Search - Blossom Dearie :: Blossom Dearie Verve Jazz Masters 51

How did I miss hearing her for 35 years?

D. Ziesmer | Northwest | 11/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was snapped out of the normally numb mental mood of the commute home by "They Say it's Spring" with Blossom's slightly cartoon voice coaxing me to listen. It sounded like maybe a comic recording until noticing that she was hitting all the notes exactly as she wanted. The wistful passion in her song is the kind you wish someone was singing to you. I bought the CD and have become a real fan. This CD seems like the best place to start. It was the beginning of her career and she had terrific backup - including Ray Brown on Bass. She makes fun of guys who hit on her in the Paris clubs where she was discovered, but in this selection of songs you can hear why they did."

A late in life revelation, a major female vocalist.

B. Marold | Bethlehem, PA United States | 09/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Verve Jazz Masters 51, a collection of jazz and popular standards sung by Blossom Dearie accompanying herself on the piano has finally made a major impression on me as an important Jazz vocalist, something on the order of a distaff Mose Allison, without her doing the composing.



I first heard her name from an audiophile friend in the 1970s, when almost all audiophiles were Jazz fans. I was not without some affection for some pop female vocalists such as Barbra Streisand, who I 'discovered' upon the release of her first album. But, this was just after the crest of the great Rock explosion where female vocalist primarily meant Grace Slick, Janice Joplin, Mama Cass, and Sandy Denny.



Also, in the age of 'Jefferson Airplane', 'The Grateful Dead', 'Pink Floyd', and 'Led Zeppelin', one almost had to believe that the name Blossom Dearie was a stage name. But, I have come around to realize that all this was foolishness, and Blossom Dearie is a major and important Jazz vocal performer. The easiest way to appreciate what Blossom Dearie can do with a song is to listen to her rendition of the Gershwin's 'Someone to Watch Over Me'.



For this I'll trade in my library of blues recordings and my three copies of 'Stardust' done by other people to get more such performances.



My only problem with this recording is the same problem I have with most titles in this series. They are too short. A good classical CD can easily top 65 minutes, so I don't see why Verve can't squeeze more than 52 minutes onto this disk.



I have nothing to say to those of you who already know and appreciate Ms. Dearie. To those who come to this review from some of my other reviews, I recommend you give this woman a serious listen!"

A Blossom Any Day of the Week

James V. Ruocco | Waterbury, CT United States | 10/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

""They Say It's Spring." "Let Me Love You." "The Party's Over." "I Won't Dance." No matter what she sings, Blossom Dearie does just that. She blossoms. O.K. lots of people have never heard of her. I'm one of the lucky ones. Since I was three or four, I can remember hearing Blossom's radiant voice on my parent's stereo0. I also had the pleasure of seeing her live in concert three years ago in New York.
What's amazing (live or on CD) is that she sounds no different today than she did back in 1956. That's quite an accomplishment, but it's true.
This CD - 16 songs in all - is the perfect intro to this national treasure. Even better, she does her own thing with each and every one of the songs that come her way including her daft rendition of "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top." If you should add this CD to your collection, upon the first spin you'll be hooked. Go Blossom."