Doky Brothers

The Doky Brothers, a mainstream jazz duo, emerged in the mid-’90s and released two albums for Blue Note. The music of the group was straight from the hard bop tradition of the 1960s, with a touch of modern production and fusion. Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Niels Lan Doky, the pianist, and Chris Minh Doky, the bassist, are both natives. Their father was a doctor who played classical guitar and their mother was a Danish singer. After spending several years on guitar, Niels switched to the piano at age 11. He was inspired by Scott Joplin’s music in The Sting. At the age of 13, he began to learn from the great jazz pianists and started playing professionally. He played professionally with Thad Jones two years later. Jones was in Denmark leading an enormous band of radio DJs. Jones was impressed by Niels’ talent and encouraged him to come to America. Doky was awarded a scholarship at the Berklee College of Music in Boston by the trumpeter. Niels Lan Doky was a Berklee student from 1981 to 1984. He graduated magna cum-laude with a degree as a professional musician. He performed with Cyrus Chestnut, Terri Lyne Carrington and Branford Marsalis during his time in Boston. After graduating, he moved to New York and began playing gigs. He recorded Here or There, his debut album for Storyville Records after playing with Joe Henderson, Woody Shaw and others. Doky recorded it as the first in a series solo albums. He also recorded for Storyville Records, Milestone and DAM/Maracatu. Soul Note and Columbia. Nils started touring in 1989 as a co-leader along with his brother Chris Minh Doky. Chris started playing music at age 15 and switched to bass when he was 15. At first, he played electric guitar. He switched to acoustic in the second year after discovering jazz. After studying with Orsted Persen, he made the move to New York in 1988 to attend Berklee College of Music. He met and performed alongside a variety of musicians while in New York, including Randy Brecker, John Scofield, and others. Jimmy Cobb, a drummer who played with Miles Davis as well as Wes Montgomery, convinced Chris to remain in New York to continue his education. Chris Doky, his first album, “Appreciation”, was recorded for Storyville Records in 1989. He began touring with his brother, as a co-leader. The Doky Brothers continued their solo artist tours and led their own sessions in the early 1990s. The pair eventually decided to record as the Doky Brothers. Blue Note’s eponymous album featured guest appearances by Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Terri Lyne Carrington and Ulf Wakenius, as well as vocalist Curtis Stigers. It was released in 1996 to strong reviews and sales. Niels also produced their second album. It featured guest performances from guitarist John Scofield and Toots Thielemans as well as saxophonist Bill Evans, Toots Thielemans, and Bill Sanborn. Allmusic

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