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Caili O'Doherty: Bluer Than Blue

By Pierre Giroux
May 12, 2025
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Pianist and arranger

Caili O'Doherty

piano
b.1992

" data-original-title="" title="">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

piano
1898 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Lil Hardin Armstrong, a trailblazing composer, pianist, and bandleader whose influence has long lingered in the shadows of her more famous husband

Louis Armstrong

trumpet and vocals
1901 - 1971

" data-original-title="" title="">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

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">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

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Tahira Clayton delivering the vocal with a combination of crisp diction and daring scat lines.

Nicole Glover

saxophone, tenor
b.1991

" data-original-title="" title="">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

piano and vocals
1930 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">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.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Let's Call It Love; Clip Joint; Let's Get Happy Together; Struttin' With Some Barbecue; Happy Today, Sad Tomorrow; Bluer Than Blue; Two Dueces; Riffin' The Blues; Jusxt For A Thrill.

Personnel

Tamir Shmerling

bass

Cory Cox

drums

Nicole Glover

saxophone, tenor

Tahira Clayton

vocals

Michael Mayo

vocals

Additional Instrumentation

Caili O'Doherty, piano

Album information

Title: Bluer Than Blue | Year Released: 2025 | Record Label: Outside in Music

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