Deelee Dube (/'diːliː 'duːbɛ/) born Sithandile Agatha Dube on the 15th of January is a British vocalist, songwriter, and musician of Southern African lineage.
On November 20th, 2016, Dube became the first British winner and recipient of a Sassy Award at the 5th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition held at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, which landed her with a Concord Records contract and a chance to appear at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The panel judges included Sheila Jordan, Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Sheila E. Anderson, and Mark Ruffin. Whilst in Newark, Deelee was interviewed by WBGO radio broadcaster Nicole Sweeney prior to her triumph in the Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition at NJPAC, where she also met and befriended Dorthaan Kirk and Linda Moody (wife of the late jazz saxophonist James Moody) as part of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival held at the NJPAC.
A fraternal twin, Dube was born in London, England to a Zimbabwean fashion designer and famed South African jazz pianist and musician, Jabu Nkosi.
Growing up, Deelee and her twin brother would often engage in singing, dancing, and creating music together, and they both took violin lessons as young infants. Deelee often participated in talent competitions and was awarded first prize in a dancing contest at the age of 11, followed by numerous other singing competitions which included the Friday Night Live Talent Selection at the Hackney Empire, London, where she appeared in February 2000. Surrounded by music, particularly by that of their mother's rich and eclectic vinyl collection, Deelee and her twin brother would often indulge by listening and dancing. They both attended school together before she transferred to a girls' school where she continued to practice the violin whilst her twin brother took clarinet lessons. It was whilst she was here that her teacher, Mr. Absolom (Father of British actor Joe Absolom) closely observed and recognised Deelee's passion for creative arts and supported her as she continued to thrive in developing and honing her craft in singing, fine art, songwriting, and poetry.
As a fine artist and poet, Deelee's project artwork was exhibited at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in May – July 1995, and her poetry was published in Write & Shine Regional Anthology (Poetry Now Young Writers Book, 1995) and the Book of Dreams (United Press, 2010).
Career
2002–08: Self Portrait
A collaborative music venture and project with guitarist John Jallow that formed the genesis of Rainy Day Blues and other original compositions that culminated in Deelee's self-produced EP, Self Portrait
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Collaborative recordings: Projects and Sessions
In 2002, Deelee was called upon to deliver vocals and features alongside the late reggae artist Frankie Paul. Produced by Don Charles, the two unreleased recordings of this studio collaboration were Humanity and Sweet Reggae Music recorded in 2002.
In 2007, Deelee collaborated on an acoustic folk music project with acoustic guitarist Giles Meredith, which formerly featured vocals from original band member and actor Caroline Catz, on what was called the Sapphire Sessions. Composed, produced, and arranged by Meredith, three recordings from this project included Crashing Down, Next Step, and Under the Summer.
A self-taught piano player, Deelee expresses herself through writing songs and poetry. Rainy Day Blues and Can You Tell Me both stem from some of her most personal real-life experiences.
In February 2010, Deelee appeared in a music video by Florence and the Machine for the single The Dog Days Are Over.
Deelee released the official music video for her self-written single, Rainy Day Blues (2014 version), in July 2014. She then later released the single independently on all digital platforms in December 2014. The music video for this single was produced and directed by Artist Films.
In April 2020, Deelee digitally released what was to be the first couple of singles from her debut album, Still Trying (Dube/Webb), which was followed by the digital release of the re-recorded Chick Corea jazz fusion composition 500 Miles High in October 2020.
2009–14: The Blue Bird Sings
The Blue Bird Sings album is a collection of jazz standards and original songs, spanning from recordings made during Deelee's early career. During this time, she embarked on several collaborative musical ventures and projects with various jazz musicians. Digitally and independently released in June 2013, The Blue Bird Sings album was self-produced by Dube, and mainly consists of acoustically recorded interpretations of jazz standards and original songs. The album received personal accolades from the likes of Skye Edwards (Morcheeba) and friend Taj Jackson (3T) who remarked that Deelee "has an amazing voice."
2015–16: Tenderly
A collaborative music project with Italian tenor saxophonist Renato D'Aiello.
Dube's third independent record, Tenderly, was produced and arranged by Italian tenor saxophonist Renato D'Aiello and recorded in London. The album includes a re-recording of Dube's original composition Rainy Day Blues, with personnel that included Renato D'Aiello on tenor Saxophone, Italian jazz pianist Bruno Montrone, Italian double bassist Nicola Muresu, and Slovenian drummer Gasper Bertoncelj. In early 2015, Dube and D'Aiello performed and delivered numerous concerts and radio interviews around Europe (Spain, Lisbon Portugal, Italy, Gran Canaria, France, and the UK) to promote the album. In April 2017 they performed a concert at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, Sarah Vaughan Reimagined: Deelee Dubé Sings Sarah Vaughan with the Renato D'Aiello Quartet.
2015– Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Acoustic Jazz Lounge residency
Deelee started a weekly residency as a house vocalist at the legendary London venue Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in early 2015 and performed live upstairs at the Acoustic Jazz Lounge with tenor saxophonist and host Renato D'Aiello. This proved to be a pivotal point in her music career, chronicling what was to be a path toward showcasing her authentic voice, and on occasions, several notable figures attended the evening including the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Mark Rylance, Chris Pine, Curtis Lundy, Norma Winstone, Jacob Collier, and Danny O’Donoghue who remarked that Deelee “has a “fantastic voice”. Coincidentally, in 2017, Deelee was offered a placement and scholarship to study in the MA voice studies programme at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. During this time, Deelee pursued her studies, whilst recording a studio album, a US tour, and a weekly residency at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. In 2018, she graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Voice Studies at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.
2017– present: Trying Times
Deelee's debut album Trying Times was recorded at Systems Two recording studios (Brooklyn) on the Concord Jazz label between London, Vienna Austria, and NYC, and received a global digital release in December 2020. Produced by US-based jazz pianist Benito Gonzalez, the album hosts all-American personnel, including jazz guitarist Russell Malone, double bassist Corcoran Holt, and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., who all play with Kenny Garrett. Friend and mentor, Sheila Jordan, contributed to the album liner notes, and shortly prior to his passing and upon listening to Dube’s re-recording of his original classic ‘500 Miles High’, Chick Corea remarked her rendition as “very impressive”.
Touring
In 2017, Deelee had a brief tour of North America and a successful debut performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in Quebec, Canada. She was remarked "'Coup de Coeur' thus far for 2017" by festival collaborator Sylvain Richard, who further remarked that "her winning the 2016 Sarah Vaughan International Competition was well deserved." Deelee was interviewed by the late American author and freelance journalist Reese Elrich for Jazz Perspectives whilst in Quebec, Canada.
Deelee was invited by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Ceuta, Spain to perform a concert at the Teatro Auditorio Revellín as part of International Jazz Day, organised in collaboration with the association La Coctelera and UNESCO.
In 2018, Deelee also performed as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s 150th Anniversary series in Celebrating Women and the Hall.
Deelee embarked on a new collaborative project that evoked Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley's 1962 studio album. She was featured as a special guest with British saxophonist Tony Kofi’s Sextet for “A Portrait of Cannonball," with the first show at Hideaway Jazz Club on 1st March 2018. The line-up included Cornet/Trumpet player Byron Wallen (and occasionally, Welsh jazz trumpet player Andy Davies), British songwriter and musician Alex Webb on piano, British double bass player Andy Cleyndert, and Italian jazz drum player Alfonso Vitale. This marked the first of what was to become a solid stretch of highly successful and critically acclaimed UK tour performances throughout England, from early 2018 through to late 2019. The last performance, which featured Dube, took place at The Other Palace, Victoria on November 23rd, 2019, during the EFG London Jazz Festival.
Following previous guest performances with Renato D'Aiello's Quintet (plays Horace Silver featuring British jazz trombonist and Syd Lawrence Orchestral leader Chris Dean, Italian jazz pianist Bruno Montrone, Italian jazz double bassist Nicola Muresu, and Italian jazz drummer Alfonso Vitale) at Swanage Jazz Festival in July 2015, and at the Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room in March 2016, Dube went on to feature as a guest vocalist in Tony Kofi's Sextet (plays A Portrait of Cannonball, UK tour) at Swanage Jazz Festival in July 2018, followed by Southport Jazz Festival in February 2019 and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in July 2019, amongst other venues and festivals.
Deelee made her debut performance as a leader at the Southport Jazz Festival on the 9th of February 2020, and later at Brecon Jazz Festival Online with Spanish jazz pianist Juan Galiardo's Trio. Dube was briefly interviewed by BBC Wales broadcaster Roy Noble prior to the festival's broadcast, of which Deelee's commissioned performance was recorded remotely between London UK, and Granada, Spain, for the first time in its iconic history.
Deelee's debut album Trying Times received five nominations in July 2021 and won the award for Best International Jazz Collaboration at the South African Mzantsi Jazz Awards in August 2021. She performed at the Royal Albert Hall (Late Night Jazz in the Elgar Room) which launched the physical release of her debut award-winning album Trying Times in October 2021.
Awards
Awards
- 2016 – Winner of the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition
- 2021 – Winner of Best International Jazz Collaboration Award in The 5th Annual Mzantsi Jazz Awards (South Africa)
Nominations
7th Annual Mzantsi Jazz Awards 2023
- Best Jazz Song
- Best Female Jazz Artist
5th Annual Mzantsi Jazz Awards 2021
- Best Female Jazz Artist
- Best Jazz Album
- Best Contemporary Jazz Album
- Best Newcomer In Jazz
- Best International Jazz Collaboration
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