It might seem strange to describe a singer as hip as Clairdee as a throwback, but
she’s an artist who embodies creative values that have largely gone out of style. With
her lustrous voice and soulful delivery, she hearkens back to a time when jazz, pop,
and rhythm and blues often blended seamlessly together. Combining scene-stealing
charisma with heartfelt humility and a sincere belief in the transformative power of
music, Clairdee has honed a repertoire of standards set to state of the art
arrangements that are equally smart and entertaining.
"I am a jazz inspired storyteller," Clairdee says. "I choose songs that have some
relevance to my life experiences and to human vulnerabilities. I want the music I sing
to stir emotions, to make a connection, to be accessible." It was her finely honed jazz
sensibility and old-school attitude about the importance of communicating with
audiences that attracted legendary manager John Levy to the San Francisco-based
singer. For Levy, who has worked with many of jazz’s greatest artists, Clairdee’s gift
for putting her own stamp on a song while capturing its essence has broad appeal.
Clairdee's stylistically encompassing approach is beautifully documented on her latest
CD, “Music Moves" which was recorded live at Yoshi’s. The album captures her soulinfused
sound with a version of “Summertime” inspired by her love of Donny Hathaway
and Al Green. Her knack for pairing songs that enhance each other is perfectly
embodied in a mash up of the Joe Williams/Count Basie hit, “All Right, Okay, You Win,”
with the lean instrumental funk of Les McCann and Eddie Harris’s, “Cold Duck Time.”
It’s a fascinating counterpoint to her previous release, “Destination Moon” a luminous
collection of beloved standards, such as “Star Eyes,” “I’ve Got the World On A String”
and “Time After Time,” which she delivers with casual intimacy, turning each piece into
an incisive emotional journey.
Part of what makes Clairdee so distinctive is that she’s also closely studied male
masters like Johnny Hartman, Joe Williams, Billy Eckstine and Nat “King” Cole. Though
she draws on those influences, Clairdee stresses that she is not interested in
impersonating or imitating other artists. “Listening to a lot of different vocalists and
instrumentalists in various styles of music has helped me hone my craft. But learning
about who I am outside the music has been just as important, and has helped me find
my voice within the music.”