THE
DREAM I DREAMED
REVIEWS
April
18, 2015
Midwest
Record by Chris Spector
“Giving
out a set of all originals, Dees will have you scratching your head
wondering where he’s been hiding all this time…Solid stuff
throughout, this is real deal classy stuff that never fails to
impress. Well done.”
JAZZED
MEDIAMICHAEL DEES/Dream I
Dreamed: An old school
jazz vocalist that’s made a good life over the last 40+ years makes
one of his rare steps to the fore and shows he’s had the goods up
his sleeve all along. With a look that could stereotype him as
a Sinatra manqué, the only thing the two have in common is white
hair and swing. Giving out a set of all originals, Dees will
have you scratching your head wondering where he’s been hiding all
this time, especially if you’ve got that jazz vocal jones.
Solid stuff throughout, this is real deal classy stuff that never
fails to impress. Well done.
April 24, 2015
Jazz Profiles by Steve Cerra
“Michael Dees is an accomplished
artist who has been honing his art for almost half a century and
it shows on The Dream I Dreamed.”
April 24, 2015
AXS by Paula Edelstein
“Overall, all of the original
compositions tell a story of Michael Dees’ exceptional prowess as a
singer/songwriter. With The Dream I Dreamed, he achieves the
level of artistry he introduced on his Capitol Records recordings and
"One Single Rose."
April 29, 2015
Music Man Blog by Robert Nicosia
"Multi-talented Michael Dees wrote all 14
songs on the CD, and his compositions are nothing short of brilliant.
Michael writes in the finest tradition of the "Great American
Songbook". His melodies are powerful and his lyrics are alive
and full of passion...songwriting doesn't get any better than this!"
April
30, 2015
Jersey
Jazz by Joe Lang (June issue)
“The
Dream I Dreamed
is a damned fine vocal album.”
MICHAEL
DEES recorded
a few albums in the 1960s and played gigs around the country, most
notably on the Playboy Clubs circuit. By the 1970s, he turned
his attention to singing on soundtracks, and writing and recording
advertising jingles. In recent years, he has been doing more
live gigs, and now has released his first album since 2001, The
Dream I Dreamed
(Jazzed Media – 1071). The program is comprised of 14
original songs with music and lyrics by Dees. The songs are
very much in the tradition of mainstream pop standards, and are well
sung by Dees. He has a trio of Terry Trotter on piano, Chuck
Berghofer on bass and Steve Schaeffer on drums, with occasional
contributions by several reed and brass players. This is no
mere vanity album. Dees is a fine singer who reads lyrics well,
and knows what swing is all about. He has written serviceable
songs that he puts over convincingly. The
Dream I Dreamed
is a damned fine vocal album, the kind that used to come along
regularly, but is the exception in today’s music market. It
is a refreshing collection that deserves a wide audience.
(www.JazzedMedia.com)
May
11, 2015
Bebop
Spoken Here by Debra M.
“The
collection is definitely worth a listen for fans of the
afore-mentioned mature, male jazz vocalists, and for those young
pretenders seeking to master the craft.”
May 18, 2015
By Rex Reed
“The
new Michael Dees recording revives my faith in the kind of style and
artistry that has all but faded from the quality of life we used to
know, and rarely leaves my sound system even for bathroom breaks.
What a fresh-air revelation in the polluted ozone!” ~ Rex Reed
May
24, 2015
Jazz Mostly by Bruce Crowther
“Although Michael displays maturity
with his interpretation of the lyrics he sings (here his own –
elsewhere those of others), his lithe and fresh vocal sound is
something many will love and certainly belies whatever age it might
say on his passport.”
MICHAEL DEES The Dream I
Dreamed (Jazzed Media JM 1071)
Although only recently becoming a
familiar name to all who love to hear good songs well sung, Michael
Dees has been around for a long time and heard by unknowing millions.
During these many years in the business, dating back to the late
1960s, he was often heard singing on film and television soundtracks.
He sang What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life on the soundtrack of
the 1969 film, The Happy Ending, and the title song for the 1970
film, A Walk In The Spring Rain; he appeared on The Steve Allen Show;
and he recorded albums for Dot Records and Capitol Records, the
latter including 1968’s Talk To Me Baby. In later decades, Michael
was heard on the soundtrack of Sabrina (1995) and he provided the
singing voice, performing One For My Baby And One More For The Road,
for actor Ray Liotta who played the role of Frank Sinatra in The Rat
Pack (1998).m dees cd He also recorded a fine album in 2002 for Mack
Records, One Single Rose, but that was a dozen or so years ago and
since then only those lucky enough to catch him live at jazz and
supper clubs in and around Los Angeles and Palm Springs (where he now
lives) have heard him. Now, there is a new album, recorded in late
2014, that shows another facet of this remarkable artist’s talent.
Although his past performances have found Michael singing the great
standards, he is also an accomplished songwriter and that particular
talent is on vivid display on The Dream I Dreamed, all the songs on
which are his compositions. And good songs they are, too, ranging
through romantic ballads, I Miss You, Where Love Goes, I’m Home,
and the especially attractive I Stay, to gently bouncing swingers, In
A Moment, So Crazy For You, Back In New Orleans. Michael is
accompanied by front-rank studio and jazz musicians: pianist Terry
Trotter, bassist Chuck Berghofer, and drummer Steve Schaeffer, with
guest trumpeters Steve Huffsteter and Sal Marquez, tenor saxophonists
Chuck Manning, Bob Sheppard and Doug Webb, and percussionist Don
Williams. Although Michael displays maturity with his interpretation
of the lyrics he sings (here his own – elsewhere those of others),
his lithe and fresh vocal sound is something many will love and
certainly belies whatever age it might say on his passport.
June 2, 2015
Blogcritics
by Jack Goodstein
“Whether
it is the swinging opener, “In a Moment,” the Dixieland shout-out
“Back in New Orleans,” or the yearning ballad that gives the
album its title, these are songs that call to mind another era.”
MICHAEL
DEES / THE DREAM I DREAMED
“Michael
Dees has been around. The singer is a seasoned pro. He has the kind
of voice that made a legend of Frank Sinatra, but while Sinatra is a
household name, Dees has a name few outside the business have ever
heard of. And that is unfortunate – the man can sing. It may be
that he came along at the wrong time. It may be that his retro sound
is out of step with the directions contemporary music has music
taken. Whatever the reason, it is shameful that he isn’t better
known.
His
new album The
Dream I Dreamed,
only his second release since the 2001 One
Single Rose, might
do the job if given half a chance. The 14-tune set of original songs
highlights both his vocal stylings and his traditional songwriting.
His songs, while they lack the kind of familiarity that makes the old
standards warm the hearts of the sentimental among us, have the vibe
of past decades. Whether it is the swinging opener, “In a Moment,”
the Dixieland shout-out “Back in New Orleans,” or the yearning
ballad that gives the album its title, these are songs that call to
mind another era. That will be their glory for some audiences, and
their feet of clay for others.”
June 4, 2015
Interview with Cyrus Webb on
Blogtalkradio
June 12, 2015
Lajazz.com by Dee Dee McNeil
Michael
Dees - The Dream I Dreamed
Michael Dees, vocals: Terry Trotter, piano; Chuck Berghofer, bass; Steve Schaeffer, drums; Steve Huffsteter, trumpet & flugelhorn; Chuck Manning, tenor sax; Sal Marquez, trumpet; Bob Sheppard, tenor sax & clarinet; Doug Webb, tenor sax; Don Williams, percussion.
I put this CD on my player for the third time. Michael Dees is smooth, sexy and addictive. Not only is he an outstanding vocalist, comparably a cross between Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, but he is a magnificent composer. Dees knows how to craft a song, both melodically and lyrically. When he sings his original compositions, he puts unequivocal emotion and excitement into the music, using both appropriate intonation and emotional gusto. Back in the 1960's Michael Dees was voted "Best New Male Singer" at the International Popular Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a recording deal with Capitol Records. They released two albums featuring Dees, and he began to get a reputation as a singer who could best represent a songwriter's work. Alan & Marilyn Bergman agreed, enjoying his memorable interpretation of their songs. When television, commercials and movie soundtrack people got wind of him, Dees began making a lucrative living, even singing as the voice of Frank Sinatra in the HBO "Rat Pack" movie. He was sought out as a soundtrack vocalist and sang, wrote and/or produced numerous jingles for radio and TV.
Now, in the prime of his creativity, Dees offers us a richly produced and composed compact disc of beautiful, original songs, with nearly an hour of expressively delivered stories of love and loss. Dees vocal acrobatics and expressively sung compositions bring great joy and entertainment. Here are a lovely bouquet of songs offered generously, that should be recorded over and over again by the best in the business.
Michael Dees, vocals: Terry Trotter, piano; Chuck Berghofer, bass; Steve Schaeffer, drums; Steve Huffsteter, trumpet & flugelhorn; Chuck Manning, tenor sax; Sal Marquez, trumpet; Bob Sheppard, tenor sax & clarinet; Doug Webb, tenor sax; Don Williams, percussion.
I put this CD on my player for the third time. Michael Dees is smooth, sexy and addictive. Not only is he an outstanding vocalist, comparably a cross between Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, but he is a magnificent composer. Dees knows how to craft a song, both melodically and lyrically. When he sings his original compositions, he puts unequivocal emotion and excitement into the music, using both appropriate intonation and emotional gusto. Back in the 1960's Michael Dees was voted "Best New Male Singer" at the International Popular Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a recording deal with Capitol Records. They released two albums featuring Dees, and he began to get a reputation as a singer who could best represent a songwriter's work. Alan & Marilyn Bergman agreed, enjoying his memorable interpretation of their songs. When television, commercials and movie soundtrack people got wind of him, Dees began making a lucrative living, even singing as the voice of Frank Sinatra in the HBO "Rat Pack" movie. He was sought out as a soundtrack vocalist and sang, wrote and/or produced numerous jingles for radio and TV.
Now, in the prime of his creativity, Dees offers us a richly produced and composed compact disc of beautiful, original songs, with nearly an hour of expressively delivered stories of love and loss. Dees vocal acrobatics and expressively sung compositions bring great joy and entertainment. Here are a lovely bouquet of songs offered generously, that should be recorded over and over again by the best in the business.
June 15, 2015
Jazz History Online by Thomas Cunniffe
“Fans of the Sinatra school and those
interested in the continuing evolution of the Great American Songbook
will enjoy this album.”
MICHAEL DEES: “THE DREAM I
DREAMED” (Jazzed Media 1071)
In Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical 1979 film, “All That Jazz”, the Fosse character Joe Gideon is mounting a new Broadway musical. He is saddled with “Take Off With Us”, a simply awful airplane-themed ditty loaded with innocuous sexual references. The Fosse/Gideon choreography starts as a typical bouncy showstopper, but then the group goes into a fantasy sequence called “Air-Rotica”. The now semi-nude dancers are split into three couples: straight, gay and lesbian. The backers are shocked and the composer puts his head in his hands and mutters, “Now Sinatra will never record it”. The deliberately bad “Take Off With Us” never had a chance with Ol’ Blue Eyes, but Frank Sinatra might well have recorded many of the original songs on Michael Dees’ new CD, “The Dream I Dreamed”. The opening track, “In a Moment” is loaded with energy, engaging lyrics, and a great set of changes forDoug Webb’s tenor sax solo. Dees’ vocal delivery is straight out of Sinatra with lots of machismo, and a little touch of lounge-lizard growl. The similarities are even more pronounced on the ballad “Look at Me” where Dees evokes the late-night feel of Sinatra’s “Wee Small Hours” album. Dees has superb diction, and for the most part, exceptional pitch control (the exception is “I Miss You”, but despite the wobbly delivery, the composition is so good that I’m sure other singers will be eager to cover it). And unlike most singer-composers, Dees is quite willing to depart from his original melodies to create new melodic variations. Dees is backed by a superb band, including Terry Trotter (piano), Chuck Berghofer(bass), Steve Schaeffer (drums), with appearances by saxophonists Doug Webb, Chuck Manning and Bob Sheppard, trumpeters Sal Marquez and Steve Huffsteter, and percussionist Don Williams. Like these instrumentalists, Dees has logged many hours in the Hollywood recording studios. His jazz discography has been rather spotty, with a handful of LPs in the mid-60s, and a 2001 CD for Mack Avenue. But as one of his new songs states “You were a long time comin’, but you were worth the wait”. Fans of the Sinatra school and those interested in the continuing evolution of the Great American Songbook will enjoy this album.
In Bob Fosse’s semi-autobiographical 1979 film, “All That Jazz”, the Fosse character Joe Gideon is mounting a new Broadway musical. He is saddled with “Take Off With Us”, a simply awful airplane-themed ditty loaded with innocuous sexual references. The Fosse/Gideon choreography starts as a typical bouncy showstopper, but then the group goes into a fantasy sequence called “Air-Rotica”. The now semi-nude dancers are split into three couples: straight, gay and lesbian. The backers are shocked and the composer puts his head in his hands and mutters, “Now Sinatra will never record it”. The deliberately bad “Take Off With Us” never had a chance with Ol’ Blue Eyes, but Frank Sinatra might well have recorded many of the original songs on Michael Dees’ new CD, “The Dream I Dreamed”. The opening track, “In a Moment” is loaded with energy, engaging lyrics, and a great set of changes forDoug Webb’s tenor sax solo. Dees’ vocal delivery is straight out of Sinatra with lots of machismo, and a little touch of lounge-lizard growl. The similarities are even more pronounced on the ballad “Look at Me” where Dees evokes the late-night feel of Sinatra’s “Wee Small Hours” album. Dees has superb diction, and for the most part, exceptional pitch control (the exception is “I Miss You”, but despite the wobbly delivery, the composition is so good that I’m sure other singers will be eager to cover it). And unlike most singer-composers, Dees is quite willing to depart from his original melodies to create new melodic variations. Dees is backed by a superb band, including Terry Trotter (piano), Chuck Berghofer(bass), Steve Schaeffer (drums), with appearances by saxophonists Doug Webb, Chuck Manning and Bob Sheppard, trumpeters Sal Marquez and Steve Huffsteter, and percussionist Don Williams. Like these instrumentalists, Dees has logged many hours in the Hollywood recording studios. His jazz discography has been rather spotty, with a handful of LPs in the mid-60s, and a 2001 CD for Mack Avenue. But as one of his new songs states “You were a long time comin’, but you were worth the wait”. Fans of the Sinatra school and those interested in the continuing evolution of the Great American Songbook will enjoy this album.
July 3, 2015
JazzWeekly by George Harris
Michael Dees ups
the ante here as he not only sings but writes the songs here. He
teams up with a simpatico rhythm team of Terry Trotter/p, Chuck
Berghofer/b and Steve Schaeffer/dr along with guest saxes, trumpets
and percussion. He’s able to deliver vocal clarity and style
on high energy tunes such as “A Long Time Comin’” as well as a
clever “So Crazy For You” that includes an excitedly outside
tenor solo by Chuck Manning. He sways with the blues on ”Back
In New Orleans” with Bob Sheppard’s clarinet but is also able to
sound intimate in a trio setting on “I Miss You” and gets shadowy
on “Where Love Goes.” He sounds street wise on the soulful bopper
“Am I Supposed to Care?” along with Steve Huffsteter’s trumpet
and goes gloriously despairing on “Look At Me.” This guy sounds
like he means it!
July 21, 2015
By Nick
Mondello, All About Jazz
“…throughout
the recording Dees shows he is a superior interpreter of lyric and
has a marvelous grasp on the interplay between word, note, volume and
delivery ("I Miss You"). Where's there's love lost, you
hear the yearning in his voice ("I Stay"). On his up-tempo
material ("In a Moment," "So Crazy for You,"
"Truly Love") Dees swings…”
August
2, 2015
By Maria Miaoulis of Celebrity Café.
“With The
Dream I Dreamed, this seasoned vet has proven why he’s
continued to thrive in the music world all these years. Just like
wine, Michael Dees’ artistry only gets better with age.”
September
11, 2015
O’s
Place Jazz Newsletter by D. Oscar Groomes
“This quarter we reviewed a lot of
cabaret vocalists and a few crooners but none as distinct as Michael
Dees. He is a polished veteran that knows how to swing and more
importantly, he knows how to sing (vs. speak) the lyrics. Listening
to Dees soar on "Look At Me", we enjoy his range and
dynamics, a sample of what we hear throughout the session. The icing
on the cake is that Michael brings all new, original material. Terry
Trotter (p), Chuck Berghofer (b) and Steve Schaeffer's (d) are a
solid rhythm section anchors a first rate band that features guest
artists on brass and percussion. The result is a performance that
you'll want to repeat!”
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