vlatos jazz season 2
After the quiet success of Season 1 in 2018, Vlatos Jazz returned in summer 2019 with a gentle but confident step forward. What had started as a four-night experiment now became eight Sunday evenings in July and August — still small, still unamplified, still held in the same 150-year-old stone church in the mountain village of Vlatos, western Crete.
The acoustics remained the star: no microphones, no speakers, no artificial lights. Candles and the natural glow from the open door were enough. The audience grew slightly — 50–60 people most nights — but the feeling stayed intimate. Villagers who had come once in 2018 now brought friends. A few visitors from Chania and Kissamos started making the drive a weekly ritual. Word spread not through posters or ads, but through conversations in kafeneia, phone calls between families, and the simple truth that something real was happening up in the mountains.The lineup expanded thoughtfully. Local Cretan violinists and guitarists returned, joined by the international guests: a Swedish pianist whose lyrical touch felt like it belonged in the stone space, a French double bassist who played with the kind of listening silence that matched the room. The music moved between jazz standards, originals, and subtle nods to Cretan melodies — never forced fusion, just respectful conversation between traditions. Every performance was acoustic, every note had to carry on its own. The church’s legendary resonance did the rest, letting sound linger and fill every corner without effort.
The after-concert table became a more defined ritual. After applause, musicians and a handful of villagers gathered outside or in a quiet corner — raki poured, small plates of dakos or cheese passed around, stories exchanged in low voices under the stars. No rush to leave. No need to perform. Just people who had shared a moment sitting together a little longer.
Season 2 proved the concept could grow without losing its soul. The audience listened more deeply. Villagers who once treated music as background began staying quiet through entire sets. The cultural association quietly took on more responsibility — organizing, hosting, keeping the space ready. By the last Sunday in August, the question was no longer “will this work?” but “how much further can this go?”
Eighteen nights in 2019.
A slightly larger circle of listeners.
The same stone church, still listening. Season 2 was when Vlatos Jazz stopped being an experiment and started becoming a small tradition — one quiet Sunday at a time.
Vlatos Jazz 2019 Program (Season 2)
(@VlatosJazz channel, Season 2 playlist), notable performances and artists included:
- Kate Dunphy (accordion) collaborations with Maria Manousaki and others (e.g., Cody Geil, Chris Quinn) — enchanting, romantic sets with pieces like “La Vie en Rose” and “Dream”.
- Leonidas Lainakis — dynamic performances captured in multiple parts.
- Oscar Antoli Trio — vibrant jazz energy.
- Hairetis and Harper — acoustic highlights like “Bells”.
- Carsten Thruedal and Maria Manousaki — chamber-jazz fusion.
- Marmitas, Ioanna Tsagari, Marius van den Brink, Christos Rafalides, Maria Louka, Hot Club de Grece, Kyriakos Stavrianoudakis, Stavros Psaroudakis, Areti Kamilaki, Michalis Loufardakis, Lefteris Koumis, Striftalia, Phil Harrison, and more — a diverse lineup emphasizing global jazz talents alongside Cretan elements.
The festival remained community-run by the Cultural Society “New Horizons,” volunteer-powered, and focused on sustainability and acoustic purity. Full concert recordings from 2019 are available on the official YouTube channel (playlist: “S02 Vlatos Jazz Season 2 (2019)”), offering a window into the growing magic of those early summers. It solidified Vlatos Jazz as a hidden Cretan gem for authentic, soulful music experiences.
All performances in 2018
Marmitas, Ioanna Tsagari, Marius van den Brink, Christos Rafalides, Maria Louka, Hot Club de Grece, Oscar Antoli Trio, Kyriakos Stavrianoudakis, Kate Dunphy & Maria Manousaki, Stavros Psaroudakis, Areti Kamilaki, Carsten Thruedal, Michalis Loufardakis, Lefteris Koumis, Hairetis & Harper, Striftalia, Phil Harrison, Leonidas Lainakis
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