title3 = A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square | writer3 = {{hlist|Sherwin|Maschwitz}} | length3 = 3:58 | title4 = Who Cares? | writer4 = George and Ira Gershwin | length4 = 3:11 | title5 = I Can't Get Started | writer5 = {{hlist|I. Gershwin|Duke}} | length5 = 3:50 | title6 = Fine and Dandy | writer6 = {{hlist|Swift|Warburg}} | length6 = 2:21 }} {{track listing | headline = Side two | title1 = As Long as I Live | writer1 = {{hlist|Arlen|Koehler}} | length1 = 3:35 | title2 = No Moon at All | writer2 = {{hlist|Evans|Mann}} | length2 = 2:25 | title3 = Time After Time | writer3 = {{hlist|Cahn|Styne}} | length3 = 4:03 | title4 = I'll See You in My Dreams | writer4 = {{hlist|Jones|Kahn}} | length4 = 2:45 | title5 = I Fall in Love Too Easily | writer5 = {{hlist|Cahn|Styne}} | length5 = 2:50 | title6 = Beautiful Love | writer6 = {{hlist|Gillespie|King|Van Alstyne|Young}} | length6 = 2:34 }}
==Personnel== All credits are adapted from the CD liner notes of ''Anita''.<ref name="CD">{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (CD reissues) |journal=Verve Records |date=1990 |location=United States; Japan |id=829 261-2, D116651 (US); POCJ-1815, 15 (Japan)}}</ref>
'''Musical and technical personnel''' * Buddy Bregman – arranger, conductor * Milt Bernhart – trombone * Alex De Paola – photography * Corky Hale – harp * Joe Howard – trombone * Barney Kessel – guitar * Joe Mondragon – double bass * Anita O'Day – vocals * Paul Smith – piano, celeste * Alvin Stoller – drums * Lloyd Ulyate – trombone * Si Zentner – trombone
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release history and formats for ''Anita'' and ''This Is Anita'' !scope="col"| Region !scope="col"| Date !scope="col"| Format !scope="col"| Label !scope="col"| Ref. |- ! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Various | March 1956 | LP mono | {{hlist|His Master's Voice|Verve Records}} | <ref name="Liner Notes"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (international versions) |journal=Verve Records; His Master's Voice |date=1956 |location=France; United Kingdom |id=80024 (France); CLP 1085 (UK)}}</ref> |- | 1958 | LP | {{hlist|Sinter Records|Verve Records}} | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (international versions) |journal=Verve Records; Sinter Records |date=1958 |location=Brazil |id=SLP-2708}}</ref> |- | 1963 | LP reissue | {{hlist|La Voz De Su Amo|Verve Records}} | <ref name="This Is Anita"/> |- ! scope="row"| Japan | 1976–1986 | {{hlist|LP mono|compact disc}} | rowspan="3"| Verve Records | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (various Japanese versions) |journal=Verve Records |date=1976–1985 |location=Japan |id=MV 2560, Vol. 8; MV 4023; 23MJ 3120; 20MJ 0016, 16; J33J-25009}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| United States and Japan | 1990 | rowspan="4"| Compact disc | <ref name="CD"/> |- ! scope="row"| Japan | 1995–2000 | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (various Japanese CD versions) |journal=Verve Records |date=1995–2000 |location=Japan |id=POCJ-9143, MG V-2000, 43; POCJ-2493, 43; POCJ-9243, MG V-2000, 43; POCJ-9243, MG V-2000}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| United States | 2000 | {{hlist|Jazz Heritage Society|Verve Records}} | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (US CD version) |journal=Verve Records |date=2000 |location=United States |id=5166654}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Japan | 2003–2016 | rowspan="2"| Verve Records | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Day |first1=Anita |title=''Anita'' (various Japanese CD versions) |journal=Verve Records |date=2003–2016 |location=Japan |id= UCCU-5040, 40; UCCU-9540, 40; UCCV-9280, 3; UCCU-9470; UCCU-9828, 28; PROZ-1014; UCGU-9037; UCCU-99069; UCCU-5603}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Various | Circa 2020 | {{hlist|Music download|streaming}} | <ref>{{cite web |title=''Anita'' - Album by Anita O'Day |url=https://music.apple.com/ca/album/anita/1440653683 |website=Apple Music |access-date=31 December 2025}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Anita O'Day}} {{Authority control}} Category:1956 albums Category:Albums arranged by Buddy Bregman Category:Albums produced by Buddy Bregman Category:Anita O'Day albums Category:Verve Records albums