BLOSSOM DEARIE (1926-2009). We've lost one of the last from the golden age of jazz vocalists; Blossom Dearie (and yes, believe it or don't but that is her REAL name and not a stage name) was known not only for her very distinctive and subtle voice but also for her exemplary piano playing. No less a vocalist than Tony Bennett described her appeal this way: "Why are Dearie's talent and voice timeless? It's because she happens to be a well-trained musician. Like Nat King Cole, she has the ability to play a pretty mean piano, and she never compromises her taste, giving her audiences nothing but top quality." Alexander Gelfand is quoted in the liner notes to Blossom Dearie's "Diva Series" cd this way: "Her soft, girlish voice veers deliciously between guileless and guileful, innocent and worldly, effortlessly combining charming naivete with a knowing wink." Blossom Dearie has always been a particular favourite here in The Land of Cerpts and Honey not only because she sang two songs for the 1970's SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK cartoons (Figure Eight and Unpack Your Adjectives) but also because Blossom Dearie simply recording the definitive version of the Rodgers and Hart classic "Manhattan". Join us over at our sister blog BATHED IN THE LIGHT FROM ANDROMEDA where you can hear an audio tribute to the late Blossom Dearie.