Harpist Isabelle Olivier & guitarist Raphaël Olivier’s unique mother-son duo on lyrical, playful new album OPEN

Available September 18, 2026 via Rewound Echoes, album includes jazz standards, modern improvisations and nod to British pop

Recognized by audiences and professionals alike as both performers and composers, Isabelle Olivier and Raphaël Olivier form a unique mother-and-son duo. For the past 13 years, their musical worlds have intertwined on a sonic journey they craft through the harp and the guitar. Born from the travels, encounters, and shared moments of the two composers, Open is an ode to openness, an invitation to open our arms, our hearts, to pause for a moment, to breathe and reconnect with what truly matters.

From jazz standards to modern improvisations, with a nod to British pop, this duo invites us into a world of curiosity, camaraderie, and musical innovation. Their two styles—one melancholic, even introspective; the other, playful and adventurous—interact to pique the listener’s curiosity and awaken the senses. You’ll be able to savor Raphaël Olivier’s intimate vocals on two tracks from the album.

Bird in the Forest opens the door to a peaceful world where we wake up to the first rays of sunlight and the song of birds. Our ears and all our senses are captivated by a genuine dialogue between the harp and the electric guitar, particularly in Shapes, this dialogue sometimes takes the form of a chase, as in Looking for Dad, or a playful game of hide-and-seek. Throughout the album, the instruments grow more pensive and melancholic, with tracks like How Many Miles or On the Edge, or even majestically stormy in Yarrow. All Open alternates between rhythmic interplay and unexpected shifts in melody between moments of silence. Following the thread of jazz, we pass through folk with Woman Farmer and swing in Bread Blues when suddenly, we are captivated by Raphaël’s intimate voice in the covers of No Surprises and Moon River, then by his cello (Yarrow), and we marvel once again at Isabelle’s harp by the time we reach the final track. By the end of the listening experience, something has happened, we are no longer in the same place as when we started, we have traveled.

A jazz musician and harpist with a strong musical presence, Isabelle Olivier brings a breath of fresh air and innovation to the international scene by showcasing an instrument as surprising as it is unique. She has developed a highly recognizable style, identifiable from the very first notes of her fascinating and rare instrument. She has composed, arranged, and recorded 13 albums and toured in 25 countries. A composer at the crossroads of jazz, Celtic music, and contemporary styles, she is also in high demand in the fields of film and live performance. She has composed the music for 11 films, including four by Agnès Varda. A recipient of the Villa Albertine award, she traveled to Washington to create a film-concert tribute to female filmmakers from racial minorities. She has had the opportunity to collaborate with exceptional figures such as Peter Erskine, Didier Lockwood, Ernie Adams, Mitch Haupers, and Paul Wertico.

Raphaël Olivier is a composer, producer, guitarist, and songwriter. His catalog of over 300 tracks has accumulated more than 2 billion views and 15 million streams worldwide. Born in Paris into a family of musicians, he began playing the cello at age three and performed professionally as early as age eight in classical ensembles in Italy (Turin Festival), England (Trinity College London), and France (Lyon Auditorium). Trained in both Europe and the United States, he performed regularly at the Lycée Français de Chicago (Art Institute, Lincoln Hall, Symphony Center), then studied jazz and film music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris. There, he recorded his first project at Studio Davout and embarked on a European tour (Philharmonie de Paris, Botanique de Bruxelles) with artists including Étienne Daho, Yael Naim, and the Orchestre National de Jazz. Based between Paris and Los Angeles, he collaborates on numerous musical and literary projects. His first novel, La Mélodie d’Oklahoma (winner of the Paris FoRTE Prize), will be published in 2026 and will be adapted into a oneman show blending readings and music. Following a residency at the Rinzai-Ji Zen temple, in the footsteps of Leonard Cohen, his work explores the connection between monastic introspection and musical storytelling.

Isabelle Olivier website click her

Thank you to Braithwaite & Katz for sharing with us