Clairdee

Official Biography (courtesy of Clairdee)

No less than the illustrious Nancy Wilson has said of the soulful and jazzy force of interpretive nature called Clairdee, "In the tradition of all great vocalists, she infuses each song with her own unique style while always remaining true to the song itself." That dead-on assessment applies to her studio albums and live performances — rich and multi-faceted. Aside from creating joyful renditions of great vocal soul-jazz, Clairdee takes the opportunity to fill her growing fan base in on a wide multitude of influences. 

Clairdee's discography as leader, arranger, and producer, includes three highly praised albums. Her newest recording, “A Love Letter to Lena” (Declare Music 2020), honors legendary singer, actress, and activist, Lena Horne.

Heralded for her inventive artistry and magnetic stage presence, Clairdee’s lustrous voice and expressive delivery hearken back to a time when jazz, pop, and rhythm and blues often blended seamlessly together. Combining scene-stealing charisma with a sincere belief in the transformative power of music, Clairdee presents a repertoire of American Standards set to state of the art arrangements that are equally smart and entertaining.

Her soulfully alluring vocal style has been featured in concert halls, festivals and nightclubs from Monterey, Edinburgh, Tokyo, Bangkok, Toronto, Paris, Moscow and St. Petersburg Russia, to New York, New Hampshire, San Francisco and points in between. In addition to leading her world-class touring band, Clairdee has performed with some of America’s most notable jazz masters including Dick Hyman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Houston Person, Cyrus Chestnut, Ken Peplowski, and the late Nancy Wilson. And with her impressive ability and ease in singing a variety of musical genres, she concertizes with pops symphony orchestras and big bands and has opened for artists as diverse as David Sanborn, Johnny Mathis, and the late great Etta James.

In 2018, Clairdee received the Bay Area Jazz and Blues Artist Lifetime Achievement Award for her continuous commitment to the community. She is a passionate advocate for music education: Part-time collegiate professor of Jazz Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and an Artist Advisory Committee member and active mentor in the Bay Area-based non-profit Jazz in the Neighborhood. She is a former vocal jazz instructor at University of California Berkeley's Jazz Department and Diablo Valley College, and a long-time teaching artist with the San Francisco Symphony’s education department.

“My mission," Clairdee says, "is to engage, uplift and build community through music — creating narrative that inspires beyond the stage.”