Oran Etkin's Kelenia

Pied Piper Oran Etkin Wakes Up Instruments And Audiences
By JONATHAN TAKIFF Philadelphia Daily News
Could there be a better representative of the
Putumayo World Music label experience (and
ethos) than Oran Etkin, featured artist at two
performances Sunday for the finale of the 18th
annual Please Touch Museum Junior Jazz
Festival?
"Our [kids'] shows start with bringing the
instruments to life," explained the musician and
educator, a cultural globe-trotter born in Israel,
raised and trained in the U.S., and also wellconnected to the sounds and talents of West
Africa.
"First I 'wake up' my clarinet and she starts to
talk - 'Ma Ma, I want Ma Ma' " shared the
multi-instrumentalist Etkin. "Then Big Mama
Tuba comes out of the audience with a 'roar,'
and we sing and dance.
"Then my clarinet is feeling hungry. So we
sing and play [the Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke classic] 'Salt Peanuts.' Then we take a trip
around the world - all the way from Duke's [Ellington] place down to Africa, from France to New
Orleans.
"The kids are usually right there with us from the first moment when they see and hear this
instrument talking. And that's what music should do. It should speak to you."
"Oran is a pied piper. The kids are mesmerized in his presence. Parents, too," enthused Mona
Kayhan, co-producer of the "Putumayo Kids" album series that's celebrating its latest (like, 20th)
release, "Jazz Playground," with this show.
Etkin's contribution to the compilation is a bopped and bluesy version (with singer Charenee
Wade) of a familiar children's song, "Little Lamb Jam." It's an apt example of the Putumayo label's
whole-earth approach to musical celebration, combining elements familiar with those that are not.
All to broaden developing minds - those young and young at heart. Themed on a globally
embracing style (jazz, reggae, folk), a culture (New Orleans, French, Brazilian) or a kid-centric
theme (picnicking, playground, dreamland), "about 80 percent" of Putumayo's compilation CDs
"sing" in one or several foreign languages. "And we sell them all around the world," noted
Kayhan, an ethnomusicologist by training.
"The kids are mesmerized in his presence.
Parents, too," says Mona Kayhan, co-producer of
the "Putumayo Kids" album series, of the bornin-Israel, raised- and trained-in-the-U.S. Oran
Etkin (above)."So, the first and foremost element we focus on is the music," Kayhan said. "It's got to be good
and accessible. That's the entry point for the child, the parent, the grandparent and the teacher.
Thing is, kids are like sponges when they're young. When exposed to one of these discs, they
instinctively come to see there are different ways to say, sing or play something.
"That broadens their understanding of their own and other cultures, makes them realize there are
different ways to communicate. It makes them more tolerant and global citizens as they grow."
Putumayo World Music doesn't share sales figures on either its children's or grownup music
packages. But clearly the label is doing things right by doing things differently. The operation
mostly licenses tracks rather than producing them; it brands all sets with similarly crafty, colorful,
folk-art designs; and it sells the offerings in dedicated displays and listening stations at
"alternative" outlets, such as gift, clothing and toy stores and Whole Foods supermarkets.
"So, while dedicated record shops are closing, the number of stores carrying Putumayo discs has
actually expanded," Kayhan shared. "Merchants enjoy playing the albums in the store. They say
the music lends an appealing atmosphere."
The children's segment of the music business has proven more resilient to downturns in album
sales "as parents look for better alternatives to the Britney Spears of the world," said the label
exec. "There's now a lot of stuff out there for kids, but nothing else quite like ours." Some artists,
- Philadelphia Daily News

"sur la scene du jazz, on dit qu vous vous alliez la tradition et la modernité" - RTC

One of the most endearing qualities of music is the unintended effect it has to directly shape the outcome you and me: the listener. The jazz that softly plays in the background brings peace and calm to a tumultuous day that would have regularly been chaotic. A catchy melody stuck in the head that elicits an infectious smile that brings joy to a room. Or the music that makes children laugh and learn while at play, the effect of music is undeniable. For Grammy award winning clarinetist, composer, and educator, Oran Etkin, it was the unintentional voice of his father that defined his childhood and shaped the outcome of his life in music—one that involves using the power of music to help shape the youngest minds. Etkin reinforces my belief in the power of music as his life is a shining example of the many worlds music that music can take you—from the savannah of Mali, to the hills of Israel, to the jazz clubs of New York City and into the homes of students and listeners around the world.

I recently spoke with the man dubbed a “woodwind maestro” by PRI’s Afropop Worldwide while he was in Israel preparing for the Tel-Aviv Jazz Festival and it was clear that his passion for music can easily be rivaled by his zeal to expose children to the diversity of music from all over the globe. As the creator of the wildly popular children’s music education program, Timbalooloo, which is a unique method of incorporating rhythms and melodies from all over the world to teach the fundamentals of music through games, songs, and stories, Etkin is just as much a teacher as he is a musician.

Fighting the urge to call him the “Pied Piper”, Etkin’s teaching methods have mesmerized parents in New York City and beyond including actors Naomi Watts and Liev Schieber who said about his class. “Really, really remarkable. He has touched both of our boys’.” According to Etkin, his love affair with music was sparked by his father. Though his father was not a professional musician or teacher, what he learned from his him was just as important to his success as studying with a master teacher. “My dad was always singing around the house. He had a great sense of melody and it was infectious. Melody was important for my dad. When he heard a great melody, he would simply light up. Today, I gravitate to melody and music with a great groove.”

As a young kid growing up in Boston and spending his summers in Israel, Oran’s musical development was a mélange of the traditional music of Israel, straight ahead jazz, classical music, and the groundbreaking sound of early New Orleans jazz. All these elements began to prepare him to make music that would not only inspire him to inspire children, but also explore traditional Malian music. Interestingly, Etkin’s first two CD’s in the 4th grade were by Mozart and Louis Armstrong–music that is often played to contribute to the development of young children, Mozart’s music for its scientifically proven qualities and Louis Armstrong for his fun loving, child friendly voice.

By 9th grade Etkin was consumed with Armstrong’s music. “Two things that grabbed me were the groove and lyrical quality to his music.” Etkin’s adds. Etkin readily admits that Louis Armstrong is the first musical love of his life and continues to be. After playing multiple instruments throughout grade school, such as the piano, violin, and guitar, Oran eventually settled on the saxophone and clarinet. He began studying with tenor saxophonist and educator, George Garzone (Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Danilo Perez) and later with saxophone titan, Yusef Lateef. Armed with a degree in classical clarinet and a master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, Oran has always had a keen sense even from an early age that reaching children early with music is the key. “I’ve found that at an early age kids are unbiased. It’s much harder to teach older people rhythm. With young children you can shape the way they absorb rhythm just like ho - iRock Jazz

By Tad Hendrickson/For The Star-Ledger
Oran Etkin first came across Malian music during an African dance class in 1998. In the years since then, the Brooklyn-based clarinetist and saxophonist has found a way to make music that draws on his jazz studies and his family roots in traditional Jewish music, as well as his awakening to the great music tradition of Mali.
“When I pick up my horn to play or sit down to write music, elements of Mali, Israel, New Orleans and New York are naturally going to come out in my music,” Etkin says. “The music is therefore a natural reflection of my own experiences and who I am now, and not a purely intellectual exercise in combining musical styles.”
While he plays in a wide variety of settings, all Etkin’s varied influences come together in Kelenia, his 8-year-old group whose 2009 album — “Kelenia,” released under Etkin’s name — was widely hailed for its originality. Featuring Etkin on clarinet and saxophone, Marcos Varela on acoustic bass, Balla Kouyate on balafon (wooden xylophone) and calabash (Malian drum) and Makane Kouyate on vocals, the band performs as part of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s free Sounds of the City series, on Thursday.
Etkin’s 1998 African dance class took place in Boston and was taught by Mohamed “Joh” Camara, a percussionist and dancer from Mali. Soon Etkin was playing in his teacher’s group and with Camara’s uncle, Balla Tounkara, who is an established kora (folk harp) player in Mali.
Then Etkin went to Mali and played with legends such as Toumani Diabaté, Super Rail Band and Habibe Koité, adding his horn to the string- and percussion-based tradition of Malian music.
“I feel very lucky to be playing an instrument that is not common in Malian music,” says Etkin, 32. “If I were a guitarist, I’d be stepping into a long tradition of Malian guitarists, but with saxophone and, definitely, clarinet, there’s not much history to draw upon for that instrument in this music.”
Etkin went through periods where he tried to play his horn like different indigenous instruments such as djembe and kora, or even mimic the vocals of traditional Griot storyteller-singers.
“I was always trying to be as natural as possible when working on the music for Kelenia, and I think that naturalness and ease within music that is new and not familiar to people is one thing that people have been reacting to,” he says.
Originally from Israel before his family moved to Boston, Etkin started with piano at age 5 and went through a variety of instruments before picking up clarinet at 14. He studied with noted saxophonists George Garzone and then Yusef Lateef, and went to Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., for a double major in economics and classical clarinet and composition. He finished up his schooling with a masters degree in jazz performance from Manhattan School of Music.
When not playing, the reedist now teaches children part time and has recorded the children’s album, “Wake Up, Clarinet!” He also contributed a track to “Healthy Food for Thought,” a CD that was nominated for a Grammy this year in the Spoken Word for Children category. And he has developed a method of teaching music to children called Timbalooloo.
“Just as young children are able to learn languages naturally, without thinking too much about the rules of grammar, but directly achieve fluency in the language, I think they can do the same with the language of music,” says Etkin.
He’s talking about his approach to teaching. But he easily could be talking about his own path in music. - NJ Star Ledger

"sets a new standard for world music in the decade of the 2000s."

Israeli Oran Etkin is clearly influenced by various cultures of the African diaspora and the jazz born in the Americas that stemmed from those cultures. Playing tenor sax, alto clarinet, and most notably bass clarinet, Etkin assembled different combos of musicians from around the world to play music that combines elements creating a new music that simmers with subtle rhythms and muted melodies that do not overwhelm or nullify each other, but work beautifully in balanced symmetry. The flattened wooden balafon sound of Balla Kouyate, vocals of Makane Kouyate and Abdoulaye Diabaté, guitar of Lionel Loueke, and bass of Joe Sanders or John Benítez surround and embrace Etkin's ideas with a loving multicultural touch rarely found in more focused ethnic fusions. Traditional elements are updated and expanded, while soul is reaffirmed in bluesy but non-urban means. On the jazz side, Etkin presents a tribute to Steve Lacy, as "Lacy" is a diffuse piece with harmonically overblown but delicate clarinet with balafon and guitar, "Nina" is Etkin's tribute to the style of Stan Getz in a circular motion with his bass clarinet, and a most unusual treatment of Duke Ellington's "It Don't Mean a Thing" is done in a hip groove with shifting meters, mostly in 6/8 and containing good solo content from Etkin's clarinet. Coming from the Mandingo tradition, "Yekeke" sports that happy, bouncy dance quality so typical of African celebratory music, while the talking drum played by Joh Camara jumps out on "Not a Waltz" in a 9/8 rhythm derived from Mali and the kore juga, while the mixed ethnic love song "Kelenia" stems from the Bamanan sect, translated into shouted-out vocal choruses and playfully overdubbed clarinets. "Brink" is a purposely off-kilter Afro-blues two-beat tune with Etkin on tenor sax, the 6/8 light dance griot story "Damonzon" is about a king with one eye, and the strings of violinist Sara Caswell and cellist Jessie Marino offer heavy contrast in vastly different octaves with the bass clarinet and balafon during "New Dwelling." It might surprise listeners to realize that Etkin was heavily influenced by the music of Louis Armstrong as a youngster yet somehow arrived at this delightful mixing and matching of music at the cultural crossroads. It is not at all unfeasible that Kelenia is endorsed by no less a world music pioneer than Yusef Lateef. This recording is excellent through and through, comes highly recommended, and sets a new standard for world music in the decade of the 2000s. - All Music Guide

"Woodwind Maestro" - Public Radio International

He's a great clarinet player. He's got a beautiful sound. It's very clear and beautiful and he's an excellent improviser-- and a concise improviser too...
It's so unique. I like it just the way it is....
There's a very beautiful kind of light feeling on this record. - WBGO Radio & NY Times Critic Ben Ratliff

"an evening of fresh sounds featuring compositions inspired by African and jazz music" - New York City

"sets a new standard for world music in the decade of the 2000s" - Review of Kelenia

"Astounding rhythmic excitement and exulted moments of beautiful lyricism" - Review in Jazz Improv Magazine

“recent shows have found Etkin adding wandering, inquisitive solos to the pentatonic grooves and djembe drum patterns of his Mali colleagues, or duetting with the terrific Mali guitarist Abdoulaye Diabate, former leader of Abidjan's formidable Super Mande band.”
-Village Voice: preview by Richard Gehr

- Village Voice

“Etkin’s collaboration works because he lets the African rhythm section evolve thickly braided polyrhythms that his horn (sometimes clarinet, sometimes sax) climbs, leaps or slips into. Their rhythms and his melodies complement rather than compete with one another. On several songs, Etkin did a call-and-response with his fill-in vocalist (and percussionist) Meckane Kouyate, who sang an undulating scat to Oran’s birdlike clarinet sounds. It was a heartfelt engagement…”
-The Jewish Week: review of Oran Etkin’s Kelenia at Joe’s Pub

- The Jewish Week