RIP Blossom Dearie

Upon hearing jazz singer Blossom Dearie for the first time, you might think a little girl is singing. But Blossom was a veteran of the New York club scene until her death on Feb. 7 at age 82. Yes, it was her real name. She was born Marguerite Blossom Dearie Apr. 28, 1926 in the Catskills town of East Durham, NY. She studied classical piano as a child but switched to jazz as a teen. She moved to New York City after high school and sang with groups like Woody Herman's Blue Flames and Alvino Rey's Blue Reys before going solo. She moved to Paris in 1954 and formed The Blue Stars Of France who had a hit with a French language version of Lullaby Of Birdland. She also met her sax player husband Bobby Jaspar. Norman Granz heard Blossom sing in 1956 and signed her to Verve Records. She recorded six albums for Verve and even had a successful record based on a Hires Root Beer commercial. After a 1964 album for Capitol, Blossom recorded less frequently but continued to sell out clubs in New York and London. You may not know who Blossom Dearie is but I bet a lot of you watched Schoolhouse Rock! on ABC in the 70s. Of course it was an educational series that ran between programs using animation and jazz musicians. Most of the music was written and arranged by jazz singer songwriter Bob Dorough. He got his friend Blossom Dearie to sing Mother Necessity, Figure Eight and Unpack Your Adjectives. So you've heard her but didn't know it. Blossom Dearie started her own label Daffodil Records in 1974 and recorded and continued to play clubs regularly until her health failed in 2006 and she died in her sleep on Saturday. The mix of that little girl voice and her musical sophistication make her a must for jazz vocal fans and music fans in general. She went underneath the radar for many years and she will be missed. Here's Blossom Dearie performing Surrey With The Fringe On Top on the Jack Paar show in the early 60s. RIP Blossom Dearie.