Give Him the Ooh-La-La
(Blossom Dearie)
(Verve Records; 1958)
Winsome and wily jazz pianist/vocalist Blossom Dearie has passed away in New York at the age of 82, of natural causes.
You can read the brief Associated Press obit here, and an L.A. Times music blog entry here (complete with a clip of her Schoolhouse Rock entry Figure Eight).
9 comments:
Wow, that sucks. I love her song at the end of Rivette's History of Marie and Julien.
“Always True to You in My Fashion” from the “Night and Day: Cole Porter Songbook” CD is one of my favorites. Great lyrics follow (1948) - delivered by one of the best:
If a custom-tailored vet
Asks me out for something wet,
When the vet begins to pet, I cry "Hooray!"
But I'm always true to you, darlin', in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always true to you, darlin', in my way.
Her take on Jobim's "Wave" always gets me.
So close your eyes for that's a lovely way to be...
Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see...
"...Grand canyons come from Colorado
Gold comes from Nevada
Divorces also do
And you come from Rhode Island
And Rhode Island is famous for you
Pencils come from Pennsylvania
Vests from Vest Virginia
Tents from Tentassee
They know mink where they grow mink in Wyomink
A camp chair in New Hampchair - That's for me
Minnows come from Minnowsota
Coats come from Dakota But why
should you be blue?..."
Distinctive
a totally unique style
A soubrette to the end. Blossom Dearie was her real name, too. My favorite performance, apart from the title song of the album pictured, was her version of Charles Trenet's Boom, in French but without the animal noises.
A good interview here:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100436121
Anyone who thought that Andrew Lloyd Webber sucks is my friend. Thank you, Ms Dearie!
Mine too. "Blossom is Blossom." Gerry Mulligan. My favorite album? "Give him the oh-la-la." Beautiful songs, great lyrics and a fantastic band too, Blossom's sparkling piano and wistful and funny vocals included. Blossom, you will be missed.
My late father was crazy about her. In the late 80s had me searching all over the city for one of her harder-to-find albums. May she rest in peace.
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