Give Him The Ooh-La-La＜限定盤＞

1958年にヴァーヴ・レコードからリリースされたピアニスト/ヴォーカリストでもあるブロッサム・ディアリーの、クールな控えめな表現、明瞭な発音、そしてハーモニーの繊細さという特徴的なスタイルを捉えた作品。

ノーマン・グランツがプロデュースしたこのセッションでは、ディアリーがピアノとヴォーカルを担当し、ギタリストのハーブ・エリス、ベーシストのレイ・ブラウン、ドラマーのジョー・ジョーンズを率いるカルテットをリードしている。プログラムには、コール・ポーター、ロジャース&ハート、ノエル・カワードの楽曲に加え、ディアリーが共同で作曲した「Try Your Wings」と「Bang Goes the Drum (And You're in Love)」の2曲が含まれており、彼女の機知と作曲の才能が発揮。タイトル曲の狡猾な魅力から「Plus je t'embrasse」の優雅な哀愁まで、ディアリーの演奏は優雅さとリズミカルな軽快さのバランスが取れ、親密なアレンジは、スウィングとバップの言語に染みついたリズムセクションに支えられ、彼女の歌声とピアノの繊細な相互作用のための空間を残している。
＜パーソネル＞Blossom Dearie (vo,p) Ray Brown (double-b) Jo Jones(ds) Herb Ellis(g)

Of the six recordings Blossom Dearie did for the Verve label in the '50s, Give Him the Ooh-La-La is the third one to be released on CD. Three titles still remain in the vaults including a Betty Comden and Johnny Green tribute as well as a Broadway Hits collection. It's a shame because Dearie's girlishly dynamic voice, subtle piano playing, and rarified choice of contemporary material made her recordings unique among '50s jazz vocal outings. Give Him the Ooh-La-La is no exception, with stellar backing by regular bassist Ray Brown, drummer Jo Jones and guitarist Herb Ellis, and Dearie's taut arrangements of a set of glowing ballads and brisk swingers. Included are a few well-worn standards like "Just One of Those Things" and "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea." More intriguing, however, are Dearie's inclusion of obscure titles like Cy Coleman's "The Riviera," a tongue and cheek portrait of Europe's playground, as well as his "I Walk a Little Faster." Additionally, there's the gently executed and innocuous self-help number "Try Your Wings," a bouncy "The Middle of Love," and a nod to her club stint in Paris with the French tune "Plus Je T'Embrasse." As usual, both Dearie's piano and voice are instilled with impeccable playfulness on mischievous numbers like the title track and in the tender pathos of ballads such as "Like Someone in Love." Like Dearie's two other available titles Blossom Dearie and Once Upon a Summertime, Give Him the Ooh-La-La features a great collection of tunes from the high point of her recording career. The dilemma is not which recording to get, but where to start. ~ Stephen Cook