Jazz Articles about OKAN

OKAN: Joy as Resistance, Rhythm as Home

by Steven Roby
September 7, 2025

Afro-Cuban duo OKAN creates music that bridges gaps--between Havana and Toronto, ritual and dance floor, refined conservatory training and raw street style. Their name, taken from Santería, means “heart." That rhythm energizes everything they perform: violin complemented by luminous vocals, batá drums, and cajón intertwined with jazz harmony and songs that emphasize joy as both an inherent right and a strategic choice. Co-leaders Elizabeth Rodriguez (violin, vocals) and Magdelys Savigne (aka “Mags") (percussion, vocals) originate from Cuba's classical ...