A dark, windswept, and wet evening on College Street, Toronto, Canada. On College Street, also called Little Italy, you could easily forget that you live in Toronto at all. There is a European feel to this stretch of street. Italian bistros, cafes, jazz clubs, and lounges, cover both sides of the street. A perfect place to meet for an illicit rendezvous with someone, over some espresso. It’s a place that warrants thoughts of seduction. As I walked in the rain, in my black trench coat, I couldn’t help but think that some how I had walked into some foreign film set, and Koop was going to provide the soundtrack.
Let’s think about the key components of any seduction, for me they employ the use of the 5 senses. Touch, taste, smell, hear, and sight. All of these senses don’t have to be employed at the same time, but the more of them that are used the better the experience. I wondered as I walked into the purple lit Mod Club theatre what they had up their sleeve. They already had achieved the sight sense, as the atmosphere of the Mod club set the tone for the evening.
The opening act was an artist named Mocean Worker. I had never heard of him before. He came out with a very tight six piece band, that played instrumental music. He sounds like a mix of Us3 meets Gotan Project. He worked the bass, and I have to say this man plays a nasty funky bass. He still made a great effort and seemed like a gracious artist.
I was introduced to the Swedish group, Koop, from hearing them on a great online jazz station, www.arrow.nl/jazz /. I was intrigued by this groups sound. I didn’t know how to classify them, so like with most of the music that I listen to I didn’t. I just felt it and left it like that. So when 2 men in black clothing and gold theatrical eye make up came to stand behind a black screened platform, I could tell I was in for a real treat.
Koop consists of Oscar Simonsson, who handles the piano/ and the accordion, and Magnus Zingmark, the sampler. They were joined by a vibraphonist, a drummer, a percussionist/trombone, a player on upright bass, and the lovely Hilde Louise Asbjornsen
on vocals. The players where dressed in a 50’s style A Streetcar Named desire style uniform, of white wife beater’s and black jeans. Ms. Hilde Louse, looking like a blonde Betty Boop, was aglow in silver satin ,gold, and pearls . I gave them another point for taste.
The first song, began with the sound of seagulls and tides rolling in. Oscar pulled out the accordion, Hildi Louse began to shimmy and sing, and the web was beginning to be spun. I was being seduced by Koop.
Hildi Louse voice was in turn Eartha Kitt in one breathe, and Betty Boop in the other. She has a soft jazzy girlie like sound in her voice. She almost seemed as if she had taking a time machine from a 1920’s flapper’s show, to join Koop here in Toronto. Amazing, and fearless stage presence. She did great interpretations of the songs done by other female artist on Koop albums.
It was amazing to see a group of musician enjoy themselves on stage. For every solo, there were appreciative glances exchanged between each performer and this feel good vibe seemed to have been felt by the Monday night crowd. Even Magnus expressed wonderment at the turnout of the crowd for a Monday evening. There seemed to be space for each artist to express themselves fully, and it seemed as there was a whole orchestra on stage, not just 6 people.
Through every song, I felt as if I was walking deeper and deeper into this island. The caress of the tropical breeze on my skin , mimicked by the superb vibraphonist. The lazy sound of trombone causing me to sway, the sexy bass in my backbone, and the drums as my footsteps on the sand. But I can’t forget the sound of the accordion. The accordion is always a sexy instrument. The pushing, pulling and caressing of it’s body creates such a gorgeous sensual sound.
What makes Koop so extraordinary is their ability to capture a sensuous vibe, and put it in the current moment, and make it so exciting. It’s a sound you almost want to reach out and touch, it’s so tempting. A sound that you can’t help but move too, not too fast but ever so slow.
After leaving the stage and after an hour and 10 minutes of this wanton seduction Koop was called back for an encore. The audience was not ready to go home, and leave the island. As I opened the door to the club, I saw the rain, and fall leaves huddled inside of the puddles that the rain had left behind. I had stopped and I heard some guys commenting on the street “Look around man, it’s like some movie, you almost can see a fog starting to roll in…” I pulled up the collar of my coat and started down the street drunk on my memories of seduction by Koop, with imaginary sand in my shoes, and in search of some espresso.
Let’s think about the key components of any seduction, for me they employ the use of the 5 senses. Touch, taste, smell, hear, and sight. All of these senses don’t have to be employed at the same time, but the more of them that are used the better the experience. I wondered as I walked into the purple lit Mod Club theatre what they had up their sleeve. They already had achieved the sight sense, as the atmosphere of the Mod club set the tone for the evening.
The opening act was an artist named Mocean Worker. I had never heard of him before. He came out with a very tight six piece band, that played instrumental music. He sounds like a mix of Us3 meets Gotan Project. He worked the bass, and I have to say this man plays a nasty funky bass. He still made a great effort and seemed like a gracious artist.
I was introduced to the Swedish group, Koop, from hearing them on a great online jazz station, www.arrow.nl/jazz /. I was intrigued by this groups sound. I didn’t know how to classify them, so like with most of the music that I listen to I didn’t. I just felt it and left it like that. So when 2 men in black clothing and gold theatrical eye make up came to stand behind a black screened platform, I could tell I was in for a real treat.
Koop consists of Oscar Simonsson, who handles the piano/ and the accordion, and Magnus Zingmark, the sampler. They were joined by a vibraphonist, a drummer, a percussionist/trombone, a player on upright bass, and the lovely Hilde Louise Asbjornsen
on vocals. The players where dressed in a 50’s style A Streetcar Named desire style uniform, of white wife beater’s and black jeans. Ms. Hilde Louse, looking like a blonde Betty Boop, was aglow in silver satin ,gold, and pearls . I gave them another point for taste.
The first song, began with the sound of seagulls and tides rolling in. Oscar pulled out the accordion, Hildi Louse began to shimmy and sing, and the web was beginning to be spun. I was being seduced by Koop.
Hildi Louse voice was in turn Eartha Kitt in one breathe, and Betty Boop in the other. She has a soft jazzy girlie like sound in her voice. She almost seemed as if she had taking a time machine from a 1920’s flapper’s show, to join Koop here in Toronto. Amazing, and fearless stage presence. She did great interpretations of the songs done by other female artist on Koop albums.
It was amazing to see a group of musician enjoy themselves on stage. For every solo, there were appreciative glances exchanged between each performer and this feel good vibe seemed to have been felt by the Monday night crowd. Even Magnus expressed wonderment at the turnout of the crowd for a Monday evening. There seemed to be space for each artist to express themselves fully, and it seemed as there was a whole orchestra on stage, not just 6 people.
Through every song, I felt as if I was walking deeper and deeper into this island. The caress of the tropical breeze on my skin , mimicked by the superb vibraphonist. The lazy sound of trombone causing me to sway, the sexy bass in my backbone, and the drums as my footsteps on the sand. But I can’t forget the sound of the accordion. The accordion is always a sexy instrument. The pushing, pulling and caressing of it’s body creates such a gorgeous sensual sound.
What makes Koop so extraordinary is their ability to capture a sensuous vibe, and put it in the current moment, and make it so exciting. It’s a sound you almost want to reach out and touch, it’s so tempting. A sound that you can’t help but move too, not too fast but ever so slow.
After leaving the stage and after an hour and 10 minutes of this wanton seduction Koop was called back for an encore. The audience was not ready to go home, and leave the island. As I opened the door to the club, I saw the rain, and fall leaves huddled inside of the puddles that the rain had left behind. I had stopped and I heard some guys commenting on the street “Look around man, it’s like some movie, you almost can see a fog starting to roll in…” I pulled up the collar of my coat and started down the street drunk on my memories of seduction by Koop, with imaginary sand in my shoes, and in search of some espresso.
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