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Jazz Articles about Blossom Dearie
A Musical Tribute To New York
by H William Stine
First show of my 12th season. It was great to be back. But, as reluctant as I am to admit it, the day was certainly not about me. It was September 11th. So for New York, and for anyone and everyone with scars on their heart for what happened on that day twenty years ago, I played songs celebrating the indomitable spirit, the complexity, and the inspiration that is New York City; and paid tribute to one of its icons, ...
read moreBlossom Dearie: Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's
by Samuel Chell
Several years ago Blossom Dearie said that of all her recordings, this on-location session from 1966 was her personal favorite. Although artists are notoriously unreliable critics of their own work, it's hard to quarrel with the singer/pianist's preference given the evidence on this reissue. Anyone who has yet to discover the inimitable, Lolita-like voice of this worldly-wise, genuinely hip, surprisingly versatile performer can be assured of making her acquaintance under optimal musical circumstances.
Even devoted fans seem unaware ...
read moreBlossom Dearie: From The Meticulous To The Sublime
by Michael P. Gladstone
As a long-time admirer of singer/songwriter Blossom Dearie, it is good to see that her 1975 album From The Meticulous To The Sublime, a mid-career snapshot of her work, has finally been made available on CD.
Pursuing her own muse, Blossom Dearie formed the Blue Stars of France in the early 1950s, which culminated in a successful recording of Lullaby of Birdland" in 1954. She appeared as the girl" vocalist on the original King Pleasure recording of I'm ...
read moreBlossom Dearie: My Gentleman Friend
by David Rickert
Let’s be clear about one thing from the start. This is more of a pop album than a jazz album, and anyone who buys My Gentleman Friend for the presence of any of the other musicians involved – especially Kenny Burrell – will probably be disappointed. Those who have encountered Blossom Dearie on any of her other Verve releases will be wiser, for she has always been more of an elegant cabaret singer whose delicate voice and modest piano playing ...
read moreBlossom Dearie: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green
by David Adler
This was the fourth of six titles that Blossom Dearie would record for Verve in the mid to late 1950s. As James Gavin explains in his liner essay for the 2001 reissue, Norman Granz wanted to further the success of the songbook" concept he had developed with Ella Fitzgerald, so he sold Dearie on a tribute to the hit Broadway lyricists Adolph Green and Betty Comden. Dearie, accompanying herself on piano, is joined by the dream team of Kenny Burrell, ...
read moreBlossom Dearie: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green
by David Adler
This was the fourth of six titles that Blossom Dearie would record for Verve in the mid to late 1950s. As James Gavin explains in his liner essay for the 2001 reissue, Norman Granz wanted to further the success of the songbook" concept he had developed with Ella Fitzgerald, so he sold Dearie on a tribute to the hit Broadway lyricists Adolph Green and Betty Comden. Dearie, accompanying herself on piano, is joined by the dream team of Kenny Burrell, ...
read more