As a self-accompanist on piano, her delightfully augmented harmonic support is perfectly aligned with the story being told in the lyrics.
With Dear Ms. Dearie, pianist and vocalist Dawn Clement offers a luminous, deeply swinging homage to the singular vocalist/pianist, Blossom Dearie. Less a tribute than a tender correspondence across time, Clement inhabits the repertoire with wit and quiet daring amid the masterful accompaniment of bandmates John Clayton, Jeff Hamilton, and Steve Kovalcheck. Together they reimagine 15 of Dearie's hits, including lush ballads like "Lies of Handsome Men" and "Once Upon a Summertime," the cool swing of "Tout Doucement," and the smartly snapping "It's Love," through Dawn's inspired arrangements that balance swing with intimacy, sparkle and hush. Produced by Matt Wilson and recorded by Steve Genewick in Los Angeles, the album superbly captures not only the humor, heart, and harmonic sophistication that defined Dearie's art, but Clement's own compositional grace—music that surprises, haunts, and heals in equal measure.
"...a distinctive voice, intellectually sharp, emotionally resonant, and rhythmically enthralling." Paris-Move
Track Listing:
1 The Gentleman is a Dope 4:10
2 Tout Doucement 4:08
3 Figure 8 5:31
4 Dance Only With Me 3:38
5 Hey John 4:38
6 I Like You, You're Nice 2:27
7 Our Love is Here to Stay 2:46
8 It's Love 3:31
9 I Know the Moon 4:59
10 I'm Hip 3:52
11 Lies of Handsome Men 5:14
12 Our Day Will Come 4:16
13 Once Upon a Summertime 4:56
14 The Party's Over 3:00
15 Home 3:49
Performers:
Dawn Clement - piano & vocals
Steve Kovalcheck - guitar
John Clayton - bass
Jeff Hamilton - drums
Production Info:
Produced by Matt Wilson
Recorded by Steve Genewick at Tritone Recording, Los Angeles, CA
on May 27-29, 2025
Mixed by Steve Genewick at The Stewart House, Los Angeles, CA
Mastered by Christoph Stickel at CS Mastering, Vienna Austria
Photography by Lauren Desberg
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Dear Ms. Dearie
Paris-Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5 STARS
Dawn Clement, composer, pianist, and vocalist, returns with an album that's both warmly respectful and quietly bold: a tribute to Blossom Dearie, that one-of-a-kind composer, pianist, and singer who charmed bebop with her gentle wit and put her stamp on vocal jazz until her passing in 2009.
Lately, everyone seems obsessed with digging ...
Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
Singer and pianist Dawn Clement teams up with Steve Kovalcheck/g, John Clayton/b and Jeff Hamilton/dr to deliver a salute to the sui generis Blossom Dearie on this recent release. To be perfectly frank, while the songs here are associated with Ms. Dearie, Ms. Clement herself in terms of piano and delivery actually feel more like that of Bob Dorough ...
Bman's Blues Report (Editor)
I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Dear Ms. Dearie, from Dawn Clement, and its really quite good. Opening with The Gentleman Is A Dope, Dawn Clement on piano and vocal leads the way, supported by John Clayton on bass and Jeff Hamilton on drums. Steve Kovalcheck on guitar really gives the track a workout with bright guitar ...
