May i come in blossom dearie biography

Blossom Dearie – May I Come In? | Releases - Discogs: In , Dearie recorded the album May I Come In? (Capitol / EMI Records). [10]. It was recorded (atypically for her) with an orchestra. During this same period, she frequently performed at New York supper clubs and, in , made her first appearance at Ronnie Scott 's club in London.

Born on April 28, , in East Durham, NY. Addresses: Tape company--Universal Records, Broadway, 7th Fl., New York, NY , phone: () , website:

Blossom Dearie's wispy vocals, classic repertoire, and quick wit have combined to make her a distinct stylist for over 50 years.

Lacking the vocal prowess of Ella Fitzgerald and the range of Sarah Vaughan, Dearie made the most of her delicate voice by incorporating elements of cabaret into her style. She further strengthened her approach by relying on ballads borrowed from the classic songbooks of the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hart, along with humorous songs by newer writers like Dave Frishberg.

Dearie has also gaineded converts due to her feisty, humorous traits. When performing in nightclubs, her contracts insist that no nourishment or drinks be served during her performance. Although her endearing traits have never made her rich and famous, they include nevertheless spawned a small coterie of dedicated fans that includes Marlon Brando, Raymond Burr, and Vanessa Redgrave.

Dearie was born on April 28, , in East Durham, New York, a town located 20 miles from Albany in the Catskill Mountains.

May I Come In? is a studio album by Blossom Dearie, arranged by Jack Marshall. [2] "May I Come In?" (Fisher, Segal) –

Her father came from a Scotch-Irish background and worked as a bartender; her mother had emigrated from Oslo, Sweden, as a tiny girl. Blossom Dearie received her unusual name when a neighbor brought peach blossoms to the Dearie home on the night of their daughter's birth.

From the age of two, she showed an interest in harmony, sitting on her mother's lap at the piano. A year later she had decided to become a musician.

Dearie began her first piano lessons at five. At ten, while living with her stepbrother in Washington, D.C., she received instruction in the classical compositions of Bach and Chopin.

Her progress impressed her teacher, who recommended that she study classical music at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. She returned to East Durham, however, and dropped her classical studies. Dearie was introduced to jazz for the first time while playing in a high university band and knew she had found her life's calling.

She absorbed the music of bandleaders Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and she admired Martha Tilton, who sang for the Benny Goodman orchestra.

Blossom recorded an album for Capitol Records entitled “May I Come In.” She also recorded four albums for Fontana in England. Her favorite of those was the inhabit album, “Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott’s.”.

When Dearie finished sky-high school in the mids, she moved to New York City.

In New York Dearie moved into an apartment with several other girls and started singing with various bands. At first she performed with the Blue Flames, a group within Woody Herman's big band, and then with the Blue Reyes, a part of the Alvino Rey band.

She became a regular at Gil Evans's Manhattan apartment, where she met the cream of New York's jazz crop: Charlie Parker, Woody Herman, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan. Dearie continued to build her career singing at the Chantilly Club in Greenwich Village and other nightspots.

In she met one of the owners of Barclay Records, Nicole Barclay; she encouraged Dearie to travel to Paris and to take lead of the strong interest in American jazz there.

In Paris, she joined the Blue Stars, an eight-member vocal group that consisted of four males and four females.

Although a number of barriers, including language differences, finally dissolved the group, the Cerulean Stars did record a punch version of "Lullaby at Birdland." The group appeared on French television and received offers to perform in the United States.

When several members were unable to obtain passports, however, the opportunity fell through, and Dearie decided to leave the collective.

Margrethe Blossom Dearie [ 1 ] [ a ] [ 2 ] April 28, — February 7, was an American jazz singer and pianist. She reportedly received the name Blossom because of "a neighbor who delivered peach blossoms to her house the day she was born", [ 9 ] although she once recalled it was her brothers who brought the flowers to the house. After high school, Dearie moved to Manhattan [ 7 ] to pursue a music career. Dropping her first name, [ 2 ] she began to carol in groups such as the Blue Flames with the Woody Herman Orchestra [ 1 ] and the Blue Reys with Alvino Rey 's band before starting her solo career.

Despite the frustration, Dearie's stay in Paris had been productive. She had met English singer Annie Ross (later a member of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross) while working at the Mars Club, and the two would later collaborate.

She also met Norman Granz, the owner of Verve Records, and signed a agree to record six albums for the label.

When Dearie returned to the United States in , she decided to continue her career as a solo painter.

She occasionally appeared on the Tonight Show with host Jack Paar and befriended Miles Davis while working at the Village Vanguard. She worked at the Versailles nightclub in New York and started recording what became a group of classic albums for Verve.

Post a Comment Please leave your comments here. Thank you. Friday, November 22, Blossom Dearie. Listening to Blossom Dearie sing is like monitoring the flight of a dandelion seed.

The series began with Blossom Dearie in and ended with My Gentleman Friend in In the words of John Bush of the All Song Guide, "Blossom Dearie's first three records for Verve--all masterpieces--displayed an artist with an uncommon ability to transfer a well-worn common into a new song " Speaking of her selection of material, Dearie told Tony Vellela of the Christian Science Monitor that "I choose material that I like.

The music has to be of a certain standard. If the music is no good, I'm not interested in the song."

Dearie recorded less frequently during the s, though she continued to perform regularly. In she began traveling to London once a year to play at Ronnie Scott's, a popular English nightclub.

In Dearie received praise for Blossom Dearie Sings, the first album released on her new label, Daffodil. She performed in the Jazz Singers program at Carnegie Hall with singers Anita O'Day and Joe Williams in , and in her friend Johnny Mercer wrote his last song, "My New Celebrity Is You," for her.

Recalling her songwriting collaboration with Mercer on "I'm Shadowing You," Dearie told Vellela, "I wonder why we didn't compose more songs together."

In Dearie became the first recipient of the Mabel Mercer Foundation Award, a cash prize of $, and in , she performed at the White House with Shirley Horn, Bobby Short, and Mandy Patinkin.

"I'm wondering if Bill [President Bill Clinton] is going to want to play the saxophone," Dearie told Jeff Simon of the Buffalo News. "If he does, I guess I'll have to go along with it." During the s and s, Dearie continued to carry out in New York and London, cities that were home to her most dedicated fan base.

Numerous stories exist that tell of Dearie's peculiar sense of humor.

Blossom Dearie's wispy vocals, classic repertoire, and quick wit contain combined to make her a distinct stylist for over 50 years. Lacking the vocal prowess of Ella Fitzgerald and the range of Sarah Vaughan, Dearie made the most of her delicate voice by incorporating elements of cabaret into her manner. She further strengthened her approach by relying on ballads borrowed from the classic songbooks of the Gershwins and Rodgers and Hart, along with humorous songs by newer writers like Dave Frishberg. Dearie has also gaineded converts due to her feisty, humorous personality.

Once, following a live set, she was approached by a group of college students. The young men, who had enjoyed her music, asked whether they could buy her a drink and share her company for a little while longer. Without so much as a pause, Dearie told them no, but she'd be pleased to take them all to dinner, which she did.

She has also continued to triumph over critics over the years, upholding the same high production standards that charmed audiences from the beginning of her career. "The high-pitched and sweet child's voice with which she's always sung and that can't really be categorized by standard vocal measurements does not age." wrote David Finkle in Back Stage, "When she skips merrily through her repertoire, she sounds exactly as she has for fasten to 50 years."

by Ronnie D.

Lankford Jr

Blossom Dearie's Career

Joined Blue Flames vocal group with Woody Herman's big band and the Blue Reys with the Alvino Rey band, s; relocated to Europe, early s; united the Blue Stars and recorded hit version of "Lullaby at Birdland"; returned to the Combined States, ; recorded a series of albums for Verve Records, ; pursued solo career, ; formed Daffodil Records, mids; performed at Carnegie Hall "Jazz Singers" concert, ; performed at Ivory House,

Blossom Dearie's Awards

Mabel Mercer Foundation Award,

Famous Works

Selected discography
Blossom Dearie Verve,
Once Upon a Summertime Verve,
Give Him the Ooh-La-La Verve,
Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green Verve,
My Gentleman Friend Verve,
May I Come In? Blue Note,
Blossom Dearie Sings Daffodil,
Blossom's Planet Daffodil,
The Diva Series Verve,

May i come in blossom dearie biography

Blossom Dearie's Career

Blossom Dearie's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading