There was a station out of Memphis that I could catch late at night when most of the airwaves shut down. Josephine Reed: You also have been a singer who identifies herself as a musician. Not to be any kind of superstar or giant celebrity, but well-known, well-respected by the musicians. Memphis...Yes, I'm Ready. It was wonderful. I was starring in Sophisticated Ladies. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2006 CD release of "Dee Dee Bridgewater" on Discogs. For some reason, I could understand the rhythms, the—the West African rhythms, and I could—I could hear how it flowed into the jazz thing. For 13 years, she was the host of National Public Radio's award-winning show, JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. There was a station out of Memphis that I could catch late at night when most of the airwaves shut down. But, I do remember running up on stage. Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater has won two Grammy awards and a Tony for her work in jazz vocals and musical theater, respectively. My mom loved jazz singers, so when I was a baby, she swore—swore that I could scat before I could speak, because she was a huge fan of Ella Fitzgerald. CD: $11.98 MP3: $8.99. It's not every night that an artist proposes locking the doors and having “one giant orgy of love”, but then Dee Dee Bridgewater has always had a singular take on things. Dee Dee Bridgewater has a rich voice—like honey— with great range, intonation and pitch, and she’s one of the few scat singers left standing. I’m the first and the only person who has translated these songs. Dee Dee Bridgewater has a technique and musicality that bests most performers of her generation, and her understanding of the “great American songbook” makes pretenders pale in comparison. Josephine Reed: What was that like? Her mother introduced her to Ella Fitzgerald’s music, which became an inspiration to Bridgewater throughout her career, and her father was a jazz trumpeter who taught music at Memphis' famed Manassas High School. And I was 20, and I got hired. I mean, it was like in the movies. Josephine Reed: And you also got a lot from musicians, too, like Dizzy Gillespie. Hence, my love of Horace Silver, but I loved Horace Silver from the time I was 15. And that’s what happened when I got The Wiz. But I was the—the—the gap-bridger. In addition, her commanding personality made her a natural for hosting the award-winning National Public Radio syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater from 2001 to 2014. 6. We’re playing tonight.” He says, “If you want to audition, you have to come down to the club and audition.” And I was like, “But—but—but—no—” I was terrified. Dee Dee Bridgewater is a multi-talented performer who will not be put into a box. Josephine Reed: Three. Josephine Reed: What was that moment like when you won a Tony? We were followed by the KGB any time we would try to interact with young people. I would reserve my seat. Now Clark Terry was the first musician that took me out of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. And then, the fourth thing he said to me is learn your songs inside out, so you don’t have to think about what you’re singing. So, that when you go into your improvisation, they can go, “Wow.” Well, there’s four things. Dee Dee Bridgewater was born in Memphis, Tennessee to a family with deep musical roots….. Dee Dee Bridgewater: You know, the—the actual music and I think my ability to sing comes from my father’s side of the family. And I was able to work as a singer. We were really taken in by the older musicians, so there was this mentoring that happened. It all came from Thad. And there was a lot of lifting up of—of the young musicians. They relocated to Flint, Michigan, where Dee Dee lived until completing high school. The vocalist has created a diverse collection of recordings, including tribute albums to Horace Silver, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Kurt Weill; an album of French love songs,  J'ai Deux Amours, spurred by a Kennedy Center Valentine’s Day concert; and an album born out of Bridgewater's search for her African ancestry, Red Earth, recorded in Bamako, Mali, and featuring Malian, U.S., and European  musicians. Josephine Reed: By then, Dee Dee Bridgewater had returned to the United States, and she rededicated herself to jazz. I couldn’t believe it. My career has been as much about kind of being in the right place at the right time, or just, you know, these happenstance meetings leading to a situation. Bridgewater's career then took off and she soon performed and recorded with some of the giants of the music: Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, and Clark Terry. And I remember we didn’t have enough money for a babysitter, so I’d take Tulani in her little—I had bought this stroller, and you could lift the bed out. On the album, I was able to bring it together. To fast-forward, I am now in Memphis, recording an album of those songs that I used to listen to. And so I was like oh, oh, I’m going to do it like this. Dee Dee Bridgewater (b. And—. Josephine Reed: How old were you when you moved to Flint? Jo Reed: I want to hear about how you started working with Thad Jones and—. TITLE: Self Titled . Dee Dee Bridgewater: It was borne out of my search for my African ancestry. They were 13 of the best years I ever had. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I grew up on R&B. Chicago White Sox; Cleveland Indians; Detroit Tigers $107.15. We moved to New York City, because that’s where we had to go for him, as a musician. And I think that is why as—in my position now, why I took to mentoring Theo Croker, this young trumpet player that I’ve been working with now for about seven years, whose career is now really taking off. I could hear the blues, like the Delta blues, in the griot songs. I took it from Etta James. Well, besides getting hired into the Horace Silver Quintet, my honeymoon was spent on the road with Cecil playing with Horace Silver. Dee Dee Bridgewater Concerts. And I think I sang “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Fly Me to the Moon.” I remember the audience really kind of going crazy. Dee Dee Bridgewater: Okay, here we go. In 1970, she wed her first husband, trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater. Born on 27.05.1950 in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A. She grew up in Flint, Michigan. And my theatrical agent said, “There is no work for black actresses. Motown started when I was 12, in 1962, so, all of us who loved music, we were aspiring to be Motown artists. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I grew up on R&B. That orchestra and in particular, Thad Jones. Because when WDIA decided that they were going to concentrate on black music programming, the people who were running that radio station decided that they would hire for on-air DJs, young musicians, and one of them was my father. And so, I could hear blues and R&B songs that I didn’t hear in Michigan. For the National Endowment for the Arts, I'm Josephine Reed. Backed by a small group that includes an accordionist, Dee Dee sings several well known songs popular in France. I would go to any performance that she would have in New York City. So all of these things have come to pass. BRIDGEWATER,DEE DEE. Josephine Reed: Did you know, right from the beginning, that’s what you wanted to do? With a top-shelf soul band cooking behind her, Dee Dee Bridgewater steps up as a top-shelf … Dee Dee Bridgewater. Thad Jones was my world. I am extremely proud to join the ranks of the women and the men. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I played Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, and that is what I won my Tony Award with. This is “Bye Bye Blackbird,” the first song I ever did with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra … okay…. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, AND a Tony Award-winning stage actress. And so, I would put the bed in the—in the—in the coat closet, and the lady that checked the coats would watch my baby (laughing).That’s terrible. It’s a horrible way to learn a language. I was able to bring it together in person, you know, for live shows. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I fainted. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I’m very grateful to Billie and to Ella, because those are the two women who have walked me to the Grammy podium. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. If you can’t be in DC—you can join the party anyway—we’re streaming it live. Each week she would take listeners to concert halls, clubs, and festivals around the country so they could hear great jazz performances. My father is very close-lipped, and so, I had to uncover all of this, to which, you know, when I’d call him, he’d say, “Oh, yeah.” And I was like, “Do you have any other information to share with me?” “Oh no, that’s—that’s good.” So this has been my life with my dad. Thanks for listening. If you want to create your own style, that’s what you have to do. I didn’t understand that. I was on these big billboards and stuff. She is a United Nations Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Regardless, she shows no signs of slowing down. Josephine Reed: You are a musician. When I decided I wanted to sing jazz, and I always thought that scatting was a prerequisite to being a jazz singer, and so, that came from, I think, you know, my mother listening to Ella Fitzgerald. May 27, 1950) is an American Jazz singer. Number two, always enunciate so that people understand what you are saying. They relocated to Flint, Michigan, where Dee Dee lived until completing high school. They loved to entertain. In addition, her commanding personality made her a natural for hosting the award-winning National Public Radio syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater from 2001 to 2014. They relocated to Flint, Michigan, where Dee Dee lived until completing high school. She’s created a diverse collection of recordings, including tribute albums to Horace Silver, Kurt Weill, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday; an album of French love songs, and another album, Red Earth, born out of Bridgewater's search for her African ancestry recorded in Mali, and featuring Malian, U.S., and European musicians. I recorded it in 2007. Bridgewater serves on the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz's Advisory Board where she has judged several jazz vocals competitions. Yeah, yeah, yeah.”. They picked a singer at the end of almost a full afternoon, and I thought I can sing better than her. Everything that I know about music, I learned from Thad Jones, and I learned from being in that band. It was crazy. It was like I had a ticker tape running through my brain when I would perform. Dee Dee Bridgewater: We had fun. But my—my dream with my father was to, you know, have the father-daughter family act. Dee Dee Bridgewater: (Gasps.) STEREO / MONO: LABEL: Atlantic Records. I was her shadow. The NEA Jazz Masters will be honored with a concert on Monday, April 3 at the Kennedy Center. Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning Jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. Josephine Reed: Red Earth was also infused with a jazzy soul…and communications did not always flow easily between African and Western musicians. But I can—I can at least follow an arrangement. But they decided that, after about six months of Cecil’s being in the band, Thad and Mel decided that they needed a female singer. They moved to New York City where she found her first professional gig with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra as lead vocalist. I had gone to Paris with Sophisticated Ladies. Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver, Verve, 1994Dear Ella, Verve, 1997Red Earth: A Malian Journey, DDB Records/Universal, 2006Eleanora Fagan: To Billie with Love from Dee Dee, DDB Records/Emarcy, 2009Dee Dee’s Feathers, DDB Records/ Sony Masterworks, 2014, Excerpt of “Bye Bye Black Bird” composed by Mort Dixon and Ray Henderson and performed live by Dee Dee Bridgewater with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. And my grandmother played organ. And then I found out, doing a television interview with Charles Lloyd last year in Switzerland, he and my father had a band together. By Dee Dee Bridgewater, Irvin Mayfield, The New Orleans Jazz Orchestra (Official Music Video) 27. And when I come back in, and the same with the big band. You've been listening to Art Works produced at the National Endowment for the Arts. Bridgewater was also drawn to musical theater. So, George Coleman was a student of his, Harold Mabern, Charles Lloyd. His—his brother, my uncle, who died when he was 34, had an amazing baritone voice. Dee Dee Bridgewater was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Marion and Matthew Garrett. Chihiro Yamanaka Trio On "Jazzset With Dee Dee Bridgewater" Photos. Go to arts.gov for details. And she said by the time I was, like, 10 months, I would stand on the side of my crib and hold the rail and try to scat with Ella Fitzgerald. Every year, I do at least one Ella Fitzgerald concert. And I was the poster for Sophisticated Ladies in France, and it was a picture of me coming down the staircase. The Wiz - The Super So… Wiz;Charlie Smalls. This 1980 release is produced by Thom Bell (the Spinners, the Stylistics) who buries Bridgewater's firery charms with the already-dated Philly sound and material that sounds like Spinners rejects. It was a period where you expected people to sit in on concerts when you go to a concert. In 1974, she recorded her first album as a leader, Afro Blue. I’ve just been trying to be true to what I felt God put me on this earth for. Performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater from the cd Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie with Love From Dee Dee Bridgewater. I mean, it was Dizzy and Clark Terry. Eventbrite - Allerton Park and Retreat Center presents Dee Dee Bridgewater: CU Jazz Master - Virtual Presentation - Sunday, February 21, 2021 at Allerton Park & Retreat Center, Monticello, IL. And so, I went down to the club, and Thad called me up, and I auditioned. Phineas Newborn was a student of his, Booker Little, Frank Strozier. Her portrayal of Glinda the Good Witch in the Broadway musical The Wiz garnered her a Tony Award in 1975. Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams, Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music, The Movie Music of Spike Lee & Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller & Herbie Hancock North Sea Jazz Cruise 2006, Play Your Own Thing: A Story of Jazz in Europe, Im Herzen des Lichts - Die Nacht der Primadonnen, 4th Annual Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, Carnegie Hall Salutes the Jazz Masters: Verve Records at 50, K.C. Dee Dee Bridgewater: That was in 1968 was the year that we went. Vinyl: $19.99. Dee Dee Bridgewater: Cheick Tidiane Seck is the—is the person who was responsible for assembling all of the musicians on that album, and I think—I think it was like 47 musicians and singers, because I didn’t know anybody. I would always sit alone. That kind of physical freedom that Betty exhibited—that’s where I got it from. I grew up on Ziegfeld Follies. So, I sat in with the likes of Carmen McRae, Blossom Dearie—Betty Carter would not let me sit in—and some lesser-known singers. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I auditioned for this new Broadway musical that they had open casting for called, The Wiz. The Russians didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Russian, but it was this beautiful meeting of—of spirits and minds. Everything I know, even the way I scat. Also, I had gone to France with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, so I had this kind of name in the jazz community in France that I wasn’t aware of. I have always felt that as a jazz vocalist, my duty was to keep that tradition alive of the vocalist who does the scat. And Clark was a ham. Dee Dee Bridgewater: Cecil Bridgewater, my first husband, we had just married in 1970. CATALOG #: SD 18188 . Dee Dee Bridgewater: We—we—well, let’s see. Dee Dee Bridgewater: Well, I think there is a connection, because I also can imitate voices. Josephine Reed: That is 2017 NEA Jazz Master, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and this is Art Works, the weekly podcast produced at the National Endowment for the Arts. #repost @sfjazz ・・・ TOMORROW on Sep 4 at 5PM PT, SFJAZZ presents 2017 NEA Jazz Master & vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performing a tribute to the late jazz legend Horace Silver. “I never dreamed I would one day be named an NEA Jazz Master, as so few women hold this distinction. Dee Dee's second self-titled album (fourth American album overall) marks an end to the singer's comercially-oriented r&b/jazz lite fusion period. I—I could not exist, had it not been for these women opening the doors that they did. Bridgewater was born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Flint, Michigan, in a music-filled home. She is a natural performer. Dee Dee Bridgewater is a daring performer of great depth whose singing talents have earned her three Grammy Awards as well as a Tony Award. Film & TV News Vanessa Williams, Norm Lewis, Dee Dee Bridgewater, More Featured in PBS Concert Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald, Premiering December 15. Dear Ella Dee Dee Bridgewater. She started out singing in school talent shows and with local jazz bands. bad for me DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER. Memphis ...Yes, I'm Re… Dee Dee Bridgewater. And he got hired. My father played trumpet. What was it like performing with Dizzy Gillespie? And I remember—you know, waltzing down the hallway and walking into the living room––I don’t even remember what they were doing—and saying, “When I grow up,” I crossed my arms, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a well-respected, internationally known jazz singer.” And I—I said something to them about I—and I was going to be respected by the musicians. Dee Dee Bridgewater was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Marion and Matthew Garrett. Dee Dee Bridgewater: I’ve never had any formal music training. Over the course of a multifaceted career spanning four decades, Grammy and Tony Award-winning jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater has ascended to the upper echelon of vocalists, putting her unique spin on standards, as well as taking intrepid leaps of faith in re-envisioning jazz classics. So I gathered up the nerve, and I went up to Mel Lewis, and I said, “Mr. And then, at 14, I announced to them that I was going to live in Paris, France. Over the past half century, Dee Dee Bridgewater has distinguished herself as a jazz icon, a star of the theater, a devoted cultural ambassador, and a tireless humanitarian, to name but only a few of her many accomplishments. AL Central. You were 20 years old. Josephine Reed: The Wiz also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album… Dee Dee subsequently appeared in several other stage productions. MLB American League Tickets. Josephine Reed: You were so young. You have to listen to musicians.” And I just wonder if there’s a connection. So, it was a family, and it was beautiful. For 23 years, she was the host of National Public Radio's syndicated radio show JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater. Excerpt of “Bad Spirits (Bani)” composed and performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater from the cd, Red Earth: A Malian Journey. Four months of, Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., revision every night from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., and then the next day. Dee Dee Bridgewater: And so, that’s how I started. Dee Dee Bridgewater on Studying Betty Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater's Breakthrough Audition. Excerpt of “Mack the Knife, composed by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Bertolt Brecht. Date Detail Price; Feb 6 Sat: Dee Dee Bridgewater Jo Long Theatre San Antonio, TX : $34 - 34: Mar 5 Fri: Dee Dee Bridgewater Keystone Korner Baltimore VINYL Condition: VG++ . I did not want to be distracted. She is a two-time Grammy Award Winner, Tony Award Winner and Host of NPR's Syndicated Radio show "JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater". So, I’ve uncovered a lot about my father that I didn’t know. Dee Dee Bridgewater: And I did translations of these griot songs. Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer. By Andrew Gans. It was a beautiful show because I really tried to stay true to, you know, my jazz thing. So, I decided to stay when the show ended, because I wasn’t getting any work as an actress in the States. Number three, always sing your melody first. Buy on Amazon, Apple Music, iTunes. She started out singing in school talent shows and with local jazz bands. Married trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater in 1970 and moved to New York City. Josephine Reed: Your voice is an instrument. She’s also a renowned broadcaster. During her first years in college she began singing with big bands, which lead to her work with the Thad ... Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello to Perform on Jazz Foundation Livestream, Aretha Franklin’s Funeral: Bill Clinton Leads Who’s Who In Queen Of Soul Tribute, Aretha Franklin ‘Celebration of Life’ to Feature Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Bill Clinton. Dee Dee Bridgewater: Now, I did want to do it with my own normal, regular speaking voice, and they decided I needed an NPR voice, so they hired a man to work with me on the shows – (clears throat), let me get it, “Hi, this is Dee Dee Bridgewater, and you’re listening to JazzSet.” That’s my NPR voice. Bridgewater continues to tour nationally and internationally. When the international touring company of Sophisticated Ladies (in which she was the female lead performer) ended in Paris, France, Bridgewater decided to stay. My father, whose name is Matthew Garrett, taught a lot of jazz musicians that we listen to today. Betty led her own bands. It was a gig that she loved—and which provided some humorous moments…. So, it inhibited me as an actress in terms of my being able to improvise. She performed in Michigan during the '60s and toured the Soviet Union in 1969 with the University of Illinois Big Band. Josephine Reed: What propelled you in the first place? It’s my ears. I was ready. We just worked it out. I had never seen someone with that much freedom. I was always able to scat. What music did you listen to when you were young, like, you know, 12—was it jazz?