We lost a true original last weekend when Blossom Dearie died quietly at 84. She had a tiny voice and a determined presence. When no major label would sign her in the ‘70s she started her own Daffodil Records and sold vinyl out of her suitcase at concerts. I remember seeing her in a club years ago and her rule was no drinks could be served, nor anyone moving around the room, when she sang. She sang funny Dave Frishberg songs, showtunes, jazz standards, and the best rendition of Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life I’ve ever heard. She said it took her 10 years to learn and she hit all the minor notes and sounded like the saddest barfly you’ve ever met, more convincing because she didn’t have Tom Wait’s gravely whisky voice.
