Douye Offers Intriguing Takes On Jazz Standards In Her New Covers Collection
- Philip Sayback
- August 26, 2023
- Movie and TV Reviews and News, Music Reviews
- Douye, Groove Note, Rhombus Records
- 0 Comments
World music and jazz are about as far from one another as two music genres can possibly get. That goes without saying. World music is music, literally from around the world. It is music that introduces audiences to the people and cultures of other nations. The other is a genre that is purely American. So, in combining the two genres one might not think the two would work very well together. However, up-and-coming jazz vocalist Douye’s (pronounced DOE-yay) recently released jazz covers collection, The Golden Sekere, proves that somehow it is possible to successfully blend the two genres. Released July 7 through Rhombus Records and Groove Note, the new compilation (Douye’s third jazz compilation and fifth overall record) proves the two worlds (no pun intended) can coexist, offering up a number of well-known and lesser-known jazz standards in one setting. Among the most notable of the more well-known works featured here is the cover of the timeless ‘Fly Me To The Moon.’ Douye’s take on the song will be discussed shortly. ‘Green Dolphin Street’ stands out among the lesser-known standards featured in this record and will be addressed a little later. ‘I’m Confessin’ That I Love You’ is yet another intriguing of the collection’s more notable standards. It will also be examined later. Each song noted here plays its own important part in the bigger picture of the record’s presentation. When they are considered alongside the rest of the record’s entries, the whole makes this set another intriguing addition to this year’s field of new compilation records.
The Golden Sekere, the latest compilation record from jazz singer Douye, is an intriguing addition to this year’s field of new covers sets. It holds its own in this year’s field of new compilation records (and more specifically jazz covers records) through the songs and styles featured therein. One of the most notable of the covers featured in this compilation is a quite well-known work, ‘Fly Me To The Moon.’ Originally composed in 1954 by Bart Howard, it really rocketed to fame (terrible pun fully intended) a decade later when Frank Sinatra took it on. Sinatra’s rendition has since then become the gold standard for Howard’s song. The big band style work has such an infectious groove established through the balance of its woodwinds and especially brass. The drums form the foundation of its body while “The Chairman” offers up such a rich vocal performance. Douye’s take on the song meanwhile gives the song a whole new identity. She makes the song more of a smooth, relaxed work. Gone are the big horn flourishes and woodwinds. Gone are the equally strong drum performances. The drums in this case are more of a supportive role while the horns and winds are replaced by a gentle guitar line. The addition of the piano line to the mix really gives this rendition the vibe of something one might expect from the likes of Diana Krall. That is meant in a positive way. The whole is a unique take on an already well-known song that is certain to earn its own recognition.
Well-known standards are not the only works that Douye features in her new compilation. She also included a handful of lesser-known standards to help flesh out the record. Among the more notable of those lesser-known standards is ‘Green Dolphin Street.’ Originally composed in 1947 by Bronislaw Kaper and Ned Washington for the movie by the same name, it first rose to fame through the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Others, such as Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughan, and Vince Guaraldi have also tackled the song throughout the decades. The rendition made famous by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra features Bill Lawrence handling vocal duties and is one of those works that one might expect to have heard performed in the upscale clubs of the age. It is a slow, relaxed song to which audiences could easily dance as the orchestra performed the song in its space right next to the dance floor. It clocks in at just under three minutes in length (two minutes ,51 seconds to be exact). By comparison, Douye’s take on the song takes it in a completely different direction. She and her fellow performers use a samba style approach in their take on the song, complete with the use of a familiar Latin style rhythm on the drums and piano, horns and even the subtle use of a pair of claves. It gives the song a whole new identity that is quite separate from any rendition of the song previously crafted. Perhaps the closest comparison that can be made is to that performed by Vaughan. Hers is something of a big band style take that includes some distinct Ella Fitzgerald-esque scatting. This rendition does not have that scatting at all, but the general vibe is much the same even as the style is different. To that end, it makes Douye’s take on the song unique in its own right and just as interesting an addition to the record as any of the other covers featured in the collection.
Getting back to the more familiar songs, Douye’s take of ‘I’m Confessin’ That I Love You’ is another notable addition to the record. Originally composed in 1929 under the title ‘Lookin’ For Another Sweetie’ by Chris Smith and Sterling Grant, the song has enjoyed great success in the more than nine decades that have passed since its initial publication. That is thanks to covers from the likes of Thelonious Monk, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, Lester Young, and Dean Martin, just to name a handful of famed acts who have taken on the song. Each has given his or her own touch to the song over that span. Monk’s take is something of a lighter take while many of the other takes are much more subdued but still evoke such sweet emotion. That is so intriguing considering that this is a song about someone afraid that his or her loved one is going to leave him or her. One would expect the song’s mood to be more melancholic. It makes for so much interest. Douye’s rendition is little different from those noted takes. It is just as relaxed as those versions of the song, complete with a subtle jazz guitar arrangement and ever so subtle use of brushes on the snare. Douye’s own controlled vocals add to the interest here, ensuring even more, the engagement and entertainment in the song. It is sure to interest any jazz aficionado. When it is considered alongside the other covers examined here and with the rest of the record’s entries, the whole makes The Golden Sekere all the more worth hearing and another interesting addition to this year’s field of new covers collections.
The Golden Sekere, the latest studio recording from up-and-coming jazz vocalist Douye, is a presentation that many jazz fans will find interesting. That is due to its featured covers and the manner in which they are handled. The record features a number of familiar and some lesser-known jazz standards for its body. 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.
The Golden Sekere is available now. More information on The Golden Sekere is available along with all of Douye’s latest news at:
Website: https://douyemusic.com
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