Dee Dee Bridgewater
Blue Note Entertainment
131 West 3rd St.
Manhattan
The saying “gets better with age” certainly applies to the inimitable Dee Dee Bridgewater, Grammy and Tony-award winning jazz vocalist, stage actress, and host of National Public Radio’s syndicated radio show Jazz Set. Recently at New York’s foremost jazz club, the Blue Note, Bridgewater contradicted the notion that the older you get the slower you become. By no means is that true when it comes to this youthful vocalist who, along with the band Theo Croker and Dark Funk, put on a magical set at the Blue Note — which according to some patrons is the foremost jazz club in the world.
Dee Dee validated the Blue Note’s standing in the jazz community with a wholly satisfying set of familiar tunes that she put her own flavorful spin on. Her self-proclaimed theme song “Afro Blue” as well as “Watermelon Man” and Abbey Lincoln’s “Music is the Magic” gave her audience a delicious sampling of her incredible style. Jazz can some times be tedious when the tunes are nonsensical but with Dee Dee’s turn on vocals, she takes familiar tunes and along with her infectious smile, creates something endearing and engaging.
At this set, Dee Dee talked a little about her life and in particular her relationship with the late Abbey Lincoln, evoking laughter from the audience as she related a story about one of her and Abbey’s many escapades in Los Angeles, this time involving their ex-husbands, jazz greats Max Roach and Cecil Bridgewater. Like her singing, her stories illustrate how rich her life has been. But it is her richly satisfying vocals, replete with acrobatic deep knee bends which for a 60-something year old shows just how youthful she still is, gave the Blue Note audience a splendid evening of great music by a very fine artist.
Dee Dee is back performing at the Blue Note during the James Moody 90th Birthday tribute, March 24 – 29. If you have not seen this phenomenal performer, do check her out.
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