AKODA is the Kreol Jazz project created by Réunion-born pianist, singer, composer and arranger Valérie Chane Tef. Founded in 2013, the group has forged a sound that is instantly recognisable: contemporary jazz shaped by the rhythmic pulse of maloya, Creole song traditions and Afro-Caribbean influences. At once grounded and open-ended, AKODA’s music creates a living space for melody, groove, improvisation and collective memory.

With Nout’Souk — “our sound” in Réunion Creole — AKODA gives this identity its most direct and generous expression. The album is built around songs that carry warmth, movement and a strong sense of connection. Piano, voice, bass and percussion meet in music that can be intimate without becoming inward-looking, sophisticated without losing its immediacy, and deeply rooted while always in motion.

Valérie Chane Tef’s writing lies at the heart of the project. Her compositions are nourished by Réunion Island, but they avoid nostalgia or folklore. Instead, they let traditions breathe within a contemporary jazz language: maloya-inspired rhythmic cycles, Creole vocal colours, Caribbean accents and open improvisation all become part of the same conversation. Her voice moves naturally between tenderness, rhythmic precision and a luminous, song-driven presence, while the piano provides both harmonic depth and momentum.

The title Nout’Souk reflects AKODA’s central idea: music as a shared space. The album brings together individual histories, languages and influences without reducing them to a formula. It is music of circulation — between island and mainland, between jazz clubs and open-air stages, between the freedom of improvisation and the immediacy of a chorus. Its songs invite audiences to listen, move and take part.

AKODA’s live performances extend this sense of exchange. The group’s concerts are driven by a strong rhythmic current and an instinctive relationship with the audience. Each performance makes room for interaction and risk, allowing the repertoire to shift in real time while keeping the melodic identity of the songs intact. The result is a vibrant live experience where contemporary jazz gains the energy of dance music and the closeness of a shared celebration.

Released in 2022, Nout’Souk received significant support from French media, including selections and features from RFI, France Musique, FIP and France Inter. The project has also travelled widely across France, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, Africa and India, confirming AKODA’s ability to speak across cultural borders without losing the singularity of its voice.

With Nout’Souk, AKODA offers more than a meeting of styles: it proposes a fully inhabited musical world, carried by Creole languages, rhythmic generosity and the expressive freedom of jazz.

Akoda is available as a quartet and also as a trio project.

Line-up can be adapted to the artistic direction, venue capacity and event format.