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The most expressive of jazz vocalists, Blossom Dearie's first three records for Verve -- all masterpieces -- displayed an artist with an uncommon ability to transfer a well-worn standard into a new song, usually informed by her light touch with piano and voice as well as her delightful coquette persona. My Gentleman Friend, her final full-length for the label, suffers only in comparison to her previous work; with fewer all-time standards available from her performing repertoire, Dearie was forced to resort to a few French titles and many middle-rank or then-current standards. It doesn't come as a surprise, then, that the song with the most compositional weight -- George and Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" -- is the highlight. Dearie gracefully tiptoes through the classic, her reading rosy and meditative. Another Gershwin tune, "Little Jazz Bird," leads off the record with Dearie affecting her usual blend of warmth and insouciance. Aside from those two, the rest of the material is Blossom by numbers: simply average, forgettable songs given solid readings. The backing very nearly makes up for the lack of great compositions -- Dearie leads a quartet comprising her piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums.
© John Bush /TiVo
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George Gershwin, ComposerLyricist - Ira Gershwin, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Arnold Horwitt, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist - Richard Lewine, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
CY COLEMAN, ComposerLyricist - CAROLYN LEIGH, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Jean Feline, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist - Bruce Siever, ComposerLyricist - Paul Marie Misrachi, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
CY COLEMAN, Composer - CAROLYN LEIGH, Author - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
BOB HAYMES, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Charles Trenet, ComposerLyricist - E. Ray Goetz, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Paul Misraki, ComposerLyricist - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Blossom Dearie, MainArtist - Michael Barr, ComposerLyricist - Dion Mcgregor, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
George Gershwin, Composer - Ira Gershwin, Author - RAY BROWN, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Kenny Burrell, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Ed Thigpen, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Blossom Dearie, MainArtist
℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The most expressive of jazz vocalists, Blossom Dearie's first three records for Verve -- all masterpieces -- displayed an artist with an uncommon ability to transfer a well-worn standard into a new song, usually informed by her light touch with piano and voice as well as her delightful coquette persona. My Gentleman Friend, her final full-length for the label, suffers only in comparison to her previous work; with fewer all-time standards available from her performing repertoire, Dearie was forced to resort to a few French titles and many middle-rank or then-current standards. It doesn't come as a surprise, then, that the song with the most compositional weight -- George and Ira Gershwin's "Someone to Watch Over Me" -- is the highlight. Dearie gracefully tiptoes through the classic, her reading rosy and meditative. Another Gershwin tune, "Little Jazz Bird," leads off the record with Dearie affecting her usual blend of warmth and insouciance. Aside from those two, the rest of the material is Blossom by numbers: simply average, forgettable songs given solid readings. The backing very nearly makes up for the lack of great compositions -- Dearie leads a quartet comprising her piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums.
© John Bush /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:33:00
- Main artists: Blossom Dearie
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Verve
- Genre: Jazz
© 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 1960 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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