Episode #154: John Dokes

Improv Exchange Podcast

With inspiration from his stylistic ancestors Nat King Cole and Joe Williams, John Dokes brings new life to the deep-souled world of baritone jazz vocals on his elegant new album, Our Day on his Swing Theory Entertainment imprint. In delivering a distinctive post-pandemic outing of classic songs embodied with hopeful passion, Dokes—also promises that his new endeavor is “an album that will make you move.” Our Day features songs associated with Cole (such as the smooth low-toned “Almost Like Being in Love,” the delightful Rodgers and Hart gem, “This Can’t Be Love,” the Latin-vibed “L.O.V.E.” that elicits dancing), two vocalese numbers (Jon Hendricks’ take on one-time Jazz Messenger composer Bobby Timmons’ “Moanin’,” Mark Murphy’s swinging run through Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay”), the full-energy pop vibe on Billy Ocean’s hit “Suddenly,” the calming Michel Legrand tune “I Will Wait for You” made famous from the Frank Sinatra songbook.

“I grew up dancing hip-hop, I made a transition to something that I could do for a longer time in my life,” says Dokes. “I switched to Lindy Hop also known as swing dancing. I came to singing later in my life, but I gravitated to the music I was most passionate about—the eras of the ‘40s, ‘50s, early ‘60s. I started picking songs that really moved me. Dokes’ last two albums were quintet affairs. For Our Day, he convened a nonet that includes members of the New York-based George Gee Swing Orchestra where he launched his career as a vocalist. (He documented that with his debut album, John Dokes Sings, George Gee Swings.) Key to the album’s success is the arranging of Gee’s musical director trombonist David Gibson. “Dave is a great arranger,” Dokes says. “He provides layers for the nonet where everyone has a chance to shine on solos as he fills up the space with his lines.” Now, with his fourth album, Dokes has fully arrived. There’s not a dull moment on Our Day. He opens with “Our Day Will Come.” “It’s a love song,” Dokes says. but it’s also an opening from the past. Now is our time. Now is our day. It’s really a song about us as a band coming back together.”

Originally, Dokes was in the midst of fashioning a trilogy of quintet recordings (2017’s Forever Reasons and 2019’s True Love on Ian Hendrickson-Smith’s Rondette Jazz label). While the third album is still in the works, a couple of events intervened. “I got derailed,” says Dokes. “First, my drummer Lawrence Leathers died after True Love came out. I moved to Chicago with my wife and two children. Then there was the pandemic that changed how I was looking at the future. I had to restart my brain. I decided to work on some of my material that had never been recorded. I contacted George Gee and he was working on his nonet’s Christmas album in May 2023, so we combined that with David arranging my album. It was a back-to-back operation of small big bands.” The nonet comprises saxophonists Anthony Nelson Jr. and Michael Hashim, multi-reeds player Patience Higgins, trumpeters Freddie Hendrix and Andy Gravish, Gibson on trombone. pianist Steve Einerson, bassist Malik McLaurine and drummer Chris Latona.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas who grew up living in Oakland, California, Dokes never dreamed of becoming a professional singer even though he was fascinated by black-and-white reruns of Nat Coles’ short-lived 15-minute network television show that ran on NBC in 1956. “I watched them nonstop before I ever thought about singing,“ Dokes says. “But there was his elegance, his smoothness, his ease. That resonated with me. And it informed how I approach my singing today. I don’t dive into a lot of vocal acrobatics - but like some of my favorite acrobatic and non-acrobatic singers I like to lean in and tell the story to connect with my audience.” His father was steeped in music while Dokes was growing up. He played Nat King Cole albums in the house, and he was in an r&b band in the Bay Area in the ‘70s that often opened for soul/r&b stars of the day like The Whispers and The Stylistics.

He moved to New York and became a regular at swing dance shows including dates by the George Gee Swing Orchestra. One of his dance partners was the legendary Lindy Hopper, cabaret star, alto sax player Dawn Hampton, the cousin of jazz hero Lionel Hampton and sister of legendary trombonist and composer Slide Hampton. She told him that she really liked his voice when he was dancing. “If Dawn likes my voice, I’m going to surprise her one night and sing a couple of songs with George’s band. George only knew me as a dancer. He saw my potential and asked me to join the band. That built my confidence and gave me the path to get better.”