OKOU - Serpentine

 

It was bound to happen: The world without borders, Okou create chaos in our fixed ideas. They have created a music that is sophisticated, acoustic, spiritually inhabited, free and played as if it didn't belong to time.

 

Okou is neither Folk, Pop, World, or Soul but a turmoil of all these.

 

Okou is a new adventure: Tatiana Heintz & Gilbert Trefzger met only 3 years ago. From a French father and an Ivorian mother,she lived her young life in West Africa. In a bar she meets Gilbert Trefzger, a Swiss guitarist with Egyptian roots who studied the Oud, Slide Guitar and Banjo. «Immediately something happened musically between the two of us». She lives in Paris, he is between Basel and Berlin, they compose and record each on their side, «but to finalise a song we need to be together. This is why we have named our album 'Serpentine'».

 

The album was recorded in 5 days in live conditions. The casting which was directed by Jean-Philippe Allard and Jay Newland, who produced the album, was exceptional: on double bass Ira Coleman, on percussion and drums Andrew Borger, on Tuba Dave Bargeron, on Accordeon and Piano Brian Mitchell, the string arrangements are signed Gil Goldstein who also played the Accordeon. «We didn't need to talk to understand each other, says Tatiana. Everything was based on energies more than on a concept.» Which makes Serpentine sound like an outstanding balancing act.

 

They insist: «Our music is homemade, in the energy that we live through in that precise moment.»

Tatiana writes in a dreamy and sensual English as well as in a poetic French. In both languages and in all genres of music they approach, the desir is equal: «We try to serve the songs, which are energies that transcend through us. They are entities that we try to welcome the best way we can.»

...

Band: Okou

Album: Serpentine (Out – Digital: 26th Octobre 2009 / Physical: 11th January 2010)

Label: AZ Records

Publisher: Universal Music Publishing

16 Jan  FNAC Saint-Lazare  Paris, 75009, FR

20 Jan - Casino Basel, CH

21 Jan - La Chapelle Metz, FR

22 Jan  FNAC   Strasbourg, 67000, FR

27 Jan - Chabada   Angers, FR

28 Jan  - Pediluve   Chatenay Malabry, FR

30 Jan - Schüür  Luzern, CH

04 Feb  - Olympic    Nantes, CH

10 Feb Fnac  Toulouse, 31000, FR

11 Feb - FNAC   20,  Lille, 59000, FR

12 Feb  - EMB  Sannois, FR

13 Feb  - Le Normandy   Saint Lo, FR

18 Feb - La Condition Publique,  Roubaix, FR

20 Feb - Chat Noir  Geneva, CH

24 Feb  - FNAC Part-Dieu, Lyon, 69003, FR

06 Mar- Cabaret Electric   Le Havre, FR

10 Mar la Maroquinerie 7020 Paris, FR

12 Mar - Victoire 2  Montpellier, FR

19 Mar - Theatre   Morcenx, FR

27 Mar 2010, Le Cap  Aulnay sous Bois, FR

03 Apr  - Festival Cameleon, Kingersheim, FR

09 Apr  - Le 112   Terville, FR

3 May - Studio 672 , Köln

4 May -  Tollhaus, Karlsruhe, D

7 May - Nachtleben, Frankfurt, D

8 May - Lux, Berlin, D

9 May - Admiralspalast, Berlin, D

15 May  - Centre Culturel  Talange, FR

16 May- Barbican Center, London, GB

28 May - Festival Tempos du monde   St Paul Les Dax (40), FR

4 Jun  Festival des Folies  Maubeuge, FR

5 Jun  Peniche du Pianiste,  Lille, FR

19 jun Montreuil fete de la ville

12 Juli  Festival Deferlantes Argeles, FR                 

13 Juli  Festival de la cote d’Opal Hardelot, FR            

22 Jul  Paleo Festival Nyon, CH                        

23 Jul Cabaret Frappé GRENOBLE, FR                    

24 Jul  Artiste’o Champs Le Voide, FR                    

29 Jul Esquivel Metz, FR                            

30 Jul Katharinenruine Nuernberg,DE                    

6 Aug Wuerzburg Hafensommer                        

12 Aug Auditorium St Michel Sables D´Olonne,FR            

13 Aug  Le Mas en concert Puget, FR                    

18 Aug  Les Estivales                                

10/09 : Mouilleron le captif, Festival Face et Si                

18.9: geneva, tsr 2 live duo show promo                

19.9: lausanne, label suisse                        

3.10: ajccio, corsica                            

11-10- Neue Welt - Ingolstadt                        

12-10-- Jubez - Karlsruhe                                                            

14.10- Treibhaus - Innsbruck                                                            19-10- Köln - Kulturkirche                                    

23/10 : Perigny (near La rochelle)                        

29.10:Paris, la maroquinerie (daby toure)

9.11. Amterdam Melkweg        

19/11 : Annecy, Place des Arts                                                    

21. November : Basel kuppel                        

22. November : Frutigen                            

23. November : Zürich Papiersaal (Showcase)            

24/11 : Geneve, Maison des Arts,  d´onex                

25. November : Bern Musigbistrot                         

26/11 : Fribourg, La Spirale                            

27/11 : Champs sur marne (near paris)                     

10/12 : Conflans Sainte Honorine (near paris)                 

11/12 : illzach (near strasbourg)