(April 23, 2020) Jazz singer Clairdee said that her parents raised her and her siblings with a knowledge and respect of history. They also made sure that their children heard plenty of good music, and Clairdee became a fan of the music of Lena Horne. But she was not simply a fan of fan of Lena Honre’s music; Clairdee’s parents also made sure that all their children knew about Horne’s life and her social justice activism.
A veteran jazz singer who has been entertaining music fans in the San Francisco area for more than 25 years, Clairdee latest project, A Love Letter to Lena, honors Horne’s music and life. The album includes songs performed by Horne, but it is not simply a paint by the numbers cover album.
“The 2016 election helped me decide how I wanted to approach the Lena project. It had to be more than merely a tribute album of her greatest hits. It was clear to me that the album should reflect my parents’ hopes for their children through the lens of Lena’s efforts for civil rights and equality.’
The arrangements also reflect Clairdee’s fusion of jazz with a R&B sensibility, and that is definitely the case with her cover of “Old Devil Moon” that is featured in this First Listen. The Horne’s version was a brassy, swinging example of 1950s era swankiness that you might have heard her belt out at the Copa or in Vegas. Clairdee endows her version with smooth sway that possesses a dash of jazz, and a hint of funk to go along with a nice helping of R&B.
Check out Clairdee’s cover of “Old Devil Moon” here.
By Howard Dukes
Clairdee – “Old Devil Moon”
