* En anglais uniquement
The Doky Brothers were a straight-ahead mainstream jazz duo that emerged in the mid-'90s with a pair of albums for Blue Note. The group's music was straight out of the hard bop traditions of the '60s, balanced by flourishes of contemporary production and fusion.
Natives of Copenhagen, Denmark, pianist
Niels Lan Doky (b. October 3, 1963) and bassist
Chris Minh Doky (b. February 7, 1969) are the product of a musical family; their father was a physician who played classical guitar, and their mother was a Danish pop singer. After spending a couple of years playing guitar,
Niels switched to piano at the age 11, inspired by the
Scott Joplin music that was featured in the hit Paul Newman/Robert Redford film The Sting. He gradually became acquainted with the major pianists in jazz history, and began playing professionally at the age of 13. Two years later, he played with trumpeter
Thad Jones, who was in Denmark leading a big band on radio.
Jones was impressed with
Niels' skill and encouraged him to move to America. The trumpeter wrote a recommendation for the young pianist, which led to a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston for
Doky. Between 1981 and 1984,
Niels Lan Doky attended Berklee, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in professional music. During his time in Boston, he performed with
Terri Lyne Carrington,
Cyrus Chestnut and
Branford Marsalis, among many others. Following graduation, he moved to New York, where he began playing gigs and sessions. After playing with
Joe Henderson and
Woody Shaw, he recorded his debut album,
Here or There, for Storyville Records. It was the first of a series of solo records from
Doky, who recorded for Storyville, Milestone, DAM/Maracatu, Soul Note, and
Columbia.
In 1989,
Niels began touring as a co-leader with his brother
Chris Minh Doky. Like his brother,
Chris began playing music as a child, starting on piano before switching to bass at the age of 15. He initially played electric, moving to acoustic two years later when he discovered jazz. After spending some time studying with
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, he moved to New York in 1988, intending to attend the Berklee College of Music. While in New York, he met and performed with a number of musicians, including
Randy Brecker and
John Scofield. One of his acquaintances,
Jimmy Cobb -- a drummer who had formerly played with
Miles Davis and
Wes Montgomery -- convinced
Chris to stay in New York and receive his education by playing in clubs. In 1989,
Chris Doky recorded his first album,
Appreciation, for Storyville Records and began touring with his brother as a co-leader.
During the early '90s,
the Doky Brothers continued to lead their own sessions as solo artists and tour as a team. Eventually, the pair decided to record together as
the Doky Brothers. Their eponymous debut for Blue Note was produced by
Pederson and featured guest appearances by trumpeter
Randy Brecker, saxophonist
Michael Brecker, drummer
Terri Lyne Carrington, guitarist
Ulf Wakenius and singer
Curtis Stigers. It was released in 1996 to good reviews and strong sales. Their second album was also produced by
Pederson and featured guest performances by guitarist
John Scofield, harmonica player
Toots Thielemans, saxophonist
David Sanborn, saxophonist
Bill Evans, and trumpeter
Randy Brecker. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine