Dreamlike

The fact that the harp is hardly ever used in jazz probably has to do with the fact that musicians consider the expression of this angelic instrument to be too gentle and too limited for a genre that relies on expressivity. However, the Geneva group Orioxy, founded in 2008, shows on their new album Lost Children even more clearly than on its two predecessors how enriching this instrument can be in a jazz environment. Julie Campiche's harp playing blends imperceptibly with Yael Miller's vocals to create an interplay of pastel timbres and dreamy moods, as fleeting and blown away as cloths in the wind. The airy character of these melancholy songs is enhanced by oriental lightness and playfulness, especially as Yael Miller sings with her distinctive voice not only in French and English, but also in her distinctive mother tongue, Hebrew.

Roland Merlinc on drums and Manu Hagmann on double bass ground the ethereal interplay between the two women with powerful sounds and rhythmic accentuation that betray a certain affinity to rock. Together with the warm vocals and the sparkling harp, an atmospheric density and a sonic contrast reminiscent of trip-hop is created at times. On the urgently rapped track Bachour Meshouamam you can also hear the Raï of the Maghreb.

Where drums and double bass threaten to displace the harp, Julie Campiche sometimes alienates the sound of her instrument. In the piece Isha she reverses it, which makes it sound electrically modern. In Old World you no longer recognize the sound of the harp - it sounds like an aggressive electric guitar. Yael Miller also elicits surprising facets from her voice at times, vocal noises reminiscent of Björk, which, however, seem to stem more from playful mischief than experimental commitment. How close most of the pieces are to pop songs is not only shown by Go Now that could have been written by Joanna Newsom. The album opens with a reduced and slowed-down version of Blackbird the Beatles classic.

Orioxy: Lost Children. GLM Music GmbH / Soulfood