# Jowee Omicil

Joseph Omicil, Jr, known professionally as Jowee BasH! Omicil, is a Haitian-Canadian jazz musician. He has worked in the past with artists such as Randy Kerber, André 3000, Tony Allen, Jacob Desvarieux, Roy Hargrove, Ibrahim Maalouf, Glen Ballard and Francisco Mela. Born in Montreal, Omicil spends his time between Miami and Paris.

## Early life and education

Jowee Omicil was born to Rose-Annette Innocent and Joseph C. Omicil, a pastor. Omicil's mother passed when he was only 5 years old. Omicil was 15 when his father enrolled him in music school, much to his own surprise. His father's intent was to have him learn an instrument to accompany the church choir. Omicil chose the alto saxophone after being dissuaded from his first choice of piano, which too many students had already chosen. Three years into his studies Omicil was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he majored in Music Education. Later on he also attended the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz and was among the 20 finalists featured on BET Jazz.

## Career

Over the course of his career Omicil has played with a number of prominent musicians such as Branford Marsalis, Richard Bona, Kenny Garrett, Marcus Miller, Pharoah Sanders, Wyclef Jean, Harold Faustin and Cimafunk, among others. In July 2018 Omicil served as master of ceremonies at a tribute concert celebrating Quincy Jones' 85th birthday at Montreux, Switzerland. Omicil appears in the Damien Chazelle-created Netflix show The Eddy. During the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 Omicil released a solo album, LeKture, and Y Pati, a duet with the American Hollywood pianist Randy Kerber, whom he met on the set of the series The Eddy. Y Pati was released in December 2020. Also, the "Big In Jazz Collective" was born with the release in July 2021 of the Album Global. At the end of 2020 Jowee returned to the studio with brothers Louis and François Moutin. They recorded M.O.M, which was released in September 2021 on Laborie Jazz Records.
In 2023, Omicil released Spiritual Healing: Bwa Kayiman Freedom Suite a free jazz album inspired by an 18th century Vodou ceremony held in the woods of Bois Caïman that helped give rise to the Haitian Revolution.

## Discography

| Year | Title | Label | Featured personnel |
| 2023 | Spiritual Healing: Bwa Kayiman Freedom Suite | Village Records/Modulor | Jowee Omicil; Yoann Danier; Arnaud Dolmen; Randy Kerber |
| 2021 | M.O.M | Laborie Jazz | Jowee Omicil (clarinet, alto sax, soprano sax, tenor sax); Louis Moutin (drums); François Moutin (bass); Recorded at STUDIO SEXTAN (Malakoff), mixed and recorded by Julien Birot |
| 2021 | BIG IN JAZZ COLLECTIVE « GLOBAL » | Comité Martiniquais De La Musique / Junzy Productions | Jowee Omicil (alto saxophones, soprano sax, tenor sax); Sonny Troupé (drums); Tilo Bertholo (drums); Stephane Castry (electric bass) Ludovic Louis (trumpet); Maher Beauroy (piano); Ralph Lavital (guitar); Yann Négrit (guitar); Recorded at STUDIO DE MEUDON by Julien Basseres, mixed and mastered by Auguste Manly |
| 2020 | Y PATI | Komos Records | Jowee Omicil (cornet, clarinets, piccolo, alto sax, soprano sax, tenor sax, vocals); Randy Kerber (piano); Recorded at STUDIO PIGALLE (Paris), mixed and mastered by Felix Remy |
| 2020 | LeKture | BasH! Village | Jowee Omicil: all instruments (alto, soprano, ténor, track producing, piano, vocals...); Recorded in THE LAB (Paris) by Jowee BasH! Omicil, mixed and mastered by Edouard Carbonne |
| 2018 | Love Matters! | Jazz Village Pias | Jowee Omicil (cornet, piccolo, soprano, alto, vocals); Laurent Emmanuel Tilo Bertholo (drums); Kona Khasu (electric bass) Jeffrey Deen (percussion, voice); Jean-Philippe Dary (piano); Jonathan Jurion (piano); Justwody Cereyon (acoustic bass); Conti Belong (drums); Jendah Manga (electric bass); Michel Alibo (bass); Recorded at LA BUISSONNE (Pernes-Les-Fontaines,France), mixed and mastered by Gerard De Haro and Nicolas Baillard |
| 2017 | Let's BasH | Jazz Village Pias | Jowee Omicil (Rhodes, vocals, piccolo, alto sax, soprano sax, clarinet); Laurent Emmanuel Tilo Bertholo (drums); Kona Khasu (electric bass) Jeffrey Deen (percussion, voice); Jean-Philippe Dary (piano); Jonathan Jurion (piano); Nenah Gajin (guitar); Justwody Cereyon (acoustic bass); Conti Belong (drums); Leonor De Haro (clarinet) Jendah Manga (electric bass); Michel Alibo (bass); Recorded at LA BUISSONNE (Pernes-Les-Fontaines,France), mixed and mastered by Gerard De Haro and Nicolas Baillard |
| 2014 | Naked | BBjuiss Records & Bakfoul Records | Jowee Omicil (clarinet, tenor, alto, soprano, piccolo, didgeridoo, Rhodes, vocals); Jeffrey Deen (tabla, halo, hapi); Ti Wes St-Louis (vocals, tanbou, conga); Carlos Alabaci (double bass); James Quilan (double bass); Michael Piolet (drums); Harold St-Louis (Rhodes); Recorded at THE RIVIERA THEATRE (Miami), mixed and mastered by Felipe Tichauer |
| 2009 | Roots and Grooves | BBjuiss Records | Jowee Omicil (clarinet, alto, soprano, vocals) features: Lionel Loueke, Mawuena Kodjovi, Francisco Mela, Nir Felder, Jeremy Pelt, Nedelka, Markus Scwartz, Émeline Michel, Val-Inc, Kona Khasu, Patrick Andriantsialonina, Manny Laine, Johnny Mercier, Harvel Nakundi, Harold St-Louis; Recorded at SYSTEMS TWO RECORDING STUDIO (New York) by Joe Marciano; Mixed by Goh Hotoda (Atami, Japon); Mastered by Felipe Tichauer (Miami) |
| 2006 | Let's Do this | Jowee Juise Inc. | Jowee Omicil (clarinet, sax alto, sax soprano, vocals), Darren Barrett (trumpet); Chris Pottinger (electric bass); John Gibson (organ, Rhodes, piano); Charles Haynes (drums and programming); Warren Wolfe (electronic MalletKat vibes) Guest: Harold Faustin (guitar); Eric Asswab (guitar); Skip Dorsey (guitar); recorded at STUDIO VICTOR INC (Montreal) |

### Soundtrack

* 2013: Ayiti Toma, The Land of The Living, documentary by Joseph Hillel
* 2020: THE EDDY Netflix Show Joanna Kulig (vocals), Jorja Smith (Vocals), Sopico (Vocals), Jowee Omicil (saxophones), Randy Kerber (piano), Damian Nueva (bass), Ludovic Louis (Trumpets), Lada Obradovic (drums)

### Collaborations

| Year | Artist | Album/Title | Label | Featured personnel |
| 2023 | MYOR & OUDEN | FunKey ToniTe | BasH! Village Records | Myor (vocals); Jowee Omicil (saxophone,vocals); Ouden (programming) |
| 2023 | MYOR & OUDEN | Don'T Go FasT | BasH! Village Records | Myor (vocals); Jowee Omicil (saxophone,vocals); Ouden (Programming) |
| 2022 | Jowee Omicil | SiT-iN | BasH! Village Records | Randy Kerber (Métallophone,Rhodes); Jonathan Jurion (Piano); Delphine Langhoff (Drums); Yoann Danier (Drums); Jendah Manga (Elec,Bass); jowee Omicil (alto-sax,vocals) |
| 2021 | Anne Sila | A Nos Cœurs/Interlude C’est Quoi; Interlude Track Of Time | PlayTwo | Anne Sila (vocals); Jowee Omicil (saxophone); Jendah Manga (Electric bass); Arnaud Dolmen (drums); Mario Canonge (piano) |
| 2021 | Napoleon Maddox & Sorg | L’ouverture de Toussaint | TBD | Napoleon Maddox (Vocals); Sorg (producer) Jowee Omicil (alto & soprano saxophone, vocals) |
| 2021 | Ludovic Louis | Rebirth/ Everybody | Ludo Louis Productions | Ludovic Louis (Trumpet, Vocals); Jowee Omicil (Hype vocals); |
| 2021 | Kandy Guira | Nagtaba/ Africa | KDBES | Kandy Guira (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (saxophone) |
| 2021 | Anissa Altmayer | #1/Le Chemin | Octava Bassa | Anissa Altmayer (Vocals, cello); Jowee Omicil (soprano saxophone) |
| 2020 | Sopico | Épisode 0/ Thème | Universal Music | Sopico (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (soprano saxophone) |
| 2020 | Ibrahim Maalouf | 40 Mélodies/ Sensuality | Mister IBÉ | Ibrahim Maalouf (trumpet); François Delporte (guitarist); Jowee Omicil (saxophone) |
| 2020 | Kazy Lambist | Sky Kiss/ OH MY GOD | Cinq 7/ Wagram Music | Kazy Lambist (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (piccolo); Glasses (vocals) |
| 2020 | Kazy Lambist | Sky Kiss/ Sky Kiss | Cinq 7/ Wagram Music | Kazy Lambist (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (piccolo); Jean-Benoit Dunckel half of Air (keys and production) |
| 2019 | Jonathan Jurion | Le Temps Fou/ Capricorn Moon; Bismillah Rrahmani Rrahim; Once Upon A Time | Komos | Jonathan Jurion (piano); Jowee Omicil (soprano & alto saxophone); Arnaud Dolmen (drums); Michel Alibo (Bass); Josaiah Woodson (trumpet) |
| 2019 | GUTS | Philanthropiques/Voyaging Bird; Li Dous Konsa; Bougé Bagay La | Heavenly Sweetness | GUTS; Jowee Omicil (saxophones, vocals and composer) |
| 2019 | Kazy Lambist | Single: Tous Les Jours | Cinq 7/ Wagram Music | Kazy Lambist (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (composer and alto sax, soprano sax); Amoué (vocals) |
| 2018 | Kazy Lambist | Single: WORK | Cinq 7/ Wagram Music | Kazy Lambist (Vocals); Jowee Omicil (soprano saxophone, vocals); Pongo (vocals) |
| 2011 | Francisco Mela & Cuban Safari | Tree of life | Half Note | Francisco Mela (drums, vocals); Elio Villafranca (piano); Leo Genovese (piano); Uri Gurvich (saxophone); Ben Monder (guitar); Luques Curtis (bass); Mauricio Herrera (percussion); Esperanza Spalding (vocals) track 4; Peter Slavov (bass); Arturo Stable (percussion); Jowee Omicil (saxophone) |

## Movie

* 2024: Mr.Aznavour, As; Sammy Davis Junior // Film by Mehdi Idir, Grand Corps Malade
* 2023: Le Temps D'Aimer, Film by Katell Quillévéré
www.festival-cannes.com/f/le-temps-d-aimer//
* 2021: Big In Jazz Collective, documentary by Marina Jallier
www.biginjazz.com
* 2020: The Eddy, Netflix show, directed by Damien Chazelle, Houda Benyamina, Laïla Marrakchi and Alan Poul
* 2019: This Is The Bash, feature documentary by Mario Tahi Lathan
www.thebashfilm.com