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From her big band debut in the 1940s through her sixth decade on stage, Anita O'Day shattered perceptions of what to expect from a female jazz vocalist, by "swinging" as as hard and as fervently as any of her contemporaries and living an equally edgy lifestyle. Though a number of others easily outstripped her with their vocal qualities and range, O'Day (1919-2006) distinguished herself via deft improvisation, clever phrasing, broad tone, and instinct for rhythm and rhythmic changes. Per its title, the concert film Anita O'Day: Live in Tokyo '63 finds crooner O'Day performing a live set in Japan's capital city in 1963.