The harp
Dee's chosen instrument-an 85-pound, 47-stringed electric harp-is rarely seen in a contemporary pop setting or heard outside of stuffy chamber music halls or New Age environs. Dee uses it in a guitar-like way-to stunning effect. "I consider myself a singer/songwriter foremost," Dee admits, "though the harp is such an integral part of me that I guess I should say singer/songwriter/harpist. I often write at the piano," Dee explains, "and then go over to the harp to see how it sounds. The harp is like an upright piano without the black keys and I work those pedals with my feet. The challenge, because I was classically trained with all those glissandos and arpeggios, is to give the harp a rhythmic quality. It's a never-ending lesson, and I keep stretching it." These days she describes her harp as "a sexy instrument. There are seven pedals, very close together, and it's very easy to get them mixed up. I feel a lot safer, especially in live performance, in my bare feet. Plus, I feel more comfortable, as if I was playing in my living room," she admits.
Dee's history
When she was five years old, Dee and her family moved to Rochester, NY. That same year she began piano lessons. Her father, a biomedical engineer and one of the world's leading authorities on ultrasound, sang in barbershop quartets and played both clarinet and piano. Dee and her four siblings all took music lessons. At age eight, Dee was one of only five children tapped to study with a classical harpist from the Rochester Philharmonic. The Eastman School of Music's experimental program, designed to encourage budding musicians to take up the harp, lasted only one year but Dee continued her studies for nine years, juggling regular school work with a demanding conservatory schedule. Her mastery of the graceful yet difficult instrument took root during these years, as did her growing attraction to singing and songwriting. Despite nine years of classical studies at the prestigious school, her growing affinity to Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elton John and others drew her away from the world of the conservatory. Dee's travels-first to Europe, then to Montana and California-eventually led her to New York City where she was finally ready to put her life experiences, rhythmic and lyrical pop sensibilities together with her harp. Then, as now, her own life provided her with the raw material and inspiration she needed to write music.
Wit and wisdom
On stage, Dee exudes wit and wisdom, creating a one-on-one intimacy. She's shared the stage with Jonatha Brooke, Marc Cohn, Paula Cole, Sinead O'Connor, and Dar Williams, among many others. Her past recordings have featured the work of Neil Dorfsman (Sting, Dire Straits), Ben Wisch (Marc Cohn, Jonatha Brooke, Patty Larkin), Mark Knopfler, and Mike Mainieri, (renowned jazz vibraphonist / husband). Dee's music has appeared in the Sally Field film "Beautiful", starring Minnie Driver, Neil Simon's remake of "The Goodbye Girl", and most recently, Jane Anderson's film, "The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio", starring Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson. Dee has also contributed to the sci fi TV series VR5, Christine Lavin's Tribute II, and CD projects of Dar Williams, Vance Gilbert and Art Garfunkel.
Patch of Blue
On hearing Dee's new release, Patch of Blue, Bruce Bressack of the HippoPress, writes "This is one hell of a recording with musical and vocal performances that are superb, with lyrics that mean something and lay perfectly within the track. I hear traces of Nora Jones, Jonatha Brooke, Shawn Colvin, and Andreas Vollenweider (Harp), which ain't shabby company to be in. But to me, Dee takes it up a notch and delivers a feel and sound that you can 'wrap your arms around'. Better said, the music wraps its arms around you. She just makes me feel good. Her new CD, Patch of Blue, contains eight remarkable compositions, with songs that are honest, heart-felt, and emotion-laden. This is honest, "from the soul music" performed by someone who has been in places we all know about but are sometimes reticent to share."