I cannot pass a charity shop. I'm drawn inside like a moth to
a flame, willing to take a chance on getting burned. Once I've passed through
the portals they invariably unearth much sort after gems even if, before going
in, I hadn't realised I was seeking the particular gem clutched in my sweaty
palms as I leave.
Such was the case today, the main reason I went into the YMCA
shop in Gateshead was to shelter from the rain and count the LPs by Jim
Reeves and Perry Como until the storm subsided.
The score stood at Jim 6 and Perry 5 before she appeared in all her splendour - Dee Dee Bridgewater Live in Paris. At £1.50 I couldn't pass this one up!
My mind wandered back through the years to a night at the
Sage (now the Glasshouse) and a concert by Dee Dee. I can't remember the exact year (2006ish),
what she wore or even the songs. All I can remember is that I floated home on a
cloud - just as I did this afternoon in anticipation. I wasn't disappointed.
Paris or Gateshead? Dee Dee wowed the audience.
You think Ella could scat? Listen to Dee Dee on Cherokee - she's rewritten the genre. Talk about swinging, this is just crazy as a daisy! Ballads too: Misty, Here's That Rainy Day and There is no Greater Love are sublime but it's not the soft, cajoling, whisper of the Julie Londons and Sarah Vaughans of this world, Dee Dee's more the vocal dominatrix the kind of singer who delivers the goods on her terms.
The lady can also sing the blues - All Blues; Dr Feelgood and a medley that included Stormy Monday Blues.
Recorded in Paris in November 1986, the French trio provide superb backing making for an album as near perfect as is possible. My new quest is to dig out more Dee Dee. Lance
All Blues; Misty; On a Clear Day; Dr. Feelgood; There is no Greater Love; Here's That Rainy Day; Medley Blues; Cherokee.
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