25 Albums I Can't Live Without #15

Blossom Dearie's self-titled record

A couple of years ago, I included the improbably named Blossom Dearie in my list of my favorite female vocalists.

I wrote:

I’ll admit that I’m not a jazz connoisseur, although I do like big band, New Orleans jazz, and some of the big names like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

But when it comes to that late-night, supper-club kind of jazz there’s one name I go to: Blossom Dearie.

I first heard Blossom Dearie on “Schoolhouse Rock” back in the day, but I wasn’t aware of who she was or the fact that she had a career outside of educational videos. I didn’t get into her music until I heard one of her songs on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” a few years ago.

But I was hooked. I bought her self-titled album based on one hearing of “They Say It’s Spring.”

Blossom wraps her voice and piano around classic standards like “‘Deed I Do,” “More Than You Know,” and “Thou Swell” like she’s bringing them to you for the first time.

Tunes like “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)” sound like originals when she sings them.

She shifts effortlessly between English and French on “Comment Allez Vous,” and on a song like “Tout Doucement,” you understand her even if you don’t speak the language.

Blossom Dearie was never a belter, but her voice and piano-playing style were perfect for this more intimate genre of music.

Photo credit: Verve Records