An old friend once offered Olivier Ker Ourio “Affinities”, the sublime album recorded in 1978 by Bill Evans and Toots Thielemans. That discovery proved decisive in his life as a jazz musician and chromatic harmonica player. “Listening to it hit me like a Himalayan shockwave,” he recalls. “It was through this record that I truly discovered jazz harmonica and all its possibilities. Faced with such an Everest, I almost gave up music. A few days later, I pulled myself together, telling myself that if Toots had climbed such a summit, there must be a possible path for me too, a distant light on that steep trail. From then on, I set to work, trying to find my own voice.” By transforming the most childlike and thankless of instruments into a kind of mouth organ through which harmony “breathes” naturally, following in the footsteps of his Master yet managing to stand apart from his influence, Olivier has won his bet: he has found his voice on his “chrome sandwich” (as Uncle Toots liked to call it), playing with the suppleness and ease of a great saxophonist, with an unfailing harmonic sense, a clearly affirmed lyrical sensitivity (“playing harmonica is almost like being a singer”) and a great deal of feeling.

At the outset, these tapes, recorded live in the warm intimacy of a club (Le Petit Duc in Aix‑en‑Provence, a very convivial venue run by Gérard Dahan, and the Hot Club de Lyon, chaired by Ludwig Laisné), were never intended for release. It was only on listening back that Olivier and Manuel became convinced it was time to turn them into an album bearing witness to their mutual understanding and a musical companionship spanning more than thirty years. One thing is obvious: the audience, through the quality of its listening, is essential to the success of their free exchanges. Its close presence and attentive benevolence spur the two friends on to take the music to a higher, unexpected level of incandescence.

« We only really tune in musically if we first tune in as human beings.» This remark by Manuel can be paired with Cioran’s aphorism: « I believe music is truly the only art capable of creating a deep complicity between two beings. » What is affinity? An intimate form of neighbourhood (affinitas in Latin) that expresses a powerful degree of closeness to the other with whom one has the joy of sharing a community of taste. That is precisely what unfolds throughout « Affinities ». Double understanding, connivance, complicity, quasi‑telepathic connection, free circulation of energy, shared wavelength: such are the words and expressions that describe the affinities linking Manuel and Olivier in their friendly conversation. The result, without the support of a rhythm section, is a dialogue built on total trust, without a safety net or artifice, never a duel, where neither of the two accomplices allows themselves to drift out of the present moment. Here, the exchange never boils down to a mere succession of replies, but is lived within the very movement of the music. At the same time, in the fragile now, they listen, they speak to one another, in short, they understand each other perfectly. Ever alert, the pianist accompanies, anticipates, and extends with great intelligence and sensitivity the undulating song of Olivier. Manuel has indeed mastered the art of placing just the right notes, of setting chords exactly where the harmonica needs to let its phrases breathe. Through the variety of its tone and effects, its elegant slides and sensual growls (« a kind of trilled purr », to borrow Colette’s beautiful expression), the fluidity of his phrasing and the precision of his placement, Ker Ourio’s playing proves, track after track, to be completely in tune with that of Rocheman.

The repertoire, long honed in clubs, perfectly reflects the two friends' love for rich melodies that stimulate improvisation. On the menu are two tracks already featured on « Affinity « in 1978: « I Do It for Your Love », a sublime and infectious melody by Paul Simon, and « The Days of Wine and Roses » by Henry Mancini. Listening to them side-by-side proves a good test to verify that the versions offered here by the « Affinities » duo are in no way a copy-paste of Bill and Toots's originals. Rather, they represent a fresh take, an original extension of the original. In addition to songs by Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter, Michel Legrand, and Serge Gainsbourg, each of the two musicians has chosen to share their favorite composition. For The repertoire, honed over many years in clubs, perfectly reflects the two friends’ love of melodies that are both rich and stimulating for improvisation. On the menu are two pieces already present on « Affinity » in 1978: « I Do It for Your Love », a sublimely infectious melody by Paul Simon, and « The Days of Wine and Roses » by Henry Mancini. Comparing the two versions provides a good test: it quickly becomes clear that the renditions offered here by the « Affinities » duo are in no way a copy‑and‑paste of those by Bill and Toots, but rather a fresh visit in the form of an original extension. Alongside tunes by Dave Brubeck, Wayne Shorter, Michel Legrand, and Serge Gainsbourg, each of the two partners has chosen to share a favourite original composition. For Manuel, it is the magnificent « Just Love », previously released as a solo piece on the 2021 album « At Barloyd’s » and on « Paris‑Maurice » with Nadine Bellombre in 2013. This composition clearly has all it takes to become a standard. For Olivier, it is « Siroko », a haunting theme already recorded, among others, with Ralph Towner in 2005 on the eponymous album, and with Emmanuel Bex in 2014 on « Perfect Match ». In the end, all this adds up to a surprising, vibrant, and subtly “cultivated” album to be listened to and listened to again, late into the night. And longer still, should affinities arise…
Pascal Anquetil – CHOC JAZZMAGAZINE APRIL 2025