Issue One

Open the latest Blossom Dearie CD and you’ll find an advisory note that reads: "Warning from the Department of Environmental Protection: Prolonged listening to this CD could increase levels of population and create the Blossom Baby Boom."

For parents of impressionable teens, whose listening habits should probably be monitored, CD warnings about objectionable lyrics are commonplace. But this warning is unique because it comes from a unique musician whose voice and delivery bear little resemblance to anyone else in the music business and whose wit and whimsy defy comparison.

Chances are you won’t have to worry about the side effects of listening to Blossom Dearie’s latest CD, titled "Blossom’s Planet," because you may have trouble getting your hands on it, and there is little chance you are going to hear any of it on your favorite radio station. You see, Blossom Dearie is a cabaret singer with jazz inclinations and a fine jazz pianist to boot. But she doesn’t play the Hammond B-3 organ and she doesn’t sing Blues.

At a time when our ears are assaulted at every turn by what passes for music these days, Blossom Dearie’s calm, cool voice and manner are a welcome refuge. Her repertoire consists of a mix of standards, originals, jazz fixtures and show tunes. So, while she’s massaging your eardrums, she’s also stimulating your gray cells.

Ms. Dearie, who prefers to be called a chanteuse, has been recording solo since 1957, when Norman Granz signed her for his Verve label. Several CD transfers of her early recordings for Verve and Capitol manage to surface from time to time in music outlets. But, for the last quarter century, she has been recording exclusively on her own Daffodil label, which has very limited distribution. Her infrequent public appearances are usually restricted to venues in Europe and New York City. Yet she did make a rare appearance a few years back at Artpark at the Church in Lewiston, and her voice is heard occasionally on TV commercials.

With her latest release Ms. Dearie apparently is seeking a wider audience. The liner notes announce a web site, and the CD is being offered in at least two mail order catalogs. I even discovered a copy in one of the larger retail outlets, the one that charges exorbitant prices for CDs.

If you’ve never heard Blossom Dearie sing, she’ll surprise you. The voice catches everyone off guard on first hearing. Unlike any other singing voice in jazz, it resembles neither the girl-next-door lilt of Ella nor the dusky timbre of Sarah. If I had to characterize it, I’d say it falls somewhere between Peggy Lee and Alvin the Chipmunk. Yet her voice has instant appeal and her insouciant delivery is fetching.

Ms. Dearie has always exhibited a preference for sardonic lyrics, but she also has a taste for torch songs, handling them with a combination of sophistication and naiveté. A lyric from one of her earlier Daffodil recordings exemplifies her perfectly:" Sad song lady, lyrics for the lonely."

The qualities that endear Ms. Dearie to everyone who hears her are present on any of her early recordings. But the Daffodil efforts are superior to the Verve and Capitol releases because she had the advantage of selecting all the material herself. The latest CD, recorded last year, includes selections by contemporary composers like Stephen Sondheim, Ivan Lins and Sting. The singer has also included three of her original numbers, written with the likes of Michel Legrand and Johnny Mandel, as well as a stunning bossa nova arrangement of Toots Thieleman’s "Bluesette." Ms. Dearie explains in the liner notes that the CD has a Brazilian flavor because of her love for the music and musicians of Brazil. She cites the late Antonio Carlos Jobim for special mention, ending the recording with a sensuous rendition of Jobim’s "Wave."

The latest CD is worth the search. If anything, she sounds better than ever. Now in her 75th year, Ms. Dearie attributes her longevity to "good, clean living," and she’s not kidding. Her website is listed below, and her discs should also be available from the Public Radio Music Source. But, before you go on line, be forewarned. Prolonged listening to "Blossom’s Planet" may not lead to increased levels of population, but it could lead to a permanent addiction to the magic of Blossom Dearie, an addiction from which you may never recover. We are fortunate to be inhabitants of her planet and, we hope to be around to enjoy her centenary recordings.

Blossom’s Website: www.angelfire.com/ny/blossomdearie