Wednesday, August 6

Blossom Dearie - 'Once Upon a Summertime'


Going through some records recently, I noticed that 2008 marks an even fifty years since the release of Blossom Dearie's classic 1958 album Once Upon a Summertime. Dearie was one of the great jazz vocalists of yesteryear, and revisiting her material reveals it still resonates.

She's often classified as a bebop vocalist, but Dearie seems masterful no matter the style -- ballads, list songs, whatever. Her distinctive vocals have a sweet quality that may remind modern listeners of Kimya Dawson or Joanna Newsom, though her delivery differs from theirs substantially. She's truly a classic artist that deserves more recognition. If she's new to you, I'd suggest checking out her other early material on Verve along with Once Upon a Summertime.

Blossom Dearie - Moonlight Saving Time
Blossom Dearie - Surrey with the Fringe on Top

Dearie remains hip as ever, and performs regularly. For a more extensive biography, see her Wiki entry.

2 Comments:

Blogger theleila said...

this was an artist a friend of mine insisted that i include in my wedding reception tunes. i think we picked "someone to watch over me" - her voice is the loveliest thing!

8:53 AM

 
Blogger Rich said...

See, now that's just sweet.

10:01 AM

 

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