blown away

Again. It seems like most of posts usually have something to do with whatever it is that I am listening to or watching at the moment. That's cool, I have no problem with that. I think it has been established that I am a highly visual and auditory human being. Which is why I was so entirely captivated by "Anita O'Day, Life of a Jazz Singer."

When I realized that Anita had died about two years ago back in 2006, I felt horribly. I felt like I had lost a friend and once again, that I had taken someone for granted. As usual, I felt that she would always be there and I could write her once more or perhaps come across an appearance in this wasteland of oddities that is Los Angeles. Perhaps she would have enough spunk left in that old gas tank of hers to sign her last cd or even that someone would prop her up on stage and have her snap her fingers to her old tunes like "Sweet Georgia Brown." Alas, that never happened and to make things worse, I was so wrapped up in absolutely nothing that I never even bothered to look. That's what hurts me the most.... The inaction.

At any rate, when I saw that this documentary was available on Netflix, a simple click shot it right to the top of my cue and it went right into my dvd player the day it came. Anita was awesome. She was a rock n' roller boucing around the swing and jazz worlds and sometimes those worlds bounced her pretty hard. Fifteen of those years she was addicted to heroin and I loved her more for it. Anita never let that bother her. She just kept going, after all, what else was there to do? She honestly was one of those that made me want to sing. She made me feel like I could sing because hers wasn't a voice, it was a instrument. Like a horn, or a drum, or even keys on a piano.

This film made me remember her and lately now I can't wait to listen to her music. I wish she was back. I wish I could catch that one last show, hear that one last perfectly timed chorus where she jumps in exactly where she knows she needs to be. That kind of stuff that takes decades to learn and watch how she could just do it anytime. Even when she living those high times, hard times, broke times, lonesome times, she just did it.

One thing that I will take away from those interviews and clips and remembrances, is that she made no apologies and blamed no one. "Those were the times" she says. A life lived full and lots of things to talk about and stories to tell. I wanted to hear them all. Even the heartbreaking ones that never caused even a tear or a quivering lip. That was Anita.