Blossom Dearie - The Early Years Collection: 1948-60 / 4CD set

Blossom Dearie was a jazz pianist and vocalist with a style and technique which skilfully interwove her piano and voice as she accompanied herself. Her approach to piano was distinctive, using chord voicings which inspired the likes of Bill Evans who named her as one of his models of piano playing, while her voice was also highly personal, with a light and airy flavour.

Born in 1924, she spent some of her early career in France during the early '50s, which helped shape her style. This great-value 96-track set comprises early recordings with Dave Lambert, Stan Getz & Kai Winding and King Pleasure, plus recordings in France with Les Blue Stars, who became The Swingle Singers, and then the complete content of her album Jazz Sweet for Barclay in France, followed by her albums for Verve between 1956 and 1962 Blossom Dearie, Give Him The Ooh-La-La, Once Upon A Summertime, Sings Comden And Green, My Gentleman Friend and Soubrette: Blossom Dearie Sings Broadway Hit Songs. It features recordings in small groups alongside top musicians of the day, including Ray Brown, Jo Jones, Herb Ellis, Mundell Lowe, Ed Thigpen, Cy Coleman Kenny Burrell, Bobby Jaspar, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke. It's a feast of top quality, highly listenable jazz, and a great showcase for her talents both as instrumentalist and vocalist.