WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
“Jazz was the first music that I ever heard. It was introduced to me by my Dad who always played jazz around the house. He regularly sat me down and told me to listen closely to the music, that jazz was life.” Her beloved father passed away when she was 11. “The last time I saw him, he was at the hospital, had me driven in, and he told me that he wanted me to promise him something. He wanted me to promise him that I would sing jazz after I became a woman. Years passed, life went on, and I became involved in performing and recording r&b. But when I was completing the second CD in 2013, I kept on thinking about my last conversation with my Dad. It was as if he was reminding me about my promise. I decided that I would see if I had what it took to sing jazz.”
Douye’ has since worked very hard at finding her own place in the jazz world. Rather than doing it halfway or merely copying the great jazz singers of the past, she was determined to study hard, learn a countless number of songs, and sing jazz in her own way. She paid close attention to the reactions of the audience and the musicians when she appeared at jazz jams at the World Stage in Los Angeles. “If I did not sound any good, they would certainly tell me! I gained the courage to give it a real try after getting some confirmation from the jazz crowd that I could do this.
She gained experience singing in school in Nigeria but her goal was to be in the U.S. “Music was the reason that I moved to the United States. I attended the Musicians Institute where my beliefs about the importance of being oneself, developing my own sound, and not comparing myself to anyone else were validated.” While at the school, she met songwriter Terry Shaddick who had composed Olivia-Newton John’s big hit “Physical.” They soon formed a musical partnership, writing the music together for her first two albums, Journey and So Much Love. “Journey was about coming from Africa and becoming a musician in the Western world. My second album, So Much Love, was dedicated to the great African Afrobeat musician Fela Kuti.” Both of the records were inspired by classic r&b (including Anita Baker, Sam Cooke and Sade among others) along with Douyé’s African musical heritage, displaying her as a powerful and soulful singer in addition to being a skilled composer.
But after So Much Love was completed, Douyé felt that something was missing, and that was the promise she had made to her father. “Earlier I was hesitant to sing jazz because I felt that I needed to do more work. But after So Much Love, I decided that it was finally time and to go all the way into jazz.” Douyé started attending jazz jams at the World Stage in Los Angeles and found that the audience and her fellow musicians were very encouraging. She began working with pianist Howlett Smith, built up her repertoire, and worked very hard at finding her own place in the jazz world. “I’ve never looked at another singer and thought that I wanted to be like them. While I admire many singers, I know what I hold and so I always wanted to sound like myself and hone my artistic qualities.” For her first jazz album Daddy Said So, she was joined by such masterful musicians as pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ron Carter (for a duet version of “Nature Boy”), trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, guitarist Russell Malone, and pianists Otmaro Ruiz, John Beasley and Joel Scott, along with the Kim Richmond big band on two numbers. Douyé’s warmth, swinging phrasing, and deep understanding of the lyrics that she interpreted and pure joy at performing creative jazz are very much in evidence throughout the memorable Douyé set.
Douyé followed Daddy Said So with Quartro – Bossa Nova Deluxe, a set of Brazilian jazz that includes many attractive songs including several by Antonio Carlos Jobim, and bossa-nova versions of “Lover Man,” “Watch What Happens,” “Song For My Father,” and “Nica’s Dream.” Her supporting cast included pianists John Di Martino and Otmaro Ruiz, saxophonist Justo Almario, and guitarists Romero Lubambo, Angelo Metz and Paul Meyers.
Now with the release of The Golden Sékéré, Douyé is consolidating her place as a major jazz singer. “Jazz fits very well with my spirit and it speaks to life. It inspires me to put a lot of work and depth into what I do, and there is always so much more to learn. I relate each song to my own life, my story, and my journey. For the future, I hope to perform as often as possible and bring this music not only to Los Angeles and nationally but to Europe, Africa and worldwide, reaching out to the international world of jazz.”
Douyé has a distinctive and warm voice along with her own attractive jazz phrasing. She uplifts every song that she sings (even the most familiar standards), making them sound brand new and part of her life story.
Her most recent recording, The Golden Sékéré, is her most rewarding to date. Douyé transforms 14 classic songs, bringing out their inner beauty without losing their essence. The album is filled with many welcome surprises including a slower-than-usual rendition of “Cherokee,” a waltz version of “Speak Low,” the rollicking Latin big band on “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” a romantic and haunting “I’m Confessin’,” and a version of Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing” that has both swing and funk sections. Douyé utilized the best musicians including pianist Benito Gonzalez, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Sean Jones, guitarist Lionel Loueke, bassist Buster Williams and top musicians from Africa such as Dapo Torimiro, Najite Agindotan, Dokun Oke, and Babá Ken Okulolo. The result is a wide-ranging and very enjoyable set of stirring and heartfelt music.
Douyé was born and raised in Nigeria. “At a very early age my Dad introduced me to jazz including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and the beboppers plus the greats of Gospel music,” she remembers. “I always sang and it seemed very natural to me. As a young child whenever I heard a tune with a beautiful melody, I would hum along, eventually learning the words. I was encouraged by my Godmother and my parents to join the church choir which gave me my first opportunity to sing in front of people.”
Douyé had a very close relationship with her father who passed away when she was 11. “My Dad always played jazz around the house and told me that jazz was life. The last time I saw him, he wanted me to promise him that someday when I was a woman I would sing jazz. I always remembered that.”
