| Dee Dee Bridgewater |
Jazz
Today Dee Dee Bridgewater is a sparkling ambassador for Jazz, but she bathed in its music before she could walk. Her mother played the greatest albums of Ella Fitzgerald, whose artistry provided an inspiration for Dee Dee throughout her career, culminating in her stunning new release, her tribute to Ella, called "Dear Ella" on Verve Records.
Dee Dee made her phenomenal New York debut in 1970 as the lead vocalist for the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Big Band, one of the premier jazz orchestras of that time. These New York years marked an early career in concerts and on recordings with such authentic giants as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespia, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, and Roland Kirk as well as rich experiences with Norman Connors, Stanley Clarke, and Frank Foster.
In 1974 Dee Dee won the Tony Award for her role as "Galinda The Good Witch" in The Wiz, and then began a long line of awards and accolades. In London, she garnered the coveted "Laurence Olivier" Award nomination as "Best Actress" for her tour de force portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in Lady Day. Performing the lead in equally demanding acting / singing roles such as Sophisticated Ladies, Cosmopolitan Greetings, Black Ballad, Carmen, and the Musical Cabaret secured her reputation as a consummate entertainer.
Dee Dee's previous two releases on the Verve label in clude: "Keeping Tradition" and "Love and Peace."
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