Bye Bye Blackbird – 1997

A major straight ahead jazz vocalist since the 1980s (having spent much of her earlier years singing r&b), Dee Dee Bridgewater has been a leader in her field ever since.

Her impressive technique, warm and flexible voice, sense of humor, and willingness to stretch herself and take adventurous flights have kept her career relevant and vital for decades; she is a delight to see perform live.

Joined by the great bassist Ray Brown, pianist Benny Green, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson in 1997 at the Jazzfest Berlin, Dee Dee Bridgewater performs “Bye Bye Blackbird” at an Ella Fitzgerald tribute concert.

While hinting at Ella, Bridgewater’s powerful scatting is very much her own; a bonus is that Green contributes a fine piano solo.

-Scott Yanow