As she came up with both Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton's bands during the '40s, Anita O'Day transcended the cuddly plight of many a "girl singer" by eschewing ball gowns in favor of pant suits and delivering some of the most rhythmically sophisticated singing heard to date. This was during the rise of bebop, and that music's tough yet fertile recasting of swing orthodoxy certainly had its effect on the young singer. This fine EPM disc covers those early years from 1941-1948, providing a satisfying primer before listeners take on the main course of O'Day's solo Verve sides from the '50s. The collection includes highlights like the Krupa hit "Let Me Off Uptown," Kenton's "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine," and several relatively low-profile gems with Count Basie's band and pianist Tadd Dameron's boppish outfit. Along with these fine accompanists, O'Day is seconded by a such luminaries as Roy Eldridge, Clark Terry, Ralph Burns, Benny Carter, and Wardell Gray, among many others. A fine release that nicely fills the gap left by many early O'Day discs containing only Krupa and Kenton sides. ~ Stephen Cook