Douyé
❝
The Golden Sèkèrè ❞
Douyé
❝
The Golden Sèkèrè ❞
(FYC) BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
ALBUM RELEASE VIDEO:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Douyé
ALBUM:
The Golden Sèkèrè
ALBUM MASTERED:
Oscar Zambarano
ALBUM MIX ENGINEER(S):
RAY BARDANI, FERNANDO LODEIRO, CHRIS ALLEN.
RECORDING ENGINEER(S):
MARC GREENE (The Greene Room Recording Studio, LA, CA)
AARON NEVEZIE (The Bunker Recording Studios, NY,)
TODD CARDER (The Bunker Recording Studios, NY,)
NOLAN SHAHEED (No–Sound Recording Studio, Pasadena, CA)
GABRIEL SHEPARD (25TH Street Recording Studios, Oakland, CA)
JUNICHI MURAKAWA (Stagg Street Studio, Van Nuys, CA)
TRACKS:
ALBUM PERSONNEL:
ALBUM PRESS RELEASE:
The Great American Songbook offers delightful lyrics and delicious melodies that have been recorded and performed by a plethora of singers. While some jazz vocalists since the ‘90s strayed from that straight-ahead path by covering pop tunes of the day and writing their own compositions, the standards have continued to serve as the vocal’s bedrock of jazz over the past decades. However, the repetition sometimes takes the surprise out of the depth of the songs. Often an album of standards performed by the best vocal talent can sound predictable.
Enter the extraordinary Lagos, Nigeria-born, Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist Douyé who breathes new life into the tried-and-true standards on The Golden Sèkèrè—her fifth album named after the beaded percussion instrument unique to her homeland. She blends her polyrhythmic African heritage with the lyricism of the Western jazz world to create an astonishing fourteen song collection of sublime beauty and percussive festivity. It stands tall as a special font of creative innovation.
“I’ve seen thousands of people on YouTube sing these jazz standards, but so much of it feels inauthentic,” Douyé says. “Like my father taught me, I needed to connect with the spirit of each of the songs to understand them directly.”
While all the standards she renders on The Golden Sèkèrè are familiar, it is impossible that one has ever heard them in this soundscape. With her exquisite dark-roasted voice, Douyé ranges her delivery from horn-packed, percussion-driven big bands to more intimate settings that are spiced by talking drums and sekèrès. In the making of The Golden Sèkèrè, Douyé was inspired by Fela Sowande, a Nigerian musical virtuoso and recognized classical composer who blended Nigerian musical sounds with classical music. In addition to her Nigerian-steeped support team featuring arrangers Bada Ken Okulolo, Tosin Aribisala, Zem Audu; Guitarist Dokun Oke and Percussionist Najite Agindotan contributed their musical skills to this project. Douyé enlists an impressive guest list, including trumpeter Sean Jones, who appropriately lights a fire on Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” most recognized by Miles Davis. He embraces Douyé’s voice with sensitivity. “Sean has that touch,” she says.
Douyé also invites the majestic guitarist Lionel Loueke (born in Benin, neighbor to Nigeria) to the fore on the love song “Fly Me to the Moon” and the romantic ballad “I’m Confessing That I Love You” where he follows her swooning vocals as a complement to the percussive undergirding. “Lionel’s gift is his openness in catering to my intent on this album,” Douyé says. “Being an African, he understood what I was envisioning.”
Bass legend Buster Williams swings in on “Devil May Care,” largely a duet with Douyé that serves as one of many highlights in the album. It’s lightly spiced by African percussion. She sought him out because she admired his work and attitude. “Plus, he recorded with one of my teachers, Sarah Vaughan,” Douyé says. “When he asked me what I was looking for, I told him that I wanted to blend the Nigerian sounds into the standard sound. He was intrigued and mesmerized by such an innovative idea.
In choosing the songs for the collection, Douyé says, “Every song has its own spirit and these songs spoke to my me. I’m spiritually inclined.
She opens the album with a swinging take on Ray Nobel’s classic bebop standard, “Cherokee.” With her 11-piece band, Douyé starts the party with ebullience. “I wanted to introduce the talking drum right away,” she says. “This song introduces how we are going straight into Africa, ushering the world into talking drums and sèkèrè.” Along the way she celebrates the blend on such tunes as the Kurt Weill gem “Speak Low,” the tempo-changing “Key Largo” and two originals with a full percussion feast from the Duke Ellington songbook: the swinging “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and the dramatic and playful “Azure” fully bringing to light the heraldic blue color.
The inspiration for starting The Golden Sèkèrè project was her affection to Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” which appears twice on the album. To bring more of the rich Nigerian culture into the festive version of the song, she cites the influence of Nigerian superstar Fela Kuti. She grew up listening to him as her father played his music every day. “It was a blessing and a privilege to take a crack at this song with Fela in mind,” she says. “While Cole Porter wrote this tune, Frank Sinatra, another one of my teachers, is the inspiration of this song. He holds the spirit of this song, and I needed his blessing.”
Douyé visited Sinatra’s burial site at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City near Palm Springs to pay respect. The song kept coming back to her mind. “On my way driving back to L.A., I was singing it and trying to figure out how I add my own flare to the tune,” she says. “Then while taking a shower, the beats came to me. I sent them to Bata Ken Okulolo and I expressed my interest in completing this song with a big band. It was not going to be done like Frank, but it would offer an experience to the world to see the song in a different light.” With a 15-piece band, the song is a plethora of exuberance.
Douyé returns to the song for the album’s quieter, soulful finale. “It’s Palm Wine Music,” she says. “The African groove of percussion is about relaxing, lounging and listening.” It’s the perfect end to showcasing the rich Nigerian culture meeting the beauty of Western culture through a captivating jazz journey.
Douyé made this album to celebrate her heritage in culture and sounds. The Golden Sèkèrè is also a loving tribute to Douyé’s father Landy Youduba. Even though she started her career recording R&B music, she never forgot her father insisting that she sing jazz. In her album liner notes, she writes about her father’s blessings when he told her, “Omo mi, you should never forget that you came from a background that is rich in culture. I want to encourage you to create an album that celebrates your talent and heritage. I know God with you every step of the way.”
REVIEWS
“Daddy Said So (Groove Note Records, 2017) and Quatro Bossa Nova Deluxe (Groove Note Records, 2019) preceded The Golden Sekere in Douye’s jazz discography. While those first two endeavors are both pristine and lovely jazz records, as they say the third time’s the charm. This is worthy of end of the year consideration. It checks all the Grammy boxes. Sarah would be proud.” By
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/
the-golden-sekere-douye- rhombus-records “One way to approach The Golden Sèkèrè is as a study in context. It would probably be fair to say that this is one of those albums in which the angels are in the details. Douyé delivers consistently solid accounts of tunes likely to be familiar to most, if not all, listeners. However, each track has its own domain of subtle approaches to accompaniment. I have found that, over the course of several listenings, I keep discovering new instances of those subtleties; and that goes right to the heart of the sort of “serious listening” that I relish!” BY STEPHEN SMOLIAR
https://therehearsalstudio.
blogspot.com/2023/07/a- nigerian-take-on-great- american.html “Los Angeles vocalist Douyé releases her fifth recording with The Golden Sèkèrè, her second collection of jazz standards after her well-received 2017 release Daddy Said So (Rhombus Records, 2017). Douyé also released a terrifically straight-ahead disc in Bossa Nova Deluxe (Rhombus Records, 2019). Returning to jazz standards, The Golden Sèkèrè is not merely a continuation of the high-functioning Daddy Said So. It is the first significant change in the stylistic approach to jazz standards in 30 years.” By C. MICHAEL BAILEY
https://www.wildmercuryrhythm.
com/p/douye-the-golden-seker “10 Albums You Need to Know: July 2023”
“From captivating compositions to virtuosic performances, these releases encompass a wide range of styles and showcase the creativity and artistry of today’s jazz musicians. Here is our curated selection of ten new jazz albums released this month (July 2023) that you need to know about! – The Golden Sèkèrè”
https://www.jazziz.com/10-
albums-you-need-to-know-july- 2023/ “This album is a repetition of familiar tunes but a reinvention – a bold blend of Western jazz lyricism and the polyrhythmic richness of her African heritage. This is a tribute to the spirit of jazz, from the syncopated heartbeats of African drums to the silky stylings of the West. This is a world jazz album with a poignant journey from the heart of Nigeria to the jazz-infused streets of America, narrated through the transformative power of music by our transcultural host Douyé.”
https://thejazzword.com/2023/
07/douye-the-golden-sekere- review/ “Nigerian-born vocalist Douye’ does an excellent job bridging the gap between jazz and African sounds on this album of standards, presented through the lens of Africa’s horn.”
https://www.jazzweekly.com/
2023/07/douye-the-golden- sekere/ “Often an album of standards performed by the best vocal talent can sound predictable. Enter the extraordinary Lagos, Nigeria-born, Los Angeles-based jazz vocalist Douyé who breathes new life into the tried-and-true standards on The Golden Sèkèrè—her fifth album named after the beaded percussion instrument unique to her homeland.”
https://www.jazz24.org/2023/
07/vocalist-douye-breathes- new-life-into-standards-on- the-golden-sekere/ “Nigerian-born, L.A.-based jazz vocalist Douyé puts a completely refreshing spin on the Great American Songbook on The Golden Sèkèrè, her fifth album named after the beaded Nigerian percussion instrument. Blending her African heritage with these well-known songs introduces a unique soundscape that in essence makes these familiar songs sound new. The blending concept exceeds expectations, making Douyé’s venture one of this year’s more compelling vocal albums.”
By, Jim Hynes https://www.makingascene.org/
douye-the-golden-sekere/ “Cover versions of the Great American Songbook appear regularly, many simply repetitions, adding little. Here the Lagos-born, Los Angeles-based singer Douyé uses an assortment of musicians in various combinations to successfully blend classic songs with her Nigerian roots. An enjoyable album which combines the traditions and on which the singer’s feeling for the lyrics shines through.”
https://jazzjournal.co.uk/
2023/09/23/douye-the-golden- sekere/ “She blends her polyrhythmic African heritage with the musicality of Western jazz to create a collection of fourteen songs of sublime beauty and percussive festivity. It stands out as a special source of creative innovation. With each album, Douyé establishes herself among the greatest artists of her generation. Thanks to this album, it is almost certain that everyone, from Bayou Blue Radio to Paris-Move and even Downbeat magazine, will agree that a star is born.” By, Thierry De Clemensat. https://www.paris-move.com/
reviews/douye-the-golden- sekere-eng-review/ “The Golden Sèkèrè is a collection of songs where Douyé beautifully marries her African musical lineage with the technical mastery required for jazz standards. Douyé infuse each note, each phrase, and each song with a unique character. It’s a reminder of the evocative power of the human voice, replete with all its microtonal inflections, dynamic nuances, and emotive possibilities. This is an aural journey across continents, genres, and emotions that reverberates through diverse musical landscapes.”
https://5fingerreview.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review/ “The songs on this album by vocalist Douyé are much better known than she is. But one listen to her renditions of Cherokee, Speak Low, My Funny Valentine and more will prompt repeated listens.”
https://culturalattache.co/
2023/07/21/new-in-music-this- week-july-21st/ “The Golden Sekere” exudes a sense of empowerment and liberation, with Douye’s powerful vocals and uplifting messages inspiring listeners to break free from societal constraints and embrace their true selves. Through anthems of self-empowerment, she ignites a fire within her audience, encouraging them to rise above adversity and embrace their inherent strength.”
https://boizquarters.com.ng/
douye-to-release-new-project- the-golden-sekere “The heart of The Golden Sèkèrè lies in its innovative fusion of jazz and African polyrhythms. Douyé’s smoky vocals gracefully sail across complex, rich arrangements while the sèkèrè, a traditional Nigerian percussion instrument, sets the rhythm. Using this instrument and other percussion instruments adds authenticity, helping the album stand out and tying it back to Douyé’s African roots and her unique vocal sound and approach.”
https://allaboutvocals.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review “Douyé’s sound is characterized by a balance of her Nigerian roots and an unabashed embrace of jazz. Her voice, always at the forefront, soars over arrangements that are carefully crafted to never crowd or take away from her beautiful vocal lines or tone. While the rhythmic foundation of the music is steeped in the traditional music of Nigeria, the jazz sensibility in her phrasing and time feel ensures that this album will resonate with both jazz lovers and those with a love for African music.”
https://allaboutvocals.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review/ “Douyé’s vocal skill is evident throughout The Golden Sèkèrè. Her delivery is distinct, her tone warm and engaging. She knows how to make a song her own, no matter the origin, and her fusion of styles results in something entirely unique and deeply personal. It’s this blend of tradition and innovation, this depth of feeling and technical skill, that sets Douyé apart.”
https://allaboutvocals.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review/ “In conclusion, The Golden Sèkèrè is an invitation into Douyé’s unique world where jazz meets African music. A journey that is well worth taking, whether you’re a jazz aficionado or a casual listener. Her ability to seamlessly blend these two musical worlds while bringing her emotive vocal talents to the forefront is mesmerizing. Douyé has genuinely created something special with The Golden Sèkèrè. An album that demands to be heard and definitely savored.”
https://allaboutvocals.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review/ “Douyé has genuinely created something special with The Golden Sèkèrè. An album that demands to be heard and definitely savored.”
https://allaboutvocals.com/
douye-the-golden-sekere- review “Giving new life to songs like ‘My Funny Valentine’, ‘Afro Blue’, ‘I’m Confessing That I Love You’, ‘Devil May Care’, ‘Cherokee’ and ‘Speak Low’, among others, is not easy, but Douyé has succeeded, so much so that her album can be listened to several times and it always seems different or, suddenly, some songs take on another life.”
“With this album Douyé, who has a vocal tone reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan, becomes one of my favorite female jazz singers and ‘The Golden Sèkèrè’ one of the best vocal jazz albums of the Year of Grace 2023.”
http://www.distritojazz.com/
discos-jazz/douye-the-golden- sekere “Sometimes you can’t hear them anymore, the jazz standards. And then comes a singer like the Nigerian-born American singer Douyé and breathes new life into them in spectacular new life to them in a spectacular her fifth album “The Golden Sékéré” (Rhombus Records/import) works like a mixture of Fela Kuti and Frank Sinatra.” By Rolf Thomas – FAZ.NET
“A powerful album from the transcultural singer, intelligent, funny and danceable.”
https://www.jazzthing.de/
review/douye-the-golden- sekere/ “Here is a review in the New Jersey Jazz Society by Joseph Lang that will appear on their website. I will pass the link your way when it goes live, but here is the text.
The Golden Sèkèrè (Rhombus – 7550) is a fascinating collection of standards by Douyé, a Nigerian-born vocalist who now resides in Los Angeles. Her vocalizing is straight-ahead with jazz influences, but the charts reflect the rhythms of her native country. She has a warm voice and a fine feeling for the lyrics.” By Joseph Lang – The New Jersey Jazz Society
“The unique takes on the standards – many of which incorporate musical elements from her native Nigeria – give the songs identities that stand out among the so many other covers that are out there. All three of the songs examined here serve well to exhibit the various approaches she has taken to the songs. When they are considered with the other covers – such as the uniquely funk-infused take of ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing,’ the World music-infused take of ‘Cherokee’ and the very subdued take of The Very Thought of You’ – the whole makes the record’s overall presentation quite the unique presentation that holds its own well among this year’s current crop of covers compilations.”
“This is a vocalist who sings in her alto voice and caresses each note within that rich, lower register with power and confidence. I’m totally impressed by her bandmates, even though the players change, song to song. Listing them above reads like an orchestra.” By Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs.
