Discover Vlatos | Village of Peace and Culture
Your Complete Tour Guide
Shape of a thing is a jazz group based in Chania and was created by people who share the same love for jazz music. On Sunday 11th September, Shape of a thing will be happy to play some of the most iconic jazz standards for you and will love to see you there!
Thanos Stavridis is one of the most recognized musicians in the field of accordion, with collaborations both in performances and in the discography, with some of the greatest and most famous singers but also composers and musicians, both in Greece and in the Balkans.
Indicatively mentioned are: Evanthia Reboutsika, Alkistis Protopsalti, Socratis Malamas, Thanasis Papakonstantinou, Elli Paspala, Panagiotis Kalanzopoulos, Matoula Zamani, Makis Seviloglou, Estudiantina, Gerasimos Andreatos, Petar Ralchev (BG), Theodosii Spassov (BG), Vlatko Stefanovski (NMK), Saso Popovski (NMK), Vasko Atanasovski (SLO), Costas Theodorou, Floros Floridis and many others.
He is also one of the pioneers of the Balkan scene in the country, having been a founding member of historical groups, such as the “Northern Partners”, the “Cabaret Balkan” and now the “Drom” and “Tales from the Box”.
He has participated in over 100 recordings of records both as a soloist and as an orchestrator. The two personal albums of “a Suitcase full of Dreams” (2016) and “Spicy Margarita” (2021) have received distinctions and very good reviews both at home and abroad, having airplay in stations in Australia, Argentina, but also throughout Europe. “A Suitcase full of dreams” has been voted one of the 10 best world music records in Barcelona’s rutes del so station, and was nominated in the “world music” category by the German Critics Association. Respectively, “Spicy Margarita” has been voted in the 20 best albums by the World Music Charts Europe for March 2021, having come out at No. 129 for the whole year among about 900 records from all over the world.
His research – musicological activity is on the folk music of the Balkans. Since 2000, he has made presentations at seminars and workshops both in Greece and abroad, while he has written relevant articles participating in various publications, most recently his participation in the volume “Issues of Instruction of Musical Instruments: Bridging Theory and Practice” ( ed. DISIGMA). For the last 13 years he has been teaching at the Department of Music Studies of the University of Ioannina (former Department of Folk and Traditional Music of the TEI of Arta).
New York-based Times Square Press’ Accordion Stars Illustrated magazine lists him among the world’s 100 best-known accordionists for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
More information:
thanosstavridis.com
Born in 1964, saxophonist and composer Pekka Pylkkänen has been recognized as one of the stronger jazz artists and saxophonists in Europe. He has performed around the globe and been very successful not only in Europe, but also for example in Asia and South-America. He has collaborated with numerous prestigious artists in many countries, and continues to work as a soloist/leader, recording artist and educator throughout the world.
During his earlier career he worked several years full-time with the ‘National Jazz Orchestra of Finland’ – UMO Jazz Orchestra, with which he also sometimes performed modern contemporary music, and was often featured as a soloist. Some of the guests for both UMO Jazz Orchestra and Espoo Big Band (another noteable jazz orchestra) included stars such as Maria Schneider, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Michael Abene, Mercer Ellington, Dee Dee Bridgewater, etc.
As a leader he has performed in more than 60 countries in Europe, The Americas, all over Asia and also South Africa. He has appeared as a leader/soloist in around 2000 concerts during the last 15+ years, most of them outside Finland. His appearances range from clubs to concert halls and major festivals and TV concerts, such as Hong Kong Jazz Festival, Beijing Jazz Festival, Trondheim Jazz Festival, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, National Arts Festival (South Africa), Providencia Festival de Jazz (Santiago, Chile), Yokohama Jazz Promenade, Yarasum Jazz Festival, Beijing Concert Hall, The Spring Hall (Seoul/Korea), EBS, Pescara Jazz, Thailand Intern. Jazz Conference, etc
In addition to his long career as a performing and composing artist, Pekka has led a significant career as an educator, having had several full-time positions in Finland, but also he has held clinics and master classes in more than 80 music universities/ conservatories and colleges around the world.
He has been invited as and Artist-In-Residence in dozens of occasions in for example Finland, Italy, China, Malaysia, Brazil and Portugal as well as have lead numerous Summer Jazz Seminars in Italy as the artistic head.
His earlier releases: ́Pekka Pylkkanen:Pekka’s Tube Factory ́ (1999) and ́Pekka Pylkkanen Tube Factory: Opaque ́ (2001) were released by Naxos Jazz, 3rd album ‘Pekka Pylkkanen Tube Factory:Listen! ́by Lumino Records and (Chinese market) Starsing Records, and 2020 release ‘Pylkkanen:Nu Bottega’ (with an Italian all-star line-up) by Challenge Records International, and the latest album ‘Pekka Pylkkanen & Eric Ineke’ also by Challenge Records (2022 June).
He is a Vandoren artist, and represents Ken Okutsu Mouthpieces and Marmaduke Music accessories.
From Playing with Symphonic Orchestra in the Netherlands to Performing the Role of principal tenor in Bode Omojola’s African Opera with Mount Holy Orchestra In U.S , Adedeji has become a force to reckon with. A modern Griot , prolific singer, Guitarist and multi instrumentalist, born and raised in the vibrant city of Lagos West Africa and has spent the last decades shuffling Lagos and Europe.
Adedeji’s music is an infusion of the Traditional African style with a progressive attitude and the modern sound of jazz and funk music, creating music that is rhythmically and technically sophisticated, harmonically rich and melodically compelling. Among his evident influences are Traditional Nigerian music e.g Apala , Fuji, Highlife to Juju music. others include Stevie Wonder, D’angelo, Prince, George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, King Sunny Ade and Fela Kuti. Miles Davis, Frank Zappa to mention a few.
He studied music technology at the Polytechnic, Ibadan for two years, and creative art at the University of Lagos. He has Diploma, Associates and Licentiate degrees in Performance from the London College of Music, and is a graduate of Jazz Guitar/ Vocals at prins claus conservatory of the Hanze university Netherlands, where he won the 2012 VNO NCW Noord Talent Award.
Adedeji has performed at various festivals and events such as World Music Day 2006/2009 (Greece), Documentary Festival (Thessaloniki, Greece), African Art Fest (Madrid), Sing Out Gospel Concerts (Germany), Gideon Festival (Netherlands), Swinging in Groningen (Netherlands), Kalamata Jazz Festival (Greece), Amsterdam Gospel Festival, Stukafest (Groningen, Netherlands), Enclave de Agua Festival (Soria, Spain), Tanjazz Festival and Jazzablanca Festival
(Morocco), Mamajazz festival (Lithuania), and Bayelsa Jazz Festival (Nigeria), Suriname jazz festival ,Amersfoort jazz festival, Jazz in the Pine (California U.S) to name but a few.
He has shared the stage with the NNO orchestra, Lionel Loueke, JD Walter, Femi Temowo, Gene Jackson, Lagbaja, Ayo Bankole, the Steve Rhodes Orchestra ,Brice Wassy,Paco Sery ,Tony
Allen ,FraFra sound and many more. He featured on Mc Yinka’s Alana album, composed for Worm food London labels Abobo Nation Ep,Yannis Kassetas Funk Abyss album, Elvis E’s Prayer album and many more .
His album Afreekanism was no 4 on Japan world music category 2017 with reviews on jazz corner in the U.S. Newark top 40 chart ,Mi2n and more ,its been receiving airplay in the states,Netherlands,Spain, Greece and Nigeria.
His new album which is set to be release on the one world record label in Denmark is a progressive Jazz-Funk influenced vintage Afrobeat Yoruba eclectic sound that greatly reflects his growing up in the metropolitan city of Lagos.
A 10 track educating, entertaining,Afrobeat Jazz, feel good, funky album that chronicles his interpretation of the music and artistes that has influenced him.
The award-winning bassist and composer Petros Klampanis, invites two young and very important artists from the field of Greek traditional music, for a special musical conversation. The singer Areti Ketime and the multi-organist Thomas Konstantinou, together of course with the bassist Petros Klampanis, will present part of a new record, which will be released in 2022. It is a musical experimentation that focuses on the Greek tradition and interaction. with the free spirit of Jazz, through the prism of contemporary aesthetics that characterizes artists. The lucky ones who will attend one of the concerts, will have the opportunity to enjoy imaginative adaptations of well-known songs from the musical tradition of various regions of the country, as well as compositions by the bassist, inspired by Greek music.
Zacharias Spyridakis was born in Athens in 1971 and started Cretan lyra since 1980. In 1983 he started having lessons with the great lyra player Kostas Moundakis and in 1989 receives his degree from the Greek Conservatory of Athens. In 1993 he creates together with a group of friends a Cretan ensample «Palaiina Seferia» that had two successful albums and from 2016 collaborates with G. Karapatakis & H. Hildenbrand in “NENEMIA” project with an album.
He has performed in Greece and abroad (H. Kingdom, America, Canada, Argentina, China, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Egypt, Cyprus) and presented his work and Cretan Music in radio and television shows.
He has worked with well-known composers such as Vangelis Papathanassiou (Vangelis), Yannis Markopoulos, N. Mamangakis, Steve Wood, Jordi Savall.
Also performs in music recordings and film productions, with artists who overdraw the traditional style and fit into the «realm» of contemporary music, «marrying» in a unique way, traditional instruments with modern style.
In 1997 he performed in the opening ceremony of the World Championship, in 2004 to the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens, in 2007 he traveled with his Lyra to Beijing to perform in the Cultural Olympiad for the «Year of Greece» in China – which was dedicated to N.Kazantzakis.
Worked as instructor for 12 years at the Greek Conservatory – Class of Cretan Lyra, also at the Music High School of Pallini, to Athens Conservatory, to Arta’s T.I and the Pancyprian Music Lyceum. Over the last 20 years he collaborates with Musical Workshop «Labyrinth.»
PARTICIPATIONS
> DISCOGRAPHY: in several productions with M.Paschalides, G.Charoulis, V.Lekas, M.Lidakis, P. Thalassinos, G.Kotsiras, A.Ioannides, D.Papadimitriou, M.Fragkoulis, IASIS, Ross Daly, Psarogiorgis, V.Stavrakakis, M.Stavrakakis, A.Persides, Takousis – Karapatakis Jazz Project, G. Andreou, Steve Wood and “NENEMIA” a G. karapatakis – H. Hildenbrand – Z. Spyridakis project
> PERFORMED WITH LEADING GREEK COMPOSERS: M. Mountakis, M. Pramateftakis, N. Mamangakis. Performed with Vangelis Papathanassiou in 1997 to the opening ceremony of World Athletics Championship, in 2004 – closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Athens.
Since 1994 performs with composer Yannis Markopoulos as soloist to his project «Erotokritos & Areti», «Liturgy of Orpheus», «Concerto-Rhapsody for Lyre and Orchestra» in Greece, but mainly in large theaters in Europe. Since 2011 performs with Jordi Savall – Viola da Gamba virtuoso, in concerts and recordings all over the world.
The Aposperia Jazz Quartet is a group of four musicians who, based on improvisation, meet for a musical dialogue through well-known pieces of jazz music. Having great love and experience in this type of music, the four of them will present classical and more modern pieces of jazz, performing them with their personal style in a wide range of musical sounds.
Costas Katsonis – electronic guitar
Spyros Vaigousis – piano
Lefteris Papadakis – electronic bass
Giannis Paterakis – drums
Maria Manousaki stands as one of Greece’s most successful and versatile musical talents, working to great acclaim and commercial success as a violin performer and band leader. Maria’s musical style can be best categorised within the jazz and world music scene.
Maria Manousaki was born in Johannesburg of bicultural parentage, her base is in New York but the last few years she commutes between the island of Crete and New York.
Since her arrival in New York, Maria has performed alongside some of the worlds most renowned musicians and has released two outstanding albums:
Her music can be found on all streaming platforms,
Maria Manousaki invokes images of traditional Cretan Folk melodies into which she weaves bursts of New York Jazz with middle eastern elements. Her multicultural and distinguished musicians add their own Ethnic color to her compositions. The result creates an ear fest of vibrant, dramatic and exhilarating sounds on the one hand, and expressive, melancholic melodies on the other.
The remastered digital edition celebrates 20 years since it was named “Album of the Month” by BBC Music Magazine and as the 2nd jazz album of 2002 on the BBC internet poll. With references to Greek myth but also to texts by James Joyce and Franz Kafka, the album is a combination of modern jazz with Greek / Balkan rhythms and ways in an explosive mix.
Presentations: Birdland, Yale, Smithsonian, Lincoln Center Dizzy’s Club, United Nations, London Jazz Festival, Ronnie Scott’s.
Athens Quartet: Dimitrios Vassilakis, Emmanuel Saridakis, Manos Loutas, George Polyhronakos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rpl5Bqrn0go&list=PLfth9JxqdMQFDsBzlFKMciC38Wgq
“Infinite grace poetry and passion”
“Greek saxophone prodigy Dimitri Vassilakis is revered as the Hellenic god of post-modern expression. A rhapsodic stylist of immense power and authority.”
BBC Music Magazine (labyrinth – album of the month, voted 2nd jazz album of the year).
“Leader Vassilakis’ compositions offer a perfect platform for post-modern expression…whiz- kid tenor player from Greece…his style is the post-Coltrane, post-Rollins style…high-energy and immensely fluid.’’
New York Press (Labyrinth Live at Birdland)