[2019-04-26] Blossom Dearie "The Adorable Blossom Dearie" 3CD box set (El UK)

Linda · **Posted:** Mon Mar 11, 2019 10:04 pm

Description
“I don’t want to be called a jazz singer, though I certainly have some roots there. I’m not a cult singer either because after being called a legend that sounds too much like an epitaph. I think of myself as a songwriter’s singer. All the great Broadway and Hollywood teams are in my repertoire, along with contemporary people. Writers bring their songs to me because they rely on me to define their work with respect. That’s very flattering.” BLOSSOM DEARIE

“Fabulous! Her voice, her tremendous feeling for every song she sings, gives her music a very rare and special warmth.” SCOTT ENGEL

New Yorker journalist Whitney Balliett once wrote that her tiny wisp of a voice “would scarcely reach the second story of a doll’s house”, while jazz critic Leonard Feather described it as “a voice in a million”. Blossom Dearie pursued a singular career that blurred the line between jazz and cabaret; her little girl style rich with hidden sensuality; her interpretations full of sensitivity and wit.

After graduation, Blossom ventured to the late Forties New York City of Gil Evans, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker to immerse herself in be-bop, playing cocktail piano to get by. Opportunities to record eventually arrived in the form of vocalise sessions for Dave Lambert and Buddy Stewart and for Stan Getz; the contribution of an eight-bar vocal to a record by King Pleasure and in 1952 a historic piano session behind Annie Ross, alongside Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke, no less; an aggregation that under the direction of John Lewis would soon emerge as the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Blossom then accepted an invitation from Barclay Records to move to Paris, where she formed an eight piece mixed vocal group, The Blue Stars of France. They recorded an album and enjoyed a domestic hit with a French-language version of George Shearing’s eternal ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ arranged by Michel Legrand, whose sister Christiane was a member of the group (The Blue Stars would evolve into Les Double Six and The Swingle Singers). In Paris, Blossom would meet her husband, the Belgian flautist Bobby Jaspar (the couple recording an EP together, hard on the heels of her souflee-light instrumental debut album, Jazz Sweet). While in Europe Blossom also met the impresario Norman Granz, who encouraged Blossom to return to New York to record her vocal debut album for his new label Verve. That benchmark album, produced by Granz and featuring Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Jo Jones, retains a particular mystique and his considered to be up there with her best work.

All of the aforementioned recordings – The Verve album, Jazz Sweet, the EP with Bobby Jaspar, The Blue Stars recordings and the early sessions are included in this 3 CD box set presentation along with The Perfect Sound – The Jazz Flute of Bobby Jaspar, which includes some of his most sublime performances in recordings with the trombonist J.J Johnson, pianist Hank Jones, vibraphonists Milt Jackson, Michel Hausser and John Rae; with trumpeter Donald Byrd, guitarists Barry Galbraith, Sacha Distel and fellow Belgian Rene Thomas, the vocalist Helen Merrill with Bill Evans, and finally three finely sculpted tracks accompanying Blossom on her 1959 album, “My Gentleman Friend”.

Tracklist
[CD1]
Bobby Jaspar And Blossom Dearie EP (1956):
1. Old Devil Moon
2. Autumn In New York
3. Flamingo
4. There Will Never Be Another You
Jazz Sweet / Blossom Dearie Plays “April In Paris” (1956):
5. The Continental
6. The Boy Next Door
7. They Can’t Take That Away From Me
8. Moonlight Saving Time
9. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
10. April In Paris
11. Blue Moon
12. Down In The Depths Of The 90th Floor
The Blue Stars Of France – Lullaby Of Birdland And Other Famous Hits (1954):
13. Légende Du Pays Aux Oiseaux (Lullaby Of Birdland)
14. Tout Bas (Speak Low)
15. Gina
16. Plus Je T’embrasse (Heart Of My Heart)
17. Toute Ma Joie (That’s My Girl)
18. Les Lavandières Du Portugal (The Portuguese Washerwoman)
19. Mister L’amour (Mister Sandman)
20. En 1920 (In 1920)
21. Embrasse Moi Bien (Hold Me Close)
22. Lettre À Virginie
23. La Danse Du Baiser (The Kissing Dance)
24. Mambo Italiano
Blue Stars EP (1956):
25. Jumpin’ At The Woodside
26. C’est La Vie
27. Broadway At Basin Street
28. Grapevine
From Pardon My English:
29. Move

[CD2]
Blossom Dearie (1956):
1. Deed I Do
2. Lover Man
3. Everything I’ve Got
4. Comment Allez Vous
5. More Than You Know
6. Thou Swell
7. It Might As Well Be Spring
8. Tout Doucement
9. You For Me
10. Now At Last
11. I Hear Music
12. Wait Till You See Her
13. I Won’t Dance
14. A Fine Spring Morning
15. They Say It’s Spring
16. Johnny One Note
Once Upon A Summertime (1958):
17. The Surrey With The Fringe On Top
The Blue Stars 7” Single (1956):
18. Cherokee
19. All At Once
With Dave Lambert, Buddy Stewart, Gerry Mulligan, Al Haig (1948):
20. In The Merry Land Of Bop
21. Hot Halavah
With Stan Getz (1949):
22. Be Still TV
23. Short P, Not LP
With Annie Ross Singin’ And Swingin’ (1952):
24. The Way You Look Tonight
25. I’m Beginning To Think You Care
26. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
27. Everytime
With King Pleasure (1952):
28. I’m In The Mood For Love

[CD3]
The Perfect Sound – The Jazz Flute Of Bobby Jaspar:
1. It Might As Well Be Spring – The J.J. Johnson Quintet
2. Moonlight Becomes You – Hank Jones Quartet
3. Tutti Frutti – Bobby Jaspar Quintet
4. In A Little Provincial Town – Bobby Jaspar Quintet
5. Bags New Groove – Milt Jackson
6. Stop And Go – Bobby Jaspar-Sacha Distel Quintet
7. Bull Market – Barry Galbraith
8. Nina Never Knew – Barry Galbraith
9. A Gal In Calico – Barry Galbraith
10. I Like To Recognise The Tune – Barry Galbraith
11. When The Sun Comes Out – Helen Merrill
12. Flute Blues – Donald Byrd
13. Phenil Isopropil Amine – Bobby Jaspar
14. Chez Moi – Blossom Dearie & Bobby Jaspar
15. Boum – Blossom Dearie & Bobby Jaspar
16. L’etang – Blossom Dearie & Bobby Jaspar
17. Ah-Leu-Cha – John Rae
18. Hannie’s Dream – Rene Thomas-Bobby Jasper Quintet
19. Bernie’s Taste – Rene Thomas-Bobby Jasper Quintet

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NRLKDC4/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NRLKDC4/?tag=imwan-21

Kid Bailey · 16 Jul 2006

There's some interesting stuff on this at a reasonable price.
Worth checking out for sure.

Linda · **Posted:** Mon Apr 01, 2019 8:27 am

Bump: Updated the cover image in the first post to the full packshot.

[2019-04-26] Blossom Dearie "The Adorable Blossom Dearie" 3CD box set (El UK)

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