Singer and pianist Blossom Dearie, the so-called "jazz pixie" of American popular song, passed away in her Greenwich Village apartment in New York City in February 2009 at the age of 84.
She had a small, little-girlish voice—critic Whitney Balliett once wrote that it would scarcely reach the second story of a dollhouse--but she used it to her advantage, and had a very sophisticated approach to her vocals and her choice of material. Urbane, witty and wry, and romantic with a bite, Blossom Dearie, as the New York Times said of her after she passed away, was a genre unto herself.
"A Tribute to Blossom Dearie" features music from Dearie's classic late-1950s Verve albums, as well as songs that she recorded later in her career for her own Daffodil label and a number from the TV show Schoolhouse Rock.
Read David Amram's reflections on Blossom Dearie, posted last week at Jazzwax.
Listen to a 1992 NPR interview with the singer.
Watch Blossom Dearie play and sing "Surrey With the Fringe On Top":