Okan, an excellent Cuban band based in Toronto, has released its second album titled Espiral (Spiral) on Lulaworld Records. Okan is directed by two highly talented Cuban women, violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne.
Espiral features a fantastic combination of Cuban music (danzón, Afro-Cuban chants and beats, bolero, pilón and música guajira), jazz fusion, classical violin influences, Dominican merengue and Brazilian samba. The album showcases the exceptional, multifaceted violin work of Elizabeth Rodriguez; and the first-rate, wide-ranging percussion of Magdelys Savigne.
Okan infuse Espiral with additional sabor cubano with the help of tres (Cuban guitar) player Pablosky Rosales.
Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne left Cuba a few years and found a welcoming home in Toronto, Canada. The two artists talked to us about their career and the new album.
What are your fondest musical memories?
(E) Singing in the kitchen with my mom. She has a very beautiful voice.
(M) My birthday parties, where music was played almost 24 hours a day and the speakers were put on the balcony for the whole neighborhood.
What do you consider to be the essential elements of your music?
(E) The vocal harmonies are present in every song.
(M) The mixture of different rhythms and the use of different genres from various parts of Cuba and the world.
How did your musical ideas evolve over the years from your first album to Espiral?
(M) We believe that everyone learns over the years and evolves naturally. We choose what works, or not, with the audience as we play.
(E) New knowledge is always acquired, it is a process that never ends.
We think this album has more maturity.
Tell us about your new album, Espiral.
(E) Espiral is an album full of colors and different textures. It goes through various eras and genres of Cuban music, mixed with a 21st century language but without losing the essence.
(M) We experimented with other genres of international music as we live in a city as multicultural as Toronto. I have been a member of several bands here that have influenced me, with Turkish and Brazilian music. In the end we have come to the conclusion that we are not that different when it comes to music.
Who plays in Spiral? Who are the musicians you are currently working with?
We have a spectacular cast of Cuban and Canadian musicians. On the piano, Miguel de Armas, Jeremy Ledbetter and Hilario Durán as special guest on ‘Mercedes.’ Roberto Riveron on bass, and Frank Martinez on drums. You’ll hear a series of special guests who brought great flavor and talent: Alexis Baro on trumpet; rapper Telmary Diaz; Junior Santos on Dominican tambora; Pat Blanchard on trombone; and Pablosky Rosales on tres cubano.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected you in terms of work and livelihoods?
(E) Luckily, we are in Canada, where the government has been in charge of supporting the citizens. It is not the best time for any person and even less for artists. The situation is very difficult and we are doing everything possible to continue with our work. Reinventing new strategies is our goal, so that music continues to flow and reach more and more people.
What are they doing these days while there are lockdowns and orders to stay at home in many countries?
(M) We have been part of several online events such as Philadelphia Folk Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, among others. Honestly, it’s been quite good for us. For now we are promoting this album and with that we are quite busy. But we are eager to be play with an audience again.
You live in Canada. How is the Cuban and Latin American music scene where you live?
There is a very large and diverse Latino community here. The most frequent meeting point is the Lula Lounge. Lula is like the home of all Latinos. You can listen to Cuban, Colombian, European, Brazilian, Russian music, etc. Everything Toronto represents.
On Fridays they used to present the Cuban night, where you could find the best representatives of our music on stage. Lula Lounge also has a record label for artists in the community. We are very happy to be part of the Lulaworld Records label. It’s something that artists like us really appreciate. Because it is not easy to be an immigrant and start a career in a new country.
How has living in Canada influenced you?
(E) Well now we can express ourselves freely. And feeling free is priceless.
Now we speak English which makes us bilingual, and we have been able to write songs in this language.
Now we are more open to other sounds and experiences since we live surrounded by so much diversity.
Now I have learned to be a little less impulsive. Canadians have taught me to think with a cooler head.
Are you still in contact with musicians who reside in Cuba and what is being done there?
(E) I have few friends there. Most have left Cuba for obvious reasons. But I do have a few left, and we don’t communicate directly a lot, but I do know the things they do and we support each other with comments on social media etc.
(M) I have even fewer friends in Cuba. Yes, we are always aware of what is happening in Cuba. Luckily, art does not die.
In what ways are they promoting your music?
Facebook, IG, Spotify, YouTube, you name it. The hardest part of it all is that people expect much more from artists than before. Much more access, and to top it all now we have to make our own sound and scenography for live concerts online.
If you could gather musicians or bands to collaborate with, who would it be?
Janelle Monae, Laura Mvula, Dayme Arocena. Djavan, Francisco Céspedes, Oscar de León, Willy Chirino, Pedrito Martinez. So many others.
Do you give classes or workshops?
(E) We give classes in various music schools in the city. And when we go on tour we give workshops.
Besides the release of Espiral, do you have any additional projects to share with us?
In 2020, despite so many difficult things, we have been fortunate to be part of two albums highly anticipated by people. One is already come out, Miss Colombia by Lido Pimienta, and the other will be Bomba Estéreo’s next album.
The initial plan was to participate in some concerts with Bomba and do our Spiral tour, but now everything is uncertain. We will continue promoting our music and maybe we can do something sooner than we all think.
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More about Okan
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.