OKAN
Juno-Award winning women-led ensemble that fuses Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, courage and love.
OKAN
Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.
Having recently performed and recorded with Bomba Estereo, Lido Pimienta, The Halifax Symphony Orchestra, Hilario Duran and Dayme Arocena, OKAN’s recent release Okantomi was nominated for a Juno Award and included in NPR Alt Latino, Le Monde, and CBC Music’s “Best of 2023” lists, garnering critical praise from Songlines UK, Billboard, Pop Matters and JAZZIZ.
Building on their Juno-winning sophomore Espiral (2020) and the Juno-nominated debut Sombras (2019), Okantomi passionately advocates for freedom of expression, queer rights and gender equality. Magdelys and Elizabeth’s mesmerizing harmonies, virtuosic musicianship and potent lyrics, as well as an unfailing ability to connect with audiences on a deep emotional level, are earning the duo a dedicated audience worldwide.
Embracing genres that have not historically fostered women artists outside of the role of singer, OKAN co-leaders have faced many challenges. Magdelys talks about the obstacles she faced in pursuing percussion in her native Cuba and how “coming out as a percussionist” to her family. was as big a deal as coming out as queer. Part of the next wave of Cuban women composers and multi-instrumentalists, Elizabeth and Magdelys bring a fresh perspective to Latin and world jazz fusion through their powerful harmonies, elevated musicianship and provocative but playful lyrical content.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Elizabeth Rodriguez is a classically trained violinist who served as concertmaster for Havana’s Youth Orchestra. Magdelys Savigne hails from Santiago de Cuba and graduated with honors in orchestral percussion from Havana’s University of the Arts.
Official showcases at SXSW, Folk Alliance International, Mundial Montreal, Contact East, Folk Music Ontario, Pacific Contact, Ontario Contact and Global Toronto have led to invitations to perform across Canada and the U.S. with stops at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Winter Jazzfest in NYC and Cal Performances in Berkeley, CA, as well a The Calgary, Canmore and Mission Folk Festivals. Recent highlights include opening for Snarky Puppy at Toronto Jazz Festival, and performances at Montreal and Rochester Jazz Festivals.
“[OKAN is] journeying through the ether, and their music is transcendent on its way to reach us. ….the resolve, the fire, the love. Okantomi is many things, and all of them are worth hearing.”
Adriane Pontecorvo | POP Matters
“A dynamic force, effortlessly intertwining Afro-Cuban roots with a cross-cultural blend of jazz, folk, and global rhythms… OKAN’s incorporation of Santeria rhythms and chants serves as an homage to tradition while embracing innovation. This fusion not only anchors its music in an ancestral legacy but also establishes a robust foundation for excursions into jazz improvisation and new-music atonality, showcasing their dynamic capacity for musical evolution.”
Bill King | Billboard
Fusing Afro-Cuban roots with jazz, folk and global rhythms in songs about immigration, resistance and love, OKAN takes their name from the word for heart in their Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria. With vocals in Spanish, Yoruba and Spanglish, OKAN is led by the Cuban-born violinist and vocalist Elizabeth Rodriguez and percussionist and vocalist Magdelys Savigne, both Grammy and Latin-Grammy nominees.
“[OKAN is] journeying through the ether, and their music is transcendent on its way to reach us. ….the resolve, the fire, the love. Okantomi is many things, and all of them are worth hearing.”
Adriane Pontecorvo | POP Matters