Blossom Dearie Was Something Different

One of the most unusual singing voices around was stilled a couple of years ago by the death of jazz singer Blossom Dearie. Although she was never really a big star nationally she was a beloved fixture on the Manhattan jazz scene, and when she died at age 84 in 2009 she was just a few years removed from active performing.

In case you’re wondering, Blossom Dearie was indeed her real name, and music was a big part of her life even while she was growing up in the Catskills. She studied classical piano but was soon drawn to jazz, and as an adult she began to appear in New York clubs during the post-war years.

By the early 1950s she’d added to her resume by leading her own combo in Paris, and within a few years she was ready to conquer Manhattan — not only as a pianist, but also as a composer, and as a singer with a distinctly odd and girlish voice.

Coupling live appearances with well-produced recordings, Blossom Dearie became a popular part of the New York music scene for several decades beginning in the late 1950s. Along the way she married and collaborated with flutist Bobby Jaspar (although he would die a few years later), and she even founded her own record label. By the time of her death, she could look back on a long and treasured career.

Blossom Dearie – “Manhattan”