MEDIA RELEASE: For Immediate Release
She Was Known as the “Keith Richards” of Jazz Music. So Why Have You Never Heard of Anita O’Day?
At her peak, she was regularly mentioned in the same breath as jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and
Dinah Washington. But fame requires both talent and luck, and luck never quite seemed to find Anita O’Day, so today this
legend of jazz has been largely forgotten. A cabaret piece debuting at the 2014 Fringe Festival is hoping to change
that.
Actress Liz Kirkman learned about O’Day from friend and fellow performer David Goldthorpe. “He was developing a show on
Chet Baker and I was envious of having a vehicle that could marry both my acting and my singing skills.” Goldthorpe
suggested she look at O’Day. Kirkman did, and recognized a kindred spirit to whom she could relate. She immediately
asked a writer friend, Kelli Greene Caldwell, to get started on a script.
The result, titled, “The Jezebel of Jazz: Songs and Stories with Anita O’Day”, directed by Jacqueline Coats, contains
scenes from O’Day’s life interspersed with performances of her most famous and moving songs. From start to finish, it is
largely a solo performance by Kirkman. Earlier this year, Kirkman performed a shortened version of the play that
confirmed she’d made the right choice in choosing O’Day as a subject. “I see a lot of similarities between us. Not
wanting to conform to a 'typical' kind of life, a strong, stylistic voice that is not 'pretty,' and we both have big
bucked front teeth! In terms of career, Anita always seemed to be missing the bus - solidly working, but not respected
in the same way as her contemporaries.” Kirkman muses, “Of course, she had amazing successes and is highly respected
amongst jazz musos, but the general populace never took her up in the same way as other singers.”
O’Day’s life was so filled with drama, it’s surprising we’ve heard so little about her. Kirkman laughs, “The drugs, the
jail time, the mix of men, the career spanning 8 decades! Seriously, who does that?! What's not to be interested in?
She's amazing.” She hopes the performances will give audiences a chance to get up close and personal with one of jazz
music’s hidden talents. “Anita was a powerful storyteller. But if you ever see the documentary made on her, 'Anita O'Day
- Life of a Jazz Singer' you can see the moment where her story ends and then there's a vulnerability, a weight, a truth
that I don't think she spent much of her life sharing. I want to be able to share that character, the 'spinner' that she
was, but also moments of that vulnerability behind the facade. And of course, her amazing arrangements, the way she
played with timing and her sense of ease and truth when singing. I can't wait to share that.”
Jezebel of Jazz
2014 New Zealand Fringe Festival
Bats Theatre
22nd - 26th of February 8pm I Sunday Matinee 2pm
Full $18 I Concession/ Group $14
Tickets: www.bats.co.nz