Afro-Cuban Band Brings Traditional Sounds and Rhythms to the Clarice
On the evening of Thursday, Feb. 20 the band OKAN took the stage at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center to give a rich performance celebrating their Afro-Cuban heritage.
“Let’s let the music speak first,” is what Elizabeth Rodriguez, one of the core members, said at the beginning of the band’s performance in the Kogod Theatre.
The performance was filled with soulful vocals, strings, percussion and piano. The songs, each accompanied by a story shared by Rodriguez, ranged from fast-paced and rousing to slow and reverent. The sounds and lyrics meshed in a fusion that honored both African and Latin musical traditions.
OKAN is an Afro-Cuban music group, whose core members are Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne. The word “okan” means “heart” in the West African Yoruba language and in the Santería faith tradition, which both Rodriguez and Sevigne practice. Their religion also plays a large role in their artistic process.
“Our religion comes with so much music that what we’re doing is just taking the music out and sharing that part to the world,” said Rodriguez. “We use elements of the music that come from the religion that fueled us, because they’re so beautiful. They touch our soul first, and then we make an arrangement with them, using our education to then bring it to people. At the same time, that’s how we stay connected to our own faith, our ancestors and our music.”
Both Rodriguez and Savigne are classically trained musicians from Cuba and they met while working with a band in Toronto. Shortly after, they decided to pursue their own music as independent artists, to avoid industry exploitation.
“We were mixing our classical training with our folkloric music, and had a different and somewhat unique sound, and people were eager to hear more,” said Savigne. “Despite the lyrics being in Spanish or Afro Cuban chants, people were connecting with the music and the rhythms, and that’s how we got where we are.”
Since OKAN’s creation, the group has done a Tiny Desk Concert, released three albums, and won two JUNO Awards, Canada’s highest music awards. Their music explores multiple sounds including classical, jazz, folk, Latin and more.
For Rodriguez and Savigne, the inspiration to create their own music came from the desire to embrace their cultural roots, and share the music that shaped them with a wider audience.
“The fuel of having even our own ancestors help us with the music that we grew up with. The music that you hear is the one that comes from our folkloric sounds and religion and families,” Rodriguez said. “The very beginning of the mission was to showcase that Cuba is super rich in music.”
As independent artists, Rodriguez and Savigne have struggled with visibility. Nonetheless, through maintaining their authenticity and staying true to their vision, they have made a name for themselves in the industry.
“There is a struggle, but we have never taken no for an answer. We made a career, we got two JUNOs, we are recognized within the music industry.”
One of the standout features of OKAN’s performances are invitations to the audience to get up, dance, and even participate in call and response chants. Rodriguez shared that performing to reserved audiences was an adjustment for her, but the group strives to engage the audience and create an environment for them to freely express themselves.
“It is a very simple exercise of allowing people to [let go]. This is just a very little, tiny thing that I can do in their life. If you want to dance, just dance. You don’t need to be cut off from the experience on stage.”
Laura Schmidt, a former employee and regular visitor of the Clarice since childhood, was slightly familiar with OKAN, but it took nothing away from her experience.
“This just seemed like a wonderful joyous show,” said Schmidt. “I knew a little bit about them–I had seen their Tiny Desk–so I was excited. I love coming to shows where I don’t have as much background context, because I get to really just be immersed and enjoy it.”
Schmidt enjoyed the interactive and political nature of OKAN’s performance, and when asked about her favorite aspect of the show, she said that it was the joy and the fun.
“You know, I think that any show that emanates really powerful joy while still being very real. They had a lot of messages which were political, really powerful and wonderful to hear,” Schmidt said. “Intertwining that with such a joyful production was just a really great, really great experience to kind of see and feel.”
Schmidt, was brought to the performance by her mother, who works at the Clarice. One of her favorite parts of coming to the Clarice is being exposed to a diverse array of new artists like OKAN.
“It is just so great to see the wide range of productions that they feature: people from different places and backgrounds and cultures,” Schmidt said. “[To] see artists that I’m so grateful to now know. It’s just such a gift.”
For their next project, Rodriguez and Savigne plan to explore new sounds, and delve into a deeper story about healing and self-love.
“Artists do art to heal themselves,” said Rodriguez. “I’m doing this for myself. She’s doing this for herself, and then if, in the process, we can heal more people, excellent, but this is for me.”