I was saddened this morning to read in the paper that Blossom Dearie had passed away. She was 82, not a bad innings I guess. Certainly she lived her life.
I was introduced to her by a friend many many years ago and instantly became addicted to her elegant phrasing, soft voice and slyly acidic lyrics. An artist of the understated and the pause that says more.
She was not just a cynical chanteuse though, she seemed to me to be genuinely funny. I was about 19 or 20 when I became a fan and thought "I'm Hip" and "Peel Me a Grape" to be the absolute end in sophisticated humour.
She could also sing to break your heart, try listening to "Lush Life", my favourite of all her songs.
The story I heard about her name, yes it is real: the morning she was born her father stepped outside to find all the trees covered in spring blossom, so...
I don't know if it is true, but I like it!
We will miss you Blossom.
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