Dee Dee Bridgewater [Import] [Limited Edition]

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
French remastered mid-price reissue of 1976 album. Packaged in a digipak.

Tracks:

Afro Blue
Bad Spirits [Banilla Dream Mix]
Dee Dee
Mama Don't Ever Go Away [Mama Digna Sara Y
Long Time Ago
Children Go 'Round [Demiss]
Griots [Sakhodougou]
Oh My Love [Djarabi]
Four Women
No More [Bamboo]
Red Earth [Massane Ciss
Meanwhile
Compared to What

Customer Reviews:

Dee Dee Does It Again!!!.......2007-07-15

Dee Dee is always ahead of the curve. I have seen and heard her since her days with Thad Jones, Mel Lewis Big Band. She is not afraid to try whatever she wants. Dee Dee loves to do themes as she has on the CD's like Love and Peace, Dear Ella, This is New etc. On this CD, Dee Dee finds her African roots with most of the tracks recorded in Mali, Africa.
There are several jazz standards [done with Malian musicians] which are great. The other tracks are also fantastic. One thing you can always count on with DEE DEE is the quality of the musicians and the sound quality. Both are superb throughout. Whenever Dee Dee lauches a new CD, she follows it with a live tour and generally does the songs from the new CD with most or all of the musicians involved. I can't wait to see this one!

Dee Dee goes to Mali to find her ancestral roots........2007-07-10

Dee Dee goes to Mali to find her ancestral roots and makes this CD with African musicians.
Rhythmically strong throughout, the most appealing tracks are the jazz covers.
The standout is her revisiting "Afro Blue" in a more percussive version than her 70's classic. Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" is given a slightly slower pace but is equally good, and her version of Nina Simone's "Four Women" is compelling. There's also a real barnstorming version of "Compared To What".
The other tracks may be too African for many on this interesting project.

Her inspiration for finding `home' was that she's spent much of her recent career "being other people" with projects celebrating female jazz giants Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. So she wanted to find herself and "wanted to get percussive".

Suitably enough, the set opens with an immaculate version of the track made famous by another female jazz singer "finding herself" today, Abbey Lincoln. "Afro Blue" will always be classic but this version seems to resonate stronger than ever being one of the ten recorded in Bamako with Cheick Tidiane Seck.
There's a nice section on him arriving at Bamako Station on the DVD and the place to be for a great Saturday night out is Oumou Sangaré's hotel.

The DVD is a beautifully filmed documentary of the recording of the album with the Malian backdrop, even with scenes of urban poverty, it's a great 45 minute advert (bound to turn up on cable channel at some stage and well worth watching).

Seck is the link between Dee Dee's American jazz and Africa. The studio is full of traditional instruments, ("I want the boom boom" she says) and it a mixture of local musicians and her regular trio of Edsel Gomez (Puerto Rico, pianist). Ira Coleman (bassist worked with Angelique Kidjo, Denise Jannah and Klaus Doldinger) and Minino Garay (Arginitian percussionist).

"Bani" (Bad Spirits), "Sakhodougou" (The Griots) and "Massane Cissé" (Red Earth) have been told in the oral tradition of the `griots' since the twelfth century and is what global music is all about, even if the purists might disagree with Dee Dee's contributions in English. Purist or not, the duet on "Djarabi" (Oh My Love) with Oumou Sangaré is special and there's no denying that the vocal contribution of Kabiné Kouyaté on "The Griots" is a find.

One of the better tracks that attempt a modern griot mix English/skat/Bambara is "Dee Dee'=" co-written with Baba Sissoko and "Mama Digna Sara Ye" (Mama Don't Ever Go Away) written with Malian diva Ramata Diakité.

On the DVD she explains at length about how she wanted to make this an album for and by women. Good choice then to cover a Nina Simone song, `Four Women' and the track that's getting all-round acclaim "Bambo" (No More) with its anti-forced marriage. Originally composed by Tata `Bambo' Kouyaté (who sings with Dee Dee), it was so influencial, the government outlawed forced marriage in the 1960s (not that it still doesn't go on of course around the world).

Two obvious sides of Dee Dee come out on the soul-modal-jazz interpretation of Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" with suitable roots lyrics from Dee Dee and the blues with Bassékou Kouyaté and three other n'goni players, two percussionists and Bassékou's wife on "Children Go `Round".

The last three tracks were recorded in Paris, where she lives with her husband/co-producer Jean Marie Durand. "Red Earth" (Massane Cissé) rocks the blues as Dee really lets you have it with Fatoumata "Mama" Kouyaté.

My highlights: "Red Earth", "Afro Blue", "Footprints", "Bambo", "The Griots", "Four Women".

Average customer rating:

J'ai Trois Amours
First Class !
J'ai Deux Amours
Dee Dee and the Fab French Quartet -- live!
A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN LEAVE FOR YOUR EARS

J'ai Deux Amours
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Sovereign Artists
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dear Ella
Live at Yoshi's
This Is New
Good Night, And Good Luck
Blueprint of a Lady: Sketches of Billie Holiday

ASIN: B000AE8FT4
Release Date: 2005-09-13

Tracks:

J'ai Deux Amours
La Mer (Beyond The Sea)
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Mon Homme (My Man)
Et Maintenant
Que Reste-T-Il De Nos Amours
Dansez Sur Moi (Girl Talk)
La Belle Vie (The Good Life)
Avec Le Temps
La Vie En Rose
Les Feuilles Mortes

Product Description

1. J’ai Deux Amours
2. La Mer (Beyond the Sea)
3. Ne Me Quitte Pas
4. Mon Homme (My Man)
5. Et Maintenant
6. Que Reste-t-Il de Nos Amours
7. Dansez Sur Moi (Girl Talk)
8. La Belle Vie (The Good Life)
9. Avec le Temps
10. La Vie en Rose
11. Les Feuilles Mortes

Format: CD

Customer Reviews:

J'ai Trois Amours .......2006-08-16

A dear friend of mine, and a jazz "connoisseur" introduced me to this great lady of jazz.

Then I was lucky enough, to see her live in concert, touring Europe for "J'ai deux amours", in Konzerthaus in Vienna, on March 2006. Needless to say, that it was a unique experience and I fell in love with her music.

I strongly recommend anyone with an interes in jazz vocals to get this album but most importantly, if you can, see her live.

I don't exagerate if I say that she might be the best vocal jazz of today.

First Class !.......2006-08-06

I saw Dee Dee Bridgewater for the first time at the Montreal Jazz Festival this past July. Her talent, energy, and her apparent love for what she does were most evident. This CD reflects all of these attributes. Her musicians are exceptional, as are the French versions of familiar standards. I highly recommend !

J'ai Deux Amours.......2006-06-27

Dee Dee"s singing is very playful on this album. She is quite accomplished and comfortable with the French language. The minimal use of instruments is so pleasurable...lots of accordian....used as a jazz instrument ! There is a wonderful feeling of spontaneity on this CD.
Her fur coat modeling on the cover is unfortunately... rather Gauche.
But I can hardly think of anyone having so much fun with the music .Of course Europeans support American Jazz more than Americans...And the French seem to love DeeDee,....on this recording she loves them right back.!

Dee Dee and the Fab French Quartet -- live!.......2006-04-20

Following is a review of Dee Dee Bridgewater's 4/15/06 performance at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago performing several tunes from this album. Needless to say, we bought it the next day!

***********

Where do I begin...?

Vocalists are unfortunately a rarity at Chicago's Jazz Showcase, so we weren't about to miss this golden opportunity to hear Dee Dee Bridgewater in this intimate (and smoke free!) club setting. She was appearing with the "Fab French Quartet" in support of her Grammy-nominated album of French songs, J'ai Deux Amours. Little did we know that this would be a memorable evening in many different ways...

First of all, Joe Segal, the club's soon-to-be 80-year-old impresario, informed us that the first set would be starting a little late because Ms. Bridgewater fell down a stairway at her hotel earlier that evening, spraining her ankle. He assured us that she'd arrive on stage "as soon as the pain pills kick in."

He then acknowledged the presence of Liza Minnelli in the audience -- yes, Liza Minnelli! We never actually saw her, but I still can't believe I was in the same room as Liza Minnelli...!

When Dee Dee Bridgewater eventually took the stage (with a bit of a limp), she was wearing a stunning lime-green silk shawl -- which she promptly removed to reveal an even more stunning black dress. She thanked us for our patience, remarking how troubling it was to have fallen on the stairs at the hotel while people just hurried past her without even offering to help... "We got problems, people..." Indeed.

It turned out that she was not only suffering from a sprained ankle, but also battling bronchitis -- and while she occasionally coughed off-mic, her voice (and spunky attitude) was otherwise unaffected. Her ankle injury didn't keep her seated on her stool for very long, either -- soon, she was not only standing, but gesturing and dancing energetically as she sang.

Dee Dee and her "Fab Frenchmen" presented a refreshingly original set of mostly well-known French songs in unique and striking arrangements. The accordion player was particularly stunning, also serving as pianist, string section, and then some for the group. The bass player provided a firm anchor as the guitarist employed several tasteful Bill Frisell-ish effects throughout, and the percussionist used a large and varied set of drums to keep everything grooving.

Above all, though, it was Dee Dee Bridgewater's robust voice and irresistible charisma that carried the night. Among the tunes were the Bobby Darin staple "Beyond The Sea" re-imagined as the churning, bubbling "La Mer," "Mon Homme/My Man" which effectively alternated between despairing and jubilant moods (and between French and English lyrics, like many of these songs did), and "Danser Sur Moi" -- a kickin' take on "Girl Talk" that culminated in a rollicking, R-Rated, and hilarious "freestyle rap!"

Overall, Dee Dee was "working the crowd" like nobody I've ever seen, and by the end of the set she owned the room and everyone in it (especially one gentleman who was invited on stage to give her a hug at one point...)

After a riotous standing ovation, Dee Dee acknowledged the audience's warm reception (as well as the presence of Liza Minnelli, of course,) and as an expression of heartfelt gratitude, she sang "Amazing Grace" as an encore... a cappella, no less.

And that was just the first set...! But, unusually, a large crowd had already gathered in the Jazz Showcase lobby for the 11:00pm show, so we weren't permitted to stay for the duration (without paying another $40 cover charge per person.) Regardless, we could hardly ask for anything more at this point. It had been a truly memorable, electrifying performance in every way -- and I'm sure even Liza would agree!

A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN LEAVE FOR YOUR EARS.......2006-04-15

WE ARE LUCKY AGAIN ! WE CAN FIND IN THIS CD ANOTHER WONDERFUL VERSION OF THE INCREDIBLE SONG CALLED "Les Feuilles Mortes",a.k.a "Autumn Leaves" BY A JAZZ MUSICIAN ,IN THIS CASE A GREAT SINGER CALLED : Dee Dee Bridgewater !!!
It is very rare to find a GEM like this one in our troubled and confused times , so there it is !
She is American but she manages very well in French language...(Like Nat King Cole did !)

By the way, This Version of the Original is a Complete One ! (Composer: Joseph Kosma & Lyrics: Jacques Prevert).

? TO THE HAPPY FEW ...? of 2006

Average customer rating:

Just Family
A Dee Dee Bridgewater Fam
Just Family is WONDERFUL

Just Family
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Wea/Elektra
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dee Dee Bridgewater
This Is New
Dear Ella
Live at Yoshi's
All Fly Home

ASIN: B00005V53C
Release Date: 2002-09-09

Tracks:

Just Family
Maybe Today
Children Are the Spirit (Of the World)
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Sweet Rain
Open Up Your Eyes
Night Moves
Thank the Day (You Walked into My Life)
Melody Maker

Album Description

The aptly titled Just Family was recorded when Dee Dee Bridgewater was an expectant mother carrying a second child. On this remastered reissue of her 1978 Elektra debut she's accompanied by a stellar supporting cast of musicians that reads like a who's-wh

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Digipack Special Edition with New Liner Notes by Leading Jazz Writers.

Customer Reviews:

Just Family.......2005-10-20

I bougth the album many years ago on a LP. It is one of the best that I have owned. Dee Dee has a lovely voice. I was very happy to find it on CD. The songs are beautiful.

A Dee Dee Bridgewater Fam.......2005-03-05

This CD brought back so many memories from my childhood--when my older brother used to play the album in the 70s. It's a must have for the jazz lover. "Maybe Today" is a must have for the hopeless romantic.

Just Family is WONDERFUL.......2003-12-29

This is Dee Dee Bridgewater 1st recording and it is GREAT. I have the vinyl record and I'm very excited to see that is has been remastered and released again. If you like Dee Dee you have to get this!

Average customer rating:

Another Tribute to Ella
LIVE - As it should be
A truly LIVE recording
A joy.
A joy.

Live at Yoshi's
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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J'ai Deux Amours
Dear Ella
This Is New
Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver
Keeping Tradition

ASIN: B00003NH92
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Undecided
Slow Boat To China
Stairway To The Stars
What A Little Moonlight Can Do
Sex Machine
Midnight Sun
Cherokee
Love For Sale
Cotton Tail

Amazon.com

Dee Dee Bridgewater's Live at Yoshi's is more than just a glorious paean to the art of scat singing by one of its foremost practitioners. Impeccably recorded, Yoshi's is also that rare live recording that captures the excitement and spontaneity of a performance without sacrificing the crystal-clear sound quality that listeners expect from a studio album. The audio is so good it's easy to imagine yourself smack in the middle of the Oakland, California, nightclub for one of these April 1998 shows. And what shows those were. Bridgewater and her topflight quartet--pianist/organist Thierry Eliez, bassist Thomas Bramerie, and drummer Ali Jackson--put on a fireworks display that showcases the group's thrilling interplay and playfulness while giving Bridgewater ample room to demonstrate why she is one of the jazz world's hottest vocalists, especially when it comes to the vocalizations of scat. A commanding presence in any setting, Bridgewater demonstrates her versatility by shifting gears in a heartbeat from the up-tempo scatted bebop of "Cherokee" to beautiful ballads like "Slow Boat to China" and "Stairway to the Stars." What's more, she takes up the greasy funk of James Brown's "Sex Machine" and a long version of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" that weaves in snippets of Herbie Hancock's funky Headhunters arrangement of "Watermelon Man." You'll be forgiven if, after the set's rousing finale of "Cotton Tail," you stand and applaud along with the crowd at Yoshi's. --Ezra Gale

Customer Reviews:

Another Tribute to Ella.......2007-03-31

By 1998 Dee Dee Bridgewater had already released a Grammy-Award winning tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, "Dear Ella." But she decided to redux some of that great album in this equally great live album, not released until 2000, even though by the concert's point Ella had been dead for two years.

This is a rip-roarin', cookin' set with some very bright moments. Consider her scat duet with bassist Thomas Bramerie on the set-opener, "Undecided." Or consider her spot-on impression of a muted trumpet (complete with "Growl") on "Stairway to the Stars." Or, consider her wild scatting on "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", done at about twice the tempo of the immortal version of Lady Day. Or consider her hilarious orgasmic vocalese on "Love for Sale", as she "spotlights" a club patron named Paul and moans his name in ways never heard at The Mustang Ranch. (You can hear poor, lucky Paul turn about 3 shades of crimson!) All of these make for a 5-star release, just by themselves.

My one critique of Ms. Bridgewater is that here she sings with an extremely bright, forward tone. She sounds like she is singing through her teeth, and the album cover rather verifies that. The tone is just fine for the scat and uptempo numbers. (I smiled at the thought of listening to Ms. Bridgewater jam with Charlie Parker on "Cherokee"; if only that could have happened!) But it doesn't sound right on the c.d.'s one true ballad, "Midnight Sun." On her later-released "J'Ai Deux Amours", Ms. Bridgewater sounds like a more complete singer.

A c.d. worth having, if for no other reason than to listen to how a supremely gifted entertainer works the audience. This is a concert I would have liked to have seen! RC

LIVE - As it should be.......2002-05-25

This album takes you there!

You get the energy, wit, humor and extraordinary talent of the incomperable Dee Dee Bridgewater at her absolute best.

She is already recognized as one of the most important jazz singers. She will undoubtedly be heralded as the most significant vocalist of her genre to come in the past several generations.

Anyone who has ever seen her live will attest that she is unbelievable. You want to jump out of your seat and dance. You howl with laughter - she's an amazing comedian. She can turn around and sing the most sophisticated ballad and then follow it up with an uncanny Armstrong horn impersonation. The musicians are fierce, Dee Dee is on fire and the audience is going wild! It's almost as good as being there.

This is Bridgewater at her amazing, fun, funky, hysterical best.

If you love jazz, you will love this album.

If you don't love jazz, this will open up a whole new world.

She's not your Grandma's jazz singer - she's that and a whole lot more!

A truly LIVE recording.......2002-03-06

This CD captures it all - amazing singing, great solos, spectacular scatting, great ensemble work, and most important, Dee Dee Bridgewater's unbelievable stage presence. On recordings, she is one of today's best singers. On stage, she is a goddess.

This CD really does an excellent job of conveying what it's like to see her live. Listen to track 5, her cover of James Brown's "Sex Machine." The fact that she even does this amidst "jazz" is pretty cool to begin with, but then she goes on with a bit of banter with the audience and then does a joke about doing the song "Ella-style." It's not big, I know, but these little jokes and comments throughout the CD just make it such a gem.

Another favorite aspect of this CD is that she does not act like a diva. She is a consummate musician who realizes that she is working with a tremendously talented trio. Thus, we get to hear every single musician shine and stand out in solos on multiple occasions.

However, this CD is not a chops-fest. While the group absolutely tears up the house on tunes like Cherokee (pianist/organist Thierry Eliez is a god amongst men), they also can lay back and let the music and tears flow on music like "Stairway to the Stars."

Don't expect any avant-garde, boundary-stretching jazz here. Instead, be ready for an amazing singer, supported by an incredible trio, tearing into great music with passion and gusto.

A joy........2001-07-09

Dee Dee is great and there is no doubt about that. My first point is to tell you to see this woman live. You will so impressed you will talk about it for days. As for this album? Dee Dee is known as much for her voice as for her stage presence. She is a top notch, extremely intelligent performer. She has sass a wit for days. This is one jazz album that even your friends who are not into jazz will appreciate. Buy Buy Buy.

A joy........2001-07-09

Dee Dee is great and there is no doubt about that. My first point is to tell you to see this woman live. You will so impressed you will talk about it for days. As for this album? Dee Dee is know as much for her voice as for her stage presence. She is a top notch, extremely intelligent performer. She has sass a wit for days. This is one jazz album that even your friends who are not into jazz will appreciate. Buy Buy Buy.

Average customer rating:

She Stands On Her Own
The Real Deal
Never compare DeeDee with Ms. Krall
The ULTIMATE
what's everyone here going on about?

Dear Ella
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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J'ai Deux Amours
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ASIN: B0000047FL
Release Date: 1997-09-30

Tracks:

A-Tisket, A Tasket
Mack The Knife
Undecided
Midnight Sun
Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
How High The Moon
Mr. Paganini
Cotton Tail
My Heart Belongs To Daddy
On A Slow Boat To China
Oh, Lady Be Good
Stairway To The Stars
Dear Ella

Customer Reviews:

She Stands On Her Own.......2006-01-01

A fine outing by Dee Dee. To praise her talent does not necessitate downing Krall or other artists.
It's a tough business. Let's praise what we like and not trash others to make our point; which may or may not be valid.
I'd gladly open my wallet, and have, to see any of the ladies mentioned on this page, perform.
My best to them all for giving us their best.

The Real Deal.......2005-07-02

I'm about half way through listening to this recording for the first time, and couldn't wait to recommend it. I listen to a lot of Jazz, but have made no recommendations, until now. You should believe the other positive reviews you find here. This is an amazing CD, one I know I will enjoy over and over. You don't need to think of Ella, or make comparisons with anyone. Dee Dee's own work, talent & passion for this project can be heard and felt. The recording is clean, forward and warm, with a perfect balance of all involved. Great instrument performances and arrangements. Well worth every penny. Can't wait to turn my friends on to this.

Never compare DeeDee with Ms. Krall.......2002-10-06

If you haven't the chance to listen to Ella herself, choose DeeDee Bridgewater. Not that she sounds alike - she has her own strong interpretations - but she is also a genius. Her scatting and phrasing is magnificent. Diana Krall is a boring mainstream singer in comparison. If she were a not-blonde, male singer everyone would notice her mediocrity.

The ULTIMATE.......2002-05-25

This is the ULTIMATE jazz album. The vocals are incredible. The arrangements are magnificent. The musicians are phenomenal. This is the opus, the pinnacle of jazz albums. It is no wonder it won 2 Grammy's...at least the awards people got this right. A MUST HAVE!

what's everyone here going on about?.......2001-12-14

That's right! What's the story here? Dee Dee is probably one of the best (although not quite getting the acknowledgement as a certain ms krall) in her class and her renditions here are just awesome. That's that!

Her scat abilities are just awesome and I found her interpretations fresh. I thoroughly enjoyed this album. There's only one Ella and it's not fair to compare Dee Dee to her. Than again, there's only one Dee Dee. Keep up the good work girl!

Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver
Average customer rating:

Solid performances

Jazz Vocal unlike any other

Excellent Album

Not a bit of freshness to Horace Silver's masterwork!

Definitely Worth the Money

Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
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General | R&B | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
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Keeping Tradition

Dear Ella

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ASIN: B0000046Z4
Release Date: 1995-09-26

Tracks:

Permit Me To Introduce You To Yourself
Nica's Dream
The Tokyo Blues
Pretty Eyes
Saint Vitus Dance
You Happened My Way
Soulville
Filthy McNasty
Song For My Father
Doodlin'
Lonely Woman
The Jody Grind
Blowin' The Blues Away

Customer Reviews:

Solid performances.......2006-12-30

Dee Dee's vocal style is clean and infectious. These are small group recordings, 8-9 excellent musicians, including Horace Silver on two tracks and Jimmy Smith on two others.

Jazz Vocal unlike any other.......2003-03-29

This is a wonderful album if you want to hear a jazz musican doinmg vocalizations, not merely a singer fronting a jazz band. I know it is sacreligious to say so but her scat is better than Ella's(to me) because it caried more of an emotional weight than Ella. Every song is terrific but I love her treatment of Song for my Father(covered a million times by others) Not for the non-jazz listener I think

Excellent Album.......2002-05-25

This is an excellent album, not only because Dee Dee is a fantastic singer, but also because she was able to provide some of the first vocal versions of many of the tunes. Nica's Dream is amazing with vocal precision most singers fall short of delivering. Lonely Woman is haunting and melodic. Overall, this is a fantastic album.

Not a bit of freshness to Horace Silver's masterwork!.......2002-04-07

Musical projects based on singing lyrics to jazz standards are not to my taste. Just because they usually do not add a least bit of motivation and artistry to the original instrumentals. Horace Silver is a particular victim of that situation. In other words, I do not know any vocalized effort on his extraordinary work worth listening to except Mark Murphy's "That's how I love the blues" ... All Blue Note albums by Horace Silver - the great composer, pianist and combo leader - ... I'd rather have them all. Make your choice.

Definitely Worth the Money.......2001-04-16

This is definitely one of Dee Dee's best albums. A must-have if you're a fan of Dee Dee's dynamic singing and rip-roaring scat. If you're a fan of Horace Silver's compositions, all the better--but it's by no means a must for enjoying the album. Horace even makes an appearance on a track or two, easily distinguishable from the pianist's main CD (who does a fine job of his own). Check out "Nica's Dream" for the best groove on the album. About the only thing lacking on the album is the two brothers playing sax and trumpet don't always swing too well--but it's negligible enough to make the album a worthwhile buy. Definitely buy it over one of her other albums like "Dear Ella" .

Average customer rating:

In Great Vocals
Kurt Weill is dancing in his grave!
Nobody has covered Weill better. This IS new!
This is amazing
Should Win Her Second Grammy

This Is New
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | R&B | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
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J'ai Deux Amours
Live at Yoshi's
Keeping Tradition
Dear Ella
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ASIN: B00005UW00
Release Date: 2002-08-06

Tracks:

This Is New
Lost In The Stars
Bilbao Song
My Ship
Alabama Song
The Saga Of Jenny
Youkali
I'm A Stranger Here Myself
Speak Low
September Song
Here I'll Say

Amazon.com

This 12-song homage to German composer Kurt Weill exceeds even the excellence of Bridgewater's classic vocal tributes to Horace Silver and Ella Fitzgerald. The main reason is that Weill wrote for theater, and beyond being a singer, Bridgewater is a Tony Award-winning actress, an announcer, and a noted humorist, all talents used to great effect here. Weill's best-known tragicomic character, Macheath, or "Mack the Knife," appears on the hidden track here, but Bridgewater also introduces others in "The Saga of Jenny" and "Bilbao Song." Only an accomplished stage actress, who also happens to be a great jazz singer, could suspend disbelief as she does in these absolutely enthralling tales of violence, sex, and greed. Many of Weill's songs are jazz standards, and Bridgewater puts definitive stamps on three of them--"Speak Low," an organ powered "This Is New," and an exquisite ballad reading of "My Ship." Bridgewater also broadens her sonic palette, as, for the first time for her, the guitar is prominent in many of the superb arrangements she uses. Sprinkled in also is a bit of world music, particularly Brazilian samba. --Mark Ruffin

Album Details

Dee Dee Describes this Weil Project. 'the Songs Come from Musicals and Operettas. They Are Narratives. This Music Appeals to My Theatrical Side Because it Lends Itself to Dramatization in Performance. I Find Kurt Weill to Be Eclectic, Much Like Myself. I also Wanted to Explore Someone Beyond the Jazz Realm. With this Album, I Am Trying to Make the Music More Accessible. The Rhythmic Tone of the Album Stems from My Fascination with World Music - a Milieu Toward which I Am Moving. Kurt Weill's Music is Often Considered Dark and Brooding. I Hope to Show a Lighter and More Humorous Side. It is Romantic and Moving. As Kurt Weill Said, 'there is Only Good Music and Bad Music.'

Customer Reviews:

In Great Vocals.......2006-06-24

Love the music, and the vocals. Not a real big fan, but this is one of her better CD's. It has a latin twist, with great vocals. I enjoy this CD from the start to finish.

Kurt Weill is dancing in his grave!.......2005-12-08

Dee Dee Bridgewater is one of the most creative vocalists of our time. I love all of her work (her Horace Silver tribute is a favorite) though, being a huge fan of Weill, I have to bump THIS IS NEW to the front of the line. Dee Dee really does something new here. As another reviewer states, she "messes" with Weill, with gorgeous, moving, thrilling results. If I had to pick a "low-point", it would be the charming "September Song", one of my all-time favorites (I own many beautiful interpretations). Again, Dee Dee's is truly original, and though not my favorite interpretation (that's the "low-point"), is nonetheless lovely. There is so much more to embrace here. And don't miss the hidden final track -- something like 8 minutes after the end of the listed final track -- a truly spontaneous Dee Dee cracking up on "Mack the Knife". Unfortunately, many artists (likely attempting to emulate Ella) have feigned "out-take" versions of "Mack" and other classics, but one can tell that Dee Dee is truly self-intoxicated on this track (and rightly so). I suppose some Weill "purists" may think this effort too light-hearted in spots, but who cares? Laughter in dark places is the very essence of humor -- especially Weill's humor.

Nobody has covered Weill better. This IS new!.......2005-01-29

Dee Dee Bridgewater has made the quintessential Kurt Weill cover album. From the glorious "Youkali" to the imaginative "My Ship" and "Lost In The Stars"...Bridgewater transcends the acts of merely covering a song, and actually inhabits every single one of these Weill masterpieces as if she were a different character in each.

It's like watching an actor give a performance, even when you are just listening to the CD!

I had the good fortune of seeing Miss Bridgewater perform live at the Kennedy Center in early 2004, and she performed some of the songs from this CD, and was gracious enough to autograph my copy after the show, and I will never forget her amazing delivery, her showwomanship, her humor and her stunning versatility.

She is a gem, and this CD is just a small sample of what she has to offer.

When she signed my CD, Miss Bridgewater mentioned that her next project would be a "Latin album", as she called it.

Here's hoping she does to Bossa Nova, Brazilian Samba and the Tango what she did with Weill...make it NEW indeed!

This is amazing.......2003-02-19

This CD is one of the best things to happen to Kurt Weill's music since....well....he wrote them originally.

Ms Bridgewater does something with these tunes that most people are far too scared to try - she messes with them...and with amazing results.

Bilbao Song is perhaps the best example, in which she creates lush contrasts in latin styles...and makes amazing use of nylon-string guitars. However, she also delivers a heavenly performance of My Ship, as well.

Occasionally, the arrangements dip dangerously into pop-jazz, but never for too long. Even when this happens, he incredible voice and delivery (theatre training pays off) combined with unbelievable soloists offsets any problems there.

This is one of the best albums of the past year - a must buy. Also, don't hit stop after track 11 - there's a secret track of Mack the Knife that's well worth the listen!

Should Win Her Second Grammy.......2002-10-23

Weill songs require not just a singer but an actress and Dee Dee
can do both. She gives new life to standards like "Speak Low"
and "This is New". I love the flamenco guitar on "Bilbao Song" and the bandeleon on "Youkali". This is obviously a labor of love
between the singer and her musicians. "I'm A Stranger Here
Myself" and "Alabama Song" show Dee Dee and the musicians at
their improvisational best. A winner all the way.