Blossom Dearie - Live from Danny's Skylight Room, NYC Piano and vocals - Blossom Dearie On Drums - Luis Peralta On Bass - Ray Kilday Music and lyrics - Dave Frishberg
My dear friend Blossom! Ph boy, what chords, what voicings, what a touch, and of course, that voice - it never changed even as an older woman! Bless you Blossom, wherever in the universe you are now!
Wonderful. A delight. We saw her here twice. TIME OUT Magazine at the time wrote a bad review of her performance. I wrote a letter to them in complaint and they actually printed it and an apology for the review.
Watching this video is bitter sweet. She'd perform at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City California about once a year. I was lucky enough to have almost every CD I have of hers autographed during that period of time.
It was such a privilege to see her perform several times in this club. What a treasure she was. Extremely sophisticated, fun and eccentric, and a masterful pianist.
The perfect accompanist for her own perfect singing. A five star musician the likes of which we may never see again thanks to the overly cleaned up and contrived notions of the modern music industry. I say find them, in small smokey corners of bars and nightclubs because musicians of this calibrate are still out. Listen to them and be that small appreciative audience that Blossom lived for. Blossom... how you inspire!
Awesome comment. I've never heard of this singer or this song. I heard Nancy Wilson sing it on Pandora and did a search on youtube. Low and behold, this little old lady sitting at a piano daring to sing this song. I knew she had to be a true artist. She does not disappoint. Thanks to youtube, I can go back and look at her career. If she was this good as a senior citizen, what was she like in her prime? Can't wait to find out.
Thanks Robert. I really love her style. I know her voice now. What I really appreciate in this video is her mastery. It's spectacular. Thanks to sites like RU-vid and Pandora she can become better known.
like good wines, most singers only get better with age because they can fill the lyrics with the real emotions, with lived emotions. You may find that Blossom just got more and more sophisticated and hip as she aged.. I miss her terribly, but eternally glad we met, that we were friends and that she agreed to let me record her performances. @@BestHBCU
One of my all-time favorites. I saw her with Dave Frishberg (the Composer) at Mc Cabe's Guitar Shop, back in the 80's. They did this song, and it was heaven.
She did a sort of residency in the north stage at the Tiffany Theatre in the 80's at the same time that I was stage managing a show in the south stage. I got to see her every night for about 6 weeks and collected all of her albums which she signed for me. She was amazing.
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, yes Blossom was one of her kind, as a pianist and singer she was able to make standards sound new and belonging to her. I haven't heard anyone singing this song, which she loved, as originally or with the timing, intonation and sensibility as she did. For me, she owns the best version of it.
She was and will always be as good as it gets... this is the quintessence of a true chanteuse. Love is not a strong enough word. Grateful to know her recordings and performances.
This is SPEC-TAC-U-LAR! This woman is unbelievable, just WOW. And Blossom is, what, in her seventies here? Amazing. Best rendition I've ever heard of this awesome song.
phfrixion Thanks for the tip. There is something about the timing/phrasing/beat I can't get into like I do with this one. Tjader's marimba is nice though.
Blossom is IMHO "more into this" musical piece 'cause she loved the songs of Dave Frishberg.."I'm hip" kinda became her signature song. LOL But Anita brings more "arrogance" in an authentical way (which I really love) to this song...Blossom is always charming. ;-)
A favorite song. I only can think of one other singer who does it nice in a different way--Shirley Horn--and both interpret it with this signature insouciance. It's a song built around a character-study-via-soliloquy. And the kind of woman is the Anita Loos heroine of 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.' The new generation approaches this song and always try to over-emote. And that's really not the way to go. I love Blossom Dearie. Such an artiste.
Spunkymunky thank you so much for your comment. Yes Peel me a grape was one of Blossom’s signature song and she owned it. I just adore Shirley Horn, she was one of Mark Murphy’s favorite singers, but no one raises to the level of Blossom when she sang it. It’s not just the interpretation, but arrangement and timing. She’s impeccable.
OMG! Thank you for posting this. The only time i saw her, got to talk to her on my way out." Your piano playing is amazing, i had no idea." Her answer" But that's my forté." Embarrassing, yes, but she was flattered. Amazing to see here, there again. Thank you for posting.
So many other singers had no idea about music really. The bands just had to improvise around them. Here you see someone who knows exactly what she’s doing and how it works.
Thanks Pygiana! That is very nice and I suppose one way of looking at it from a technical point of view. Blossom was a woman with incredibly refined taste, opinions and ideas. she was many years ahead of us and that shows on her music too.
The first time I heard this song, it was Blossom Dearie's version I heard on a jazz station. It was the first time I had heard of Blossom Dearie also. I went out the next day looking for the sheet music for this song. I have since heard other artists performing this song, but it is her rendition that still resonates with me. Thanks for posting.
I became a Fan when I heard Blossom sing 'Country Boy' about 20 years ago - I'd never heard of her before then. I tracked down her other work then and became entranced with her STYLE. RIP lovely lady. Thank you for your ongoing legacy.
Peel Me A Grape is one of Blossom’s signature songs, she completely owned it. Her interpretation of it raises the bar and has no parallel. I absolutely adore her.
Man as a jazz lover, I am very very picky with my jazz and usually hate vocal jazz music I think I ruins it, but blossom dearie is something else! Her voice is nothing like other jazz singers!
Her body may have aged but that voice seems impervious to time! You can't buy or learn what she had, you either have it or, like most of us, you don't.
