Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Blossom Dearie: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green

220

Blossom Dearie: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green

By

Sign in to view read count
Blossom Dearie: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green
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, Ray Brown, and Ed Thigpen. The sound of the disc is big and warm, enhancing the intimacy of Dearie’s hushed, unadorned style, which could almost be called an anti-style. Her piano, too, is plain and simple, but also thick with a jazz sensibility and an impeccable feel for the contour of a phrase. Brown and Burrell are tremendous on "The Party’s Over," which Dearie ends with a giggle. The band also cooks on "It’s Love," which begins as a calypso and switches to bright swing for Burrell’s aggressive solo. Dearie’s voice, despite its deadpan quality, seems to fit all these moods, from the lilting swing of "Hold Me, Hold Me, Hold Me" to the sullen, quasi-rubato "How Will He Know?" Comden and Green, for their part, have a way with a disarmingly personal lyric, "I Like Myself" being a perfect example. Dearie doesn’t merely sing the words, she inhabits the very sentiment, putting her enviable powers of self-invention on display.

Track Listing

1. Lucky to Be Me 2. Just In Time 3. Some Other Time 4. Dance Only With Me 5. I Like Myself 6. The Party

Personnel

Blossom Dearie
piano and vocals

Blossom Dearie, vocals, piano; Kenny Burrell, guitar; Ray Brown, bass; Ed Thigpen, drums

Album information

Title: Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Verve Music Group

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.