Caili O'Doherty: Bluer Than Blue

Pianist and arranger Caili O'Doherty has carved out a niche as both an incisive interpreter of the jazz tradition and an innovator unafraid to reshape it. With Bluer Than Blue, she turns her keen musical intellect toward the underappreciated Lil Hardin Armstrong, a trailblazing composer, pianist, and bandleader whose influence has long lingered in the shadows of her more famous husband Louis Armstrong. O'Doherty doesn't merely recreate Hardin's music; she reimagines it for the 21st Century with bold harmonies, time signature shifts, and an ensemble that breathes fresh life into these nearly century-old gems.

The session opens with "Let's Call It Love," with Michael Mayo taking the velvety vocal filled with bounce and joyfulness. O'Doherty's piano has a contemporary swing feel, creating a sense of harmonic sophistication without overwhelming the tune's melodic purity while pushing the treatment into new expressive territory. "Clip Joint" follows with Tahira Clayton delivering the vocal with a combination of crisp diction and daring scat lines. Nicole Glover is a tenor saxophonist with an earthy grit and a robust tone. On this track, she swings with a lean intensity complementing the pianist's sly harmonic nudges.

"Struttin' With Some Barbecue" is one of Lil Hardin Armstrong's most iconic compositions and receives a captivating solo treatment from the leader. In the absence of any rhythm section or horn counterpoint, O'Doherty fills the space with vitality and historical nuance, crafting a performance that is both reverent and exhilarating. Her phrasing has humour and swagger with just enough rhythmic elasticity to keep the listener leaning forward. The title track "Bluer Than Blue" is a striking example of mood and atmosphere that reveals Lil Hardin Armstrong's compositional depth while showcasing O'Doherty's gift for harmonic storytelling. The vocal by Tahira Clayton is equal parts vulnerability and control. Her tone is forceful yet precise, and her subtle melismatic touches bring out the heartbreak in the lyric without descending into melodrama. Her phrasing dances over O'Doherty's reharmonized changes, suggesting an almost dreamlike quality, familiar but slightly out of reach.

Ray Charles's soulful version. O'Doherty recasts the ballad with striking emotional depth, with Tahira Clayton delivering the lyric with graceful restraint that honors the original torch-song sentiment while lending it modern elegance. O'Doherty's piano solo avoids the temptation of excess, opting for a series of measured statements that underscore the heartbreak nestled in the song's core.

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