KAMI OCTET – ENGLISH

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There is a sense of initiatory path in the history of KAMI, a path which is made by walking. In 2004, a quintet formula was born, under the leadership of Pascal Charrier. A journey marked out by remarkable experiences (a tour in New York), two albums as a quintet, remarkable collaborations (with Malik Mezzardi, Stéphane Payen, Josef Dumoulin) …

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Download presentation and bios (in english)

THE BIRTH OF AN OCTET : « SPRING PARTY »

After 10 years of touring the jazz scenes in France and abroad, Kami Quintet has transformed into an ensemble of eight musicians. One can hear a recognizable work on melodies, rhythm and trance. « Spring party », the first album of Kami Octet, gathers references of contemporary and improvised music, around the story of an initiatory travel, a story of a transformation and an emancipation.
The band’s sound shifted from electric to acoustic, the natural and acoustic sounds of the instruments paint the organic materials of the pictures we walk through.

Since 2019, it is Emilie Lesbros’s voice which is guiding the listener into imaginary landscapes, declaiming poetic fragments (poems written by Pascal Charrier). The compositions are both dense and punctuated with long areas of freedom and improvisation.

KAMI OCTET, THE UPCOMING CREATION (2021)
« UNE MUSIQUE POPULAIRE » / « WORKERS »

Since the album « Les Forces du mouvement / (« The Forces of Movement) », released in 2008, Kami has evolved from the music of a quintet to a music written for eight musicians, shifting its sound from electric to more acoustic instrumentation. « Spring Party » explored the emotional and sensory states of a character on a journey to lands of hope. The dark sides of the album also echoed the wandering situation of populations in exile.

The new repertoire, »Workers » draws inspiration from American and European social history, the breeding ground of jazz music at the end of the 19th century. Worksongs were, as we know, created by slaves from the southern states of the United States, and filled with the heritage of African music.

Like the « Liberation Music Orchestra », conducted by Charlie Haden, this new music by Kami Octet will be freely inspired by the battles that have marked North American and European social history.

Pascal Charrier’s compositions favor the superposition of rhythmic loops, a process that creates a phenomenon of trance. This work on rhythm comes from the origins of jazz but also and ultimately from all popular music dedicated to collective ritual.

Through trance, simple melodies reach out listeners, guide them to the heart of adventurous, sensitive, delicate or abrupt musical zones. “Popular Music” will give voice to the breaths and unusual sounds of the instruments, which have become creators of organic sound materials, noise makers. They resurface from the past, from our collective memory, like a hymn, a calming fire, a dance in which we fraternize. »

ON STAGE :

Émilie Lesbros (EMIR – Barre Phillips, Miss Elie, Darius Jones Quartet), Leila Soldevila (Nishtiman, Quieter Than Silence), Paul Wacrenier (Healing Orchestra, Healing Unit, The Archetypal Syndicate), Yann Lecollaire (Le sens de la marche by Marc Ducret, Mû, Soundpainting Matters), Nicolas Pointard (For Trink, Ensemble Nautilis, OKO), Julien Soro (Ozma, Big Four, Ping Machine, Orchestre National de Jazz) et Léo Pellet (Paul Jarret PJ5) join in and play Pascal Charrier’s compositions.
They come together and complement each other in a carefully designed project. Spatial diffusion of sound, musicians’ movements and lights have been set to invite the audiences in a vibrant dreamlike reality.

Portraits photos et Vidéos (c) Philippe Clin 2019