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Olivier Ker Ourio New Project "Oversea": Manuel Rocheman (pno), Jean-Marc Jafet (bass), Matthieu Chazarenc (drms), guests: Sylvain Luc (gtr), Louis Winsberg (gtr), André Ceccarelli (drms)
Sylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - SyracuseSylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - BellydancingSylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - La JavanaiseSylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - Ti Case en PailleSylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - Gazte1Sylvain Luc/Olivier Ker Ourio à Harmonicas sur Cher 2007 - Gazte2Sylvain Luc "Joko" à Bruxelles 2007 - Light my fireOlivier Ker Ourio & Sylvain Luc live au Triton 2006 "La Javanaise"
Olivier Ker Ourio was born in Paris in 1964, but grew up in his family's homeland: the small French territory of Reunion Island, where his ancestors from Brittany came to settle in 1728.
Paris-based musician, composer, band leader, and highly-regarded soloist,
OKO has established himself as one of the world’s premiere chromatic jazz harmonica players. His compositions combine lyric melodies with invigorating rhythms and inventive harmonies. Emotionally expressive, warm and inviting, OKO’s music is committed, fresh, and melodic — and above all, straight from the heart.
OKO has published 6 CDs as a leader and has played on numerous albums as a guest artist.
OKO is a DREYFUS JAZZ artist, his new album "OVERSEA" has been released on Sept. 24th, 2007, with participation of Didier Lockwood, Sylvain Luc, André Ceccarelli, Louis Winsberg, Danyel Waro, André Minvielle, Glenn Ferris, Jean-Michel Pilc, Manuel Rocheman...
Today, OKO is currently busy touring with his new project "OVERSEA", also as a duet with guitarist Sylvain Luc and a member of Sylvain Luc's project "Joko". He's a member of Breton singer Annie Ebrel's new project "Roudennou". He's also a member of Frédéric Monino’s “Around Jaco” and Frédéric Jeanne’s “Rêveurs Lucides”, among other projects...
OKO plays and endorses HOHNER chromatic harmonicas and is a HOHNER FRANCE artist. He's also a laureat of the "Fondation de la Vocation" award.
OKO has collaborated with:
Ralph Towner, Sylvain Luc, Annie Ebrel, Michel Pétrucciani, Aldo Romano, Didier Lockwood, Philippe Catherine, Martial Solal, Toots Thielemans, Daniel Humair, Michel Legrand, Glenn Ferris, Manuel Rocheman, Jean-Claude Vannier, Sylvain Luc, Paolo Fresu, Stefano di Battista, Rick Margitza, David Kikoski, Rufus Reid, Gene Jackson, Joe Locke, Jean-Michel Pilc, Diederik Wissels, Danyel Waro, Lo Kwa Kanza, Laurent Voulzy, Georges Moustaki, Lis Sorensen, Khalil Chahine, David Linx, Pierre de Bethmann, André Ceccarelli, Louis Winsberg, Jean-Marc Jafet, David Patrois, Jacques Pellen, Thierry Lang, Heiri Kaenzig, Denis Leloup, Barend Middelhoff, Pierrick Hardy, Benoît Sourisse, André Charlier, Jean-Jacques Milteau, Igor Butman, Andrei Kondakov, Frédéric Favarel, Claudio Pontiggia, Jean-Christophe Cholet, Zool Fleischer, Guillaume de Chassy, Franck Amsallem, Jean-Marie Ecay, Yvinek...
Here is what the press has to say about OKO:
"The duo of Sylvain Luc on guitar and Olivier Ker Ourio on harmonica had me skeptical: two instruments I am not especially fond of, and shades of contrived sounds worried my mind. But I was quickly proved wrong, as the unlikely duo unleashed an absolutely breathtaking performance, including modern and old tunes but above all playing with unbounded freedom, having a great fun and involving the audience in it. The crowded square responded with enthousiasm, and they were called back twice. I was not familiar with these musicians (my fault) and for me they were the best surprise of the weekend." Allaboutjazz.com -Francesco Martinelli -Istanbul 2005
"I've always loved Olivier Ker Ourio's harmonica playing, and I consider him to be one of the most interesting jazz guys around, all instruments considered. What I particularly love about him is that he has strong roots in the Indian Ocean Isles (Reunion, to be precise) and has not shyed away from making that felt in his records. In the past, however, his projects have tended to be either strongly northern hemisphere (european jazz) or strongly southern hemisphere (world). My preference until now went to the more world projects, Oté l'Ancêtre and Sominnkér.
Oversea is his most accomplished record yet, and it's a marvelous blend of these two hemispheres. It's clearly a jazz project with strong island undercurrents. It's also a jazz album that manages to stay focused, with mostly short and sweet improvisation rather than the longer meanderings which, in my opinion, made Olivier's previous album with Ralph Towner (Siroko) not quite as succesful.
On Oversea, Olivier combines focus, fun and roots, he's clearly enjoying himself, and the music that is produced comes straight from the heart. In other words, this is a winner, and while I may still have a little trouble relinquishing Sominnkér as my favourite Ker Ourio record, I have to admit that this one is damn near perfect.
Another sign of the musical maturity Olivier has reached is that the album is filled with hugely talented guests to whom Olivier is not worried of handing over the spotlight. In fact, he has chosen them well, because they are all polite and talented enough not to show off, and they blend marvelously in his musical universe.
First and foremost is long-time collaborator Sylvain Luc who adds his particular brand of minimalist guitar playing to a little over half the album. He also contributes some strange percussive tracks played on crumpled newspaper or soda cans, to great (if discreet) effect. Olivier also invites Danyel Waro over for two vocal tracks in Creole, the romantic Mangé pou le coeur and the oddly poetic Le roi dans le bois. Waro's voice is as fine as ever and the traditional maloya rhythms and percussion blend in with the jazz arrangements at least as naturally as they did on Sominnkér.
The more jazzy guests include bassist Diego Imbert, drum giant André Ceccarelli, violin master Didier Lockwood (for a magnificant Santa Cruz, the sweetest unison-then-harmony theme you have ever heard) and renowned pianist Jean-Michel Pilc for Dimitile, a slow waltz that echoes of Satie. Oddball singer André Minvielle also collaborates his particular brand of non-verbalised vocals to 7 en Septembre.
Despite these numerous guests though, this is clearly Olivier's own world, from start to sweet finish. A good section of the pieces are self-penned, and even those that aren't are intrisically his. As a case in point is his cover of Stevie Wonder's Alfie. Covering wonder is no picnic at the best of times, but playing one of his harmonica masterpieces is even more daunting, so particular is his playing. And yet Olivier pulls it off with apparent ease, not echoing Stevie, but bringing his own rich and deep tone as well as his particular sense of harmony. Making it, in other words, his own.
As you've probably figured out by now, I love this record.
I am under the Oversea spell." Musical Ramblings - Benoit Felten - 2008
"In the family of wind instruments, there is a brotherhood of the highly gifted, blessed by the gods. They are musicians whose breath is naturally colored with music. As soon as they put their instrument to their lips - whether it is a saxophone, a trumpet, a flute or a harmonica - the music is there, right away, guileless and inescapable. Like a truth that immediately plunges the listener into a state of weightlessness with the sheer honesty of its inner voice. This lyrical endowment is called charm. Lester Young, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Stan Getz and a few others have succeeded in harnessing this gift, which transforms breath into "something blue that appeared like a wing" (Victor Hugo). Olivier Ker Ourio definitely belongs to this clan of the chosen.
With this first album "Oversea" under the label Dreyfus Jazz, Olivier Ker Ourio invites us to take a new and elemental voyage... this gentle nomad of the harmonica has chosen, for each track, fellow travelers in his own image. All are true adventurers of musical freedom: pianists Manuel Rocheman and Jean-Michel Pilc, guitarists Sylvain Luc and Louis Winsberg, vocalists André Minvielle and Danyel Waro, trombonist Glenn Ferris and kayamb player Laurent Dalleau, not to forget a fantastic rhythm section with André Ceccarelli and Diego Imbert... At every turn, we find charm and magic, swing and poetry. How rare!" Jazzman - Pascal Anquetil - 2008
"Every passing day bears witness to the growing celebrity of Olivier Ker Ourio. In his case, this highly flattering rumor is the sign of good news. For nothing better has happened for the jazz harmonica since Toots Thielemans.
You have to admit, a compliment of this kind is hardly a small matter. Even so, it hardly suffices, considering that the illustrious, two-fold merit of the celtic musician lies in his ability to differentiate himself from the Belgian, all the while putting himself in the direct line of fire of Toots' diabolical mastery, by willingly accepting the formidable privilege of confronting Toots on his home territory: lyricism.
If someone is delighted about the news, knowing him a little, I'd say it's uncle Toots - guest artist, by the way, on one of the tracks. But he couldn't possibly be more delighted than we are: an enchanting new voice is born." Diapason - Alain Gerber
"As regards the harmonica, an instrument thought to be easy by the general public, and which can, in fact, be too easily charming, Toots Thielemans has finally found a plausible, even delightful, successor in the person of Olivier Ker Ourio, a melody-maker who fears neither humor nor emotion..." Télérama - Michel Contat
Bonsoir Monsieur Olivier, un coup de pub collectif en-dehors des considérations particulières :p
Album inédit "XXX. Surround, the Mad Hatter and Love" dédicace aux internautes disponible et téléchargeable sur myspace!
Amitié, et à bientôt!
Virtously harmoniously,
Pour vous,
J.
Un petit bonjour en passant ... J'espere voir un concert bientot, mes sens seraient ravis de faire l'experience de cette belle musique sans l'intermediaire d'une machine electronique :)
hello my friend olivier! come stai?! its a pleasure every time, to listen you beautiful music and you playing with your harp. best wishes from stuttgart
Merci de nous permettre la promotion de notre stage:
Vous êtes accordéoniste, débutant ou confirmé, ce stage vous permettra d’aborder sereinement et sans complexe l’improvisation sur des thèmes de Blues, de Swing Manouche, et de Jazz.
L’accompagnement de ces différents styles, et plus généralement, la façon d’utiliser l’accordéon au sein d’une formation seront au cœur du programme.
La semaine sera ponctuée de trois concerts donnés par les intervenants.
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Management: Alexandre LACOMBE
OKO plays and endorses HOHNER chromatic harmonicas and is a 
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