Friday, October 7, 2011

Dee Dee Bridgewater - Midnight Sun ( Emarcy / Pgd 2011)

"For years my fans and family have been asking me to compile a CD of my favorite love songs," says Bridgewater, "and Midnight Sun is my ode to them. Love in all its glory - for better or for worse - as expressed by some of the most amazing songwriters of our time. Come take a soothing walk down memory lane and revisit romantic moments of my musical past, a past brought to the present through this elegant compilation, presented to you in the name of love by my daughter and manager, Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski. Relax and bathe yourself in the music of the Midnight Sun."

MIDNIGHT SUN, a collection of love songs from throughout Grammy and Tony Award-winning artist Dee Dee Bridgewater's critically acclaimed career, is set for release on DDB Records/Emarcy (Universal) on August 23rd. A love letter of sorts, Midnight Sun, produced by Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski, is the ultimate mixed tape, traversing landscapes of melodically mournful tales of love lost, heartrending ballads about forever afters and sultry promises of bliss. Midnight Sun is the fourth release on Bridgewater's own label, DDB Records. Ever the fearless voyager, explorer, pioneer and keeper of tradition, the three-time Grammy-winner (who just won a 2011 Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Album for Eleanora Fagan (1915-1959): To Billie With Love From Dee Dee) with producer/manager Tulani Bridgwater-Kowalski (daughter) selected and oversaw re-mastering (by Doug Sax and Sangwook "Sunny" Nam of The Mastering Lab, Ojai) of the eleven tracks on Midnight Sun, which were culled from her Grammy-winning and nominated CDs Dear Ella, Keeping Tradition, This Is New, J'ai Deux Amours, Love & Peace: A Tribute To Horace Silver and Eleanora Fagan. Including such classics as Kurt Weill's "Speak Low," Sammy Cahn's "I'm A Fool To Want You/I Fall In Love Too Easily," Johnny Mercer's "Midnight Sun," Alan Jay Lerner's "Here I'll Stay," Charles Trenet's "Que Reste-t-Il?" and Billie Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache" and interpreting them as only she can, Bridgewater has created a song cycle that traces the arc of a love affair in all its natural stages. Also included on the CD is "L'Hymne à l'Amour," previously released exclusively as a bonus track in Japan.

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