Born Denise Eileen Garrett in Memphis, Tennessee, she grew up in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Matthew Garrett, was a jazz trumpeter and teacher at Manassas High School, and through his playing, Denise was exposed to jazz early on. At the age of sixteen, she was a member of a rock and rhythm'n'blues trio, singing in clubs in Michigan. At 18, she studied at Michigan State University before she went to the University of Illinois. With their jazz band, she toured the Soviet Union in 1969. The next year, she met trumpeter Cecil Bridgewater, and after their marriage, they moved to New York City, where Cecil played in Horace Silver's band.
In 1971, Dee Dee Bridgewater joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra as the lead vocalist. The next years marked the beginning of her jazz career, and she performed with many of the great jazz musicians of the time, such as Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Max Roach, and others. In 1974, her first own album, entitled Afro Blue, appeared, and she also performed on Broadway in the musical The Wiz. For her role as Glinda the Good Witch she won a Tony Award in 1975 as "best-featured actress", and the musical also won the 1976 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.
She subsequently appeared in several other stage productions. After touring France in 1984 with the musical Sophisticated Ladies, she moved to Paris in 1986. The same year saw her in Lady Day as Billie Holliday, for which role she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, she returned from the world of musical to jazz. She performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1990, and four years later, she finally collaborated with Horace Silver, whom she had admired for a long time, and released the album Love and Peace: A Tribute to Horace Silver. Her 1997 tribute album Dear Ella won her the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album, and the 1998 album Live at Yoshi's was also worth a Grammy nomination. She has also explored on This is New the songs of Kurt Weill, and, on her latest album J'ai Deux Amours, the French Classics.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is the first American to be inducted to the Haut Conseil de la Francophonie. She has received the Award of Arts and Letters in France.
Dee Dee Bridgewater is mother to three children, Tulani Bridgewater (from her marriage to Cecil Bridgewater), China Moses (from her marriage to theater, film and television director Gilbert Moses) and Gabriel Durand (from her current marriage to French concert promoter Jean-Marie Durand).
Nica's Dream
Dee Dee Bridgewater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A song that we know
All the musitians will play.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
A song loaded with love.
A sweet melody Given by angels above.
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
Bridge
She had a vision
That jazz would one day be
The music that's of
The future, you see.
Don't you agree?
We'll help to see that
Her vision will come true.
And all the world will be
Blessed by it too.
This song is here to stay my friend.
Just wait and see.
The people have made
It part of jazz history.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
The song "Nica's Dream" by Dee Dee Bridgewater is a tribute to Pannonica de Koenigswarter, a wealthy and unconventional patron of jazz during the mid-20th century. The lyrics describe the widespread admiration for her love of jazz and her vision for it to become the music of the future. The song begins with a happy and joyful tone, reflecting the joy that Nica brought to the jazz community. The lyrics suggest that everyone in the jazz world loves "Nica's Dream" and that it will continue to be a part of jazz history.
The lyrics also describe the sweetness and beauty of the melody, suggesting that it was given by angels from above. The bridge section of the song speaks to Nica's vision for the future of jazz being realized with the help of others. The overall theme of the song is one of gratitude and admiration for Nica's legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
A song happy and gay,
A joyful tune that uplifts our spirits
A song that we know
A familiar tune that we can recognize
All the musicians will play.
A song that is loved by all musicians and frequently performed
You know, so it would seem,
It is widely believed that
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
Everyone adores Nica's Dream
A song loaded with love.
A melody filled with affection
A sweet melody Given by angels above.
A delightful tune believed to be a gift from heaven
Bridge
Transition to a different section of the song
She had a vision
Nica had a foresight
That jazz would one day be
That jazz music would eventually become
The music that's of
The art form that represents
The future, you see.
The upcoming times, as she saw it
Don't you agree?
Do you not concur?
We'll help to see that
We will assist in making sure that
Her vision will come true.
Her dream will be realized
And all the world will be
Eventually, the entire planet will be
Blessed by it too.
Enriched and benefited by her vision
This song is here to stay my friend.
This song is timeless and will endure
Just wait and see.
Just give it time and observe
The people have made
Fans and admirers have made
It part of jazz history.
It a significant element of jazz music's past
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
It is adored by everyone, Nica's Dream
Contributed by David B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-jm2wn3zh1s
A song happy and gay,
A song that we know
All the musitians will play.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
A song loaded with love.
A sweet melody Given by angels above.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
She had a vision
That jazz would one day be
The music that's of
The future, you see.
Don't you agree?
We'll help to see that
Her vision will come true.
And all the world will be
Blessed by it too.
This song is here to stay my friend.
Just wait and see.
The people have made
It part of jazz history.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
@janitac4283
A song happy and gay,
A song that we know
All the musicians will play.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves nica's dream.
A song loaded with love.
A sweet melody sent by angels above.
La suite des paroles ci-dessous
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves nica's dream.
She had a vision
That jazz would one day be
The music that's of
The future, you see.
Don't you agree?
We'll help to see that
Her vision will come true.
And all the world will be
Blessed by it too.
This song is here to stay my friend.
Just wait and see.
The people have made
It part of jazz history.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves nica's dream.
@Peksu77
Oh my god what a treat. Just wonderful ❤
@gilmueller4803
Hell of a tribute to the Baroness of Jazz and her pal Horace Silver
@dancelli714
DEE DEE AND
NICA'S DREAM
A PERFECT MATCH. Got the CD. All Horace music with DEE DEE. (Horace on piano)
@corneliuscarr9188
A happy and lovely tribute to Dear Mr. Silver. Thank you Dee Dee. Nica's dream lives on!
@djandersonny
Sometimes a song just grabs so tight that I can't let go.
Nica's Dream
From: Love And Peace - A Tribute To Horace Silver
[Scott Yanow of AllMusic wrote, " Bridgewater uplifts Silver's lyrics, proves to be in prime form, and swings up a storm.]
Dee Dee Bridgewater Producer, Vocals; Lionel Belmondo, Tenor; Stéphane Belmondo, Trumpet; Horace Silver, Piano; Hein Van De Geyn, Bass; André Ceccarelli, Drums.
Horace Silver Words & Music
@user-jm2wn3zh1s
A song happy and gay,
A song that we know
All the musitians will play.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
A song loaded with love.
A sweet melody Given by angels above.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
She had a vision
That jazz would one day be
The music that's of
The future, you see.
Don't you agree?
We'll help to see that
Her vision will come true.
And all the world will be
Blessed by it too.
This song is here to stay my friend.
Just wait and see.
The people have made
It part of jazz history.
You know, so it would seem,
Everybody loves NICA'S DREAM.
@lizardocejas4336
Somebody knows why this album is not available in Spotify?
@robertapp499
Super morceau prochain travail en groupe
@ava_alami
Please write the musician's names if you can ❤❤
@naylayenquisgroup4667
André Ceccarelli - Drums
Hein Van de Geyn - Bass
Jimmy Smith - Hammond
Thierry Eliez - Piano
Lionel Belmondo - Tenor Sax
Stéphane Belmondo - Trumpet
And Horace Silver in Song for my father and Nica’s Dream