Dee Dee Bridgewater
Photography @ the Barbican 28 March 2008
& The St. Lucia Jazz Festival 8-11 May 1997
(Part of a series of short reviews related to the 1997 Jazz festival)

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Biography

This year’s sixth annual Jazz festival 8 -11 May attracted many thousands of Jazz fans and music aficionados worldwide. Over the following four days the already scorching St. Lucia heat would intensify within the many indoor and open-air venues.

In 1970 Dee Dee Bridgewater met her long time idol Horace Silver. She had been obsessed with thoughts of singing with him from the age of 15 after hearing “Song For My father”. Silver at the time felt that Bridgewater was not quite ready.

Bridgewater continued her quest for acknowledgement. She gained valuable experience performing alongside Jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Mel Lewis, Dexter Gordon and Stanley Clarke.

Bridgewater has also been busy in the theatre with an award-winning career spanning 20 years. Starting with her debut in The Wiz in 1974, she then progressed to Sophisticated Ladies and Carmen Jazz. In fact Bridgewater became the first black actress to play the role of Sally Bowles in Cabaret, which was performed at the Mogador Theatre in Paris.

Bridgewater continued her recording career throughout her successful theatre years. She recorded her self-titled soul/pop album in 1980. “Precious Thing” was recorded with Ray Charles on the album “Victim Of Love”, 1989. “Dee Dee Bridgewater Live In Paris” 1990 and in 1993 ‘the album Keeping Tradition, which together with her Live in Paris offering produced her second Grammy nomination.

Bridgwater finally received acknowledgement and adulation from Horace Silver in 1996. He contributed lyrically and performs on her "Love And Peace" album released this year (1997).

St. Lucia Jazz review

This wonderfully animated singer / actress gleamed on stage. Her bleached blonde hair and bright yellow / blue jump suit would have made a tropical fish bloat with envy. Bridgewater scatted, flirted and teased her way into the hearts of her many Martiniquan fans. They made their presence felt at the onset, pleading with Bridgewater to perform her set in French. She professionally struck a compromise and proceeded by introducing songs in French, as well as English. Bridgewater dedicated her eclectic and sometimes boisterous performance and first song, "Song to My Father" to her idol Horace Silver.