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Olivier
Ker-Ourio - Oté l'Ancêtre !
I'd been looking forward
to jazz chromatic player Olivier Ker Ourio's second album ever since he told me he'd
recorded the first few tracks, and I haven't been disappointed with the results. I was
very impressed with the sophisticated tone and technique I heard on his first cd, 'Central
Park Nord', and continue to be impressed with what he presents here. With his debut
release I felt that his sound and style, while very impressive, was reminiscent of Toots
Thielemans. The highly refined aspects of his playing are still present on 'Ote
L'ancetra', but I feel that I hear more of Olivier's own musical 'voice' coming through,
and I like what I hear! It is apparent that a lot of trouble has been taken to produce an
album with the right feel: there is real communication going on between Olivier and the
other musicians.
The album, on which 7 of the 10 tracks have been composed by Olivier, is a
tribute his ancestor Joseph Ker Ourio. Joseph left the Brittany region of France in 1728
and settled on Reunion Island (800 kms. east of Madagascar) where Olivier was raised and
his family still lives. The French settlers took with them the traditional music of the
Bretons, and in the cultural melting pot of the African, European, and Indian communities
it developed a flavour distinctive to the Island, evident on 'Maloya la Terre Volcan' with
its typically Reunionish grooves. If the music on this cd is any indication then Reunion
Island must be a very relaxed place. The album takes us on a musical journey from Brittany
('On Laurient's Quays' where his ancestors left from), to the island ('Between Two
Oceans'), where we get a feel for it's different regions ('The Moors', 'Fog On The
Maido'). Track 10, 'Candy Man', also has at its completion an alternative version of track
1. But be patient, you won't hear it until about 8 minutes of silence after 'Candy Man'
ends!(But it's worth the wait.)
While Olivier's ancestors may have left their homeland to escape material
poverty, Olivier has returned the prodigal son with a cultural richness that he shares
through the medium of jazz.
Paul Farmer |
