Anita O'Day
Voice Solo on
Them There Eyes

About

Anita O'Day takes a rare scat-influenced vocal solo chorus on "Them There Eyes" at an exhilarating 331 BPM, her rhythmic precision and improvisational confidence placing her squarely in the company of the instrumentalists on her 1957 album Anita Sings the Most. Her solo over the 32-bar ABAC form in A-flat demonstrates the quality that set her apart from more conventional vocalists: the ability to swing and phrase with the freedom of an instrumentalist. As the first of three soloists ahead of Oscar Peterson and Herb Ellis, O'Day establishes the track's high-velocity character, her clear diction and rhythmic command navigating the breakneck tempo with an ease few vocalists could match.

Anita O'Day was 37 to 38 years old at the time.