Current mood:

sad

A Delicate Blossom Is Gone

Sorry for this interruption of what I hope's been a wonderful Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend, but I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge a talented lady whose name you might not be familiar with but whose voice you may well remember. Blossom Dearie (and yes, that was her real name), an accomplished jazz singer with a beautiful soft voice that gave her singing an innocent and childlike quality, passed away on February 7th at the age of 82.

If you're a jazz fan, you're probably familiar with her recordings from the 50's and 60's. If you're around my age and you spent way too may Saturday mornings in front of the TV, Blossom was the singer of a couple of the better known songs in the "Schoolhouse Rock"  series, including "Unpack Your Adjectives" and  "Figure Eight". (Not only were you learning from those little cartoons, you were being exposed to different musical genres! Who knew?)

I'm sorry to say I didn't hear about Blossom's passing until I read a short blurb about her in Sunday's Los Angeles Times, but I'm going to miss her. Can I ask a favor? If you were a fan of "Schoolhouse Rock" or jazz , use an extra adjective or two as you do whatever you'll be doing today, as a tribute to Blossom (no four-letter ones, please). Thanks! 

(For you young whipper-snappers out there who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, you can find a link to "Unpack Your Adjectives"  here:  www.youtube.com/watch. Enjoy!)