Blossom Dearie
A distinctive, girlish voice and crisp, impeccable delivery, plus an irrepressible sense of playful swing, made Blossom Dearie one of the most enjoyable singers of the vocal era. Her warmth and sparkle ensured that she'd never treat standards as the well-worn songs they often appeared in less capable hands. And though her reputation was made on record with a string of excellent albums for Verve during the '50s, she remained a draw with Manhattan cabaret audiences long into the new millennium.
Actually born with the name Blossom Dearie in the New York Catskills, she began playing piano at an early age and studied classical music before making the switch to jazz while in high school. After graduation, she moved to New York and began appearing with vocal groups like the Blue Flames (attached to Woody Herman) and the Blue Reys (with Alvino Rey). She also played cocktail piano around the city, and moved to Paris in 1952 to form her own group, the Blue Stars of France. Dearie also appeared in a nightclub act with Annie Ross, and made a short, uncredited appearance on King Pleasure's vocalese classic, "Moody's Mood for Love." She recorded an obscure album of piano solos, and in 1954, the Blue Stars hit the national charts with a French version of "Lullaby of Birdland."
After hearing Dearie perform in Paris in 1956, Norman Granz signed her to Verve and she returned to America by the end of the year. Her eponymous debut for Verve featured a set of standards that slanted traditional pop back to its roots in Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and cabaret. Her focus on intimate readings of standards ("Deed I Do," "Thou Swell") and the relaxed trio setting (bassist Ray Brown and drummer Jo Jones, plus Dearie on piano) drew nods to her cabaret background.
On her next few records, Dearie stuck to her focus on standards and small groups, though her gift for songwriting emerged as well with songs like "Blossom's Blues." She performed in solo settings at supper clubs all over New York, and appeared on the more cultured of the late-'50s New York talk shows. Her husband, flutist Bobby Jaspar, made several appearances on her records, notably 1959's My Gentleman Friend. After a recording break in the early '60s, Blossom Dearie signed to Capitol for one album (1964's May I Come In?), but then recorded sparingly during the rest of the decade.
Finally, in the early '70s, she formed her own Daffodil Records label and began releasing her own work, including 1974's Blossom Dearie Sings and 1976's My New Celebrity Is You. She also performed at Carnegie Hall with Anita O'Day and Joe Williams, billed as the Jazz Singers. She continued to perform and record during the 1980s through to the early 2000s, centered mostly in New York but also a regular attraction in London as well. She retired from playing live in 2006 due to health concerns and died quietly in her Greenwich Village apartment on February 7, 2009.
© John Bush /TiVo
Similar artists
-
Blossom Dearie, Soubrette: Sings Broadway Hits Songs
Jazz - Released by Verve Reissues on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Give Him The Ooh-La-La (Expanded Edition)
Jazz - Released by Verve on Jan 1, 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Discover Who I Am: Blossom Dearie In London (The Fontana Years: 1966-1970)
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on May 4, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Discover Who I Am: Blossom Dearie In London (The Fontana Years: 1966-1970)
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on May 25, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Spring in Manhattan - Single
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Mar 13, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Touch the Hand of Love
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Jul 7, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Christmas Love Song
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Nov 16, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wild Mood Best Tracks (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Wild Mood Best Tracks Recordings on Sep 24, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's Alright to Be Afraid
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Dec 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Discover Who I Am: Blossom Dearie In London (The Fontana Years: 1966-1970)
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on Jun 15, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Discover Who I Am: Blossom Dearie In London (The Fontana Years: 1966-1970)
Pop - Released by UMC (Universal Music Catalogue) on May 25, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love Is on the Way
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Jun 13, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas
Jazz - Released by Daffodil Records, Inc. on Dec 1, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Women Of Song: Blossom Dearie
Jazz - To be released on Jun 7, 2024 by Verve
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nice and Easy
Vocal Jazz - Released by nagel heyer records on Mar 15, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo