Nigeria-born, Los Angeles-Based Jazz Vocalist Douyé Breathes New Life into the Great American Songbook on The Golden Sèkèrè

Douyé Blends Her Polyrhythmic African Heritage with the Lyricism of the Western Jazz World to Create an Astonishing 14-Song Collection of Sublime Beauty and Percussive Festivity. Featuring Trumpeter Sean Jones, Guitarist Lionel Loueke and Bassist Buster Williams: Available July 7 via Rhombus Records

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,*Douyéwas 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.”

Further info here

Toulouse-born, Montreal-based vocalist Olivia Maisel’s debut album A Moment In Time is a reflection of decades of personal experience. Maisel chose the songs based on the story she wanted to tell: "A story of unity, a past we hold in common, a present we could experience together, and a future of hope and change."

Very early on in her process, Maisel created a storyboard for the album with the guidance of acclaimed, Grammy-nominated singer Kate McGarry. Those first steps set her on a path to create something truly personal. Maisel decided to tell her story using some of her favourite songs from the Great American Songbook, all while showcasing a few of her many different musical influences. The album evolved into a refuge and an outlet for her deepest feelings about her past. It stands as a tribute to relationships, love, loss, and life.

For Maisel, the title of the album, A Moment in Time, is about learning to accept the present moment without needing to define it; acknowledging its existence, and letting it go. It is also a reminder that as time passes, feelings and perspectives inevitably change. Without giving too much away about her intentions behind the record, she hopes everyone will see a version of their own story here.

A Moment in Time will be released worldwide on Friday, July 7th 2023.

Olivia's website

“Tatiana Eva-Marie has consistently delighted audiences with her buoyant style and effervescent personality, all of which fit firmly into the vintage jazz manouche genre that Django pioneered.”   -- Will Friedwald

The Great American Songbook has stood the test of time, and its influence on popular music has been felt around the world. That’s what brought the young Swiss-born chanteuse TATIANA EVA-MARIE to New York City, where it all began. Tatiana is now releasing TWO AT THE MOST, a collection of romantic songs from the Great American Songbook presented in an intimate duo setting.

TWO AT THE MOST is Tatiana’s seventh CD as a leader. She was recently included, alongside Cyrille Aimée and Cécile McLorin-Salvant, in a list of rising jazz stars picked by Vanity Fair, and she was named “one of the best young singers around” by the Wall Street Journal. Nicknamed the Gypsy-jazz Warbler by the New York Times, Tatiana’s music is inspired by her French and Balkan heritage, a love for the Parisian art scene era spanning the 1920s to the 60s, and a passion for Gypsy music. But she is also fascinated by New Orleans jazz and has a deep connection to the Great American Songbook. 

Tatiana is joined on TWO AT THE MOST by pianist JEREMY CORREN. A mainstay on the New York City jazz scene, he performs regularly at the Blue Note, Smalls Jazz Club, and the Jazz Gallery. He has also performed at the Newport and Chicago Jazz Festivals, and internationally at the Blue Note clubs in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing, as well at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, among other international venues.

Tatiana’s voice is sweet and warm, the perfect vehicle for this romantic selection of songs. Corren’s accompaniment is a tasteful canvas that gives Tatiana the colors and space over which to paint her song stories. On TWO AT THE MOST, Tatiana Eva-Marie and Jeremy Corren create a retro feel that would not be out of place in a 1940s nightclub. They work together regularly, and their empathy and mutual respect is palpable.

Tracks

1. The End of a Love Affair 4:57

2. Penthouse Serenade 4:20

3. Fly Me to the Moon 4:17

4. Sophisticated Lady 4:10

5. I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good 3:35

6. You Go to My Head 5:21

7. They’ll Never Believe Me 3:22

8. The Nearness of You 4:31

9.  You Are Too Beautiful 3:37

10. I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face 2:24

Personnel

Tatiana Eva-Marie, vocals

Jeremy Corren, piano

Mark Buchan, vocals (7, 10)

Tatiana website

"Gaea is quite a multi-talented pianist/flautist/vocalist/composer/arranger/bandleader, with a wonderfully compelling gift for jazz, ballads, and Brazilian-flavored music. She's written a beautiful program of new music, which she’s arranged along with a couple of choice standards for a brilliantly integrated ensemble of musicians, in a refreshingly personal set for the album "In Your Own Sweet Way." As music for the soul, heart, and mind, this album is highly recommended!" - Benny Green

While most of us stayed home during the pandemic and looked for projects to fill our time, GAEA SCHELLflew to central Mexico to play gigs with a Cuban son group, where she also swam in waterfalls in San Luis Potosi, began learning Spanish, and released sea turtles. She also went to Florence, Italy, to study opera, completed a master's degree in composition in Vermont, won a Chamber Music America grant to work with Benny Green, and played with a group on an island in western Cuba, where she helped release more sea turtles. She also recorded a new album.

Schell, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and vocalist, plays piano and flute on IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY, and she also sings on a couple of tunes. The album consists of seven Latin-tinged original compositions, one straight-ahead original, and three fresh takes on songs from the Great American Songbook.

IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY follows For All We Know (2007) and After the Rain (2011). Jazzpolice.com says, “Schell pulls in the listener with a minimalist approach that shines with interpretative sensibility rather than pure musicality. But unlike other pianist/vocalists who are competent at the keyboard but clearly in their element in song (Diana Krall, Karrin Allyson), Gaea Schell is competent vocally and brilliant as composer/instrumentalist.”

Schell currently lives in San Francisco and is joined on this project by some top Northern California musicians. The core of the Gaea Schell Quartet includes JORDAN SAMUELS (guitar), JOHN WIITALA (bass), and GREG WYSER-PRATTE (drums). CARLOS CARO (percussion) and MARCO DIAZ (trumpet and piano) also appear on a few tracks.

Schell grew up in Alberta, Canada. Her father was initially a drummer who spent a lot of time on the road, and her great-grandmother composed music for silent films. Her family was rather poor. Her mother made many of her clothes. Schell became interested in music when she was just five years old, when a family friend gave them a piano with a few damaged keys. Unprompted, she took to it immediately, and thereafter her parents made sure she could indulge her artistic disposition with music, dance, and acting lessons.

Schell enjoyed playing just about any instrument she could get her hands on, like the guitar and recorder, among others. When she was 11 years old, she began studying the harp, and by the time she was in high school, she was playing piano and harp in local malls and for holiday celebrations. But after hearing Charlie Parker, she fell in love with jazz. Although she got a scholarship to the University of Victoria as a classical harp major, she did not stay long because jazz had become her first love. So, she headed east to study piano in the jazz program at McGill University in Montreal.

After graduating with distinction, she began her peripatetic lifestyle. She lived for a while in Portland, Oregon, but moved to New York City to study with the internationally known pianist/composer Richie Beirach after she received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. The high cost of living and her desire to live in a more temperate climate prompted her to move to Southern California shortly after 9/11, first to San Diego and then Los Angeles, where she became a regular on the local jazz scene. She moved to San Francisco after several years to pursue other opportunities.

It has taken several years for Schell to get back into the studio for her own recording, but that is because she has been so busy backing the likes of Nancy King, John Stowell, Albert 'Tootie' Heath, Clare Fischer Big Band, Tony Dumas, Marcus Shelby, Bobby Watson, Richie Cole, and Earl Palmer, among others.

Influenced by the likes of Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Eliane Elias, Schell’s piano playing is subtle and swinging, and her flute playing is influenced by traditional Cuban flutists, while her soft voice has been compared to a Brazilian white-sand beach at sunrise.

Her compositions on IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY are inspired by her appreciation of nature and reflect her love of Latin music as well as her training in classical music and bebop. The album opens with “Cava Dell Cava dell'Isola,” a Latin tune named for a beach on an island near Naples, Italy. “Forio Rain” invokes her experience of the gentle rain that fell on the island of Ischia, Italy, while “Summer Sea” is a bossa about swimming in waters around San Francisco. “Luna Plateada,” “Danza Nocturna de Flores,” “Un Sueño de la Noche,” and are all Latin inspired compositions, while “Perplexity” is a straight-ahead number. She rounds out the set list with her arrangement of some of her favorite standards, “Sweet & Lovely,” “It Had to Be You,” and Dave Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way,” for which Schell wrote lyrics about her boyfriend.

Inspired by nature and shaded with gentle Brazilian rhythms and classical hues, Gaea Schell’s music is redolent with moonlight and romance. With her steadfast grooves and elegant expressiveness, IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY is a highly engaging album.

IN YOUR OWN SWEET WAY will be released on June 23, 2023 on Saphu Records and will be available at Saphurecords.com and on all platforms.

Website: gaeaschell.com

It is a set of 8 songs: five original songs and arrangements for another three: a modal jazz standard, a Scottish folk ballad and a Spanish copla. I have composed and arranged all the songs inspired by the jazz that has developed mainly in New York during the last 20 years. The intention of this proposal is not to literally copy elements from foreign cultures, but to apply the parameters of composition and musical assimilation of jazz from this era to my own works. My instrument is the voice. I’ve written the music for quartet :guitar, double bass, drums and voice. Flugelhorn, keyboard and electric bass are occasionally included.

The objective of this project is to balance the weight in the word-music relationship. For each song, lyrics hide a concept that can be summarized with a few key words. Thus, the common thread is made up of this set of words that have served as a starting point to develop the composition or arrangement. The text  speaks through the instruments that sound. Ultimately, the content of these words could be understood even if the song was not sung with words. The words have lightened their weight, since their meaning also falls on musical elements. Sounds speak.

CREDITS

Recorded in Camaleón Music Studio, Madrid, ES (2022)

Mix & Master by Mariano Míguez en Ideo Music, Buenos Aires, AR 

Produced by MÓNICA MATABUENA

Record Label ERRABAL JAZZ (hotsak.com)

Photos: Mara Saiz

Graphic Design: LaVita.es

Mónica Matabuena - Voice, Marco Martínez - Guitar, Ander García Bass and Double bass

Miguel Benito - Drums, Guests: Jorge Castañeda - Fender Rhodes and Chris Kase - Flugelhorn

BIO
After years performing traditional jazz repertoire and just graduated from Musica Creativa School, the most contemporary jazz-oriented Conservatory in Madrid, I’ve just found  my own voice expressed through my compositions. I am releasing my debut album “MATABUENAPURA”, a set of original songs and arrangements, sung mostly in Spanish with an aesthetic inspired by contemporary jazz .

I am a jazz singer and vocal coach, I’ve been studying music and voice technique for more than a decade. I am one of these women who got overwhelmed by 2008’s financial crisis linked to a familiar situation (mother with babies ;)). Being working as a meteorologist for over a decade I adapted myself to the circumstances and started studying music in a consistent way. I’ve studied a lot from scratch and been involved in several projects as a traditional jazz singer. Finally, more than a decade after, at my 50 birthday ;) I got my Official Master Degree in Modern Music at Escuela de Música Creativa, (Madrid Conservatory) as well as getting Level III as a Certified Teacher from the Institute for the Vocal Advancement, Now I split my working day between my artistic project and my business: I own a voice studio who teaches music and singing technique and at the same time I am preparing my debut álbum.

Further info here

Acclaimed GRAMMY-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello makes her Blue Note Records debut with the June 16 release of The Omnichord Real Book, a visionary and deeply jazz-influenced album that marks the start of a new chapter in her trailblazing career. Following her 2018 covers album Ventriloquism, Meshell returns with an album of new original material that taps into a broad spectrum of her musical roots. The Omnichord Real Book was produced by Josh Johnson and features a wide range of guest artists including Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Joel Ross, Jeff Parker, Brandee Younger, Julius Rodriguez, Mark Guiliana, Cory Henry, Joan As Police Woman, Thandiswa, and others.

The Omnichord Real Book is introduced today by the expansive lead single “Virgo,” the mind-altering 8-minute centerpiece of the album which features Meshell on vocals, key bass, and keyboards, Younger on harp, Rodriguez on Farfisa organ, Chris Bruce on guitar, Jebin Bruni on keyboards, drums by Abe Rounds, Deantoni Parks, and Andrya Ambro, and additional vocals by Kenita Miller and Marsha DeBoe. The Omnichord Real Book is available for pre-order now on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital.

“It’s a little bit of all of me, my travels, my life,” says Meshell. “My first record I made at 22, and it’s over 30 years from then, so I have a lot of stored information to share.” Reflecting on the impact that the forced stillness of the pandemic lockdown had on her, she says “I must admit it was a beautiful time for me. I got to really sit and reacquaint myself with music. Music is a gift.”

“This album is about the way we see old things in new ways,” Meshell explains. “Everything moved so quickly when my parents died. Changed my view of everything and myself in the blink of an eye. As I sifted through the remains of their life together, I found my first Real Book, the one my father gave me. I took their records, the ones I grew up hearing, learning, remembering. My mother gifted me with her ache, I carry the melancholy that defined her experience and, in turn, my experience of this thing called life calls me to disappear into my imagination and to hear the music.”

Meshell first appeared on a Blue Note record a decade ago with her stunning feature on “The Consequences of Jealousy” from Robert Glasper’s GRAMMY-winning 2012 album Black Radio. Two years later she collaborated with Jason Moran on ALL RISE, a vibrant reimagination of Fats Waller’s music where Meshell was both featured vocalist and producer. Reflecting upon time spent with her parents’ record collection during her childhood, Meshell recalls “I loved going through the records and seeing the Blue Note insignia. I stay away from the word ‘Jazz,’ it’s a really heavy word, but I am so moved to be on a label that is about self-expression.”

 Pre order here