Bouzouki Greek

Gerasimos Andreatos is a contemporary greek singer with a genuine "laiki" (folk) voice. He is the main interpreter of Vangelis Korakakis, one of the most gifted and "authentic" folk composers today. Korakakis' songs have a "rebetiko" flavor that reminds of the famous greek legends like Tsitsanis and Papaioanou. This CD is a representative sample of the wonderful results of Korakakis-Andreatos collaborations. Korakakis is also a great bouzouki virtuoso and his artistry plays a very important role in the amazing beauty of this album. Enjoy one more delightful greek album, full of bouzouki and baglamas sweet melodies and rhythms. You will love it.

The great Greek composer Stavros Xarhakos at his best moments. Brilliant instrumental greek music by 2 bouzouki masters backed by orchestra conducted by the composer. 'Monastiraki' is an historical place at the center of Athens, under Acropolis and "Tetragono" means 'square' or 'district' in greek. The album starts with a happy dancing mood and you can enjoy some wonderful 'syrtaki', 'zeibekiko', 'hassapiko' and other greek popular dances. At the last pieces the mood changes and becomes melancholic inplying the difficulties and insecurity of everyday city life.

"Music has always been a great influence for me and combined with my Greek and Italian origin it has enabled me to experiment with a variety of styles of music and instruments including greek bouzouki, guitar, piano and keyboards.
I have played in various bands and also, played greek bouzouki, on albums for Terry Oldfield and John Richardson. I have also had my music featured on television. The diversity and endless sky of opportunities that are around have allowed me to create my Spiritual Journey of the World albums for Paradise Music. I look forward to continuing the journey." Andreas.

Vassilis Tsitsanis (Greek: Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης 18 January 1915 – 18 January 1984) was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki player.

Exactly when and how the long neck lute ‘bouzouki’ first landed in Greece remains a mystery. Its roots go back to the fourth century before Christ. Named after the “Βυζί“, the Greek word for female breast, the current form of the instrument is relatively young and has been all over Athens and the Peloponnese since around 1920. Initially at home in bars, parties and festivals; it certainly played its part in the revival of the ‘rebetiko’, often referred to ‘the Greek blues’ from the 1960s onwards. ‘Back in the early days there was a lot of improvisation, much more than in recent times…’ says Georgios Prokopiou, ‘because from the fifties onwards, the bouzouki was taught. And that's when so many more things about it became tied down and standardised’. Since that time, the metallic sound of the instrument has become almost synonymous with Greek folklore as the accompaniment for songs and dances…notably with composer Mikis Theodorakis, the source of more than a few ear-worms.

Exactly when and how the long neck lute ‘bouzouki’ first landed in Greece remains a mystery. Its roots go back to the fourth century before Christ. Named after the “Βυζί“, the Greek word for female breast, the current form of the instrument is relatively young and has been all over Athens and the Peloponnese since around 1920. Initially at home in bars, parties and festivals; it certainly played its part in the revival of the ‘rebetiko’, often referred to ‘the Greek blues’ from the 1960s onwards. ‘Back in the early days there was a lot of improvisation, much more than in recent times…’ says Georgios Prokopiou, ‘because from the fifties onwards, the bouzouki was taught. And that's when so many more things about it became tied down and standardised’. Since that time, the metallic sound of the instrument has become almost synonymous with Greek folklore as the accompaniment for songs and dances…notably with composer Mikis Theodorakis, the source of more than a few ear-worms.

The legendary duet Manolis Hiotis & Mary Linda was very popular in US, where the two artists had a big fan club in the 60's. This rare compilation contains 14 songs (among them 2 wonderful bouzouki solos) recorded during the couple's visits in US from the period 1965-66. These songs are not found in any other album released. Enjoy.

A legendary live recording. On January of 1991, George Dalaras (Γιώργος Νταλάρας) and Vassilis Papakonstantinou (Βασίλης Παπακωνσταντίνου), two top greek singers have decided to give a series of live performances together at Attikon, a cetral theatre in Athens. In their multi-year (more than 40 each) careers, this is the only time they performed together. A live recording that is considered as a masterpiece of the whole greek discography. Enjoy wonderful greek music and nice scans of the included booklet.

Another CD from the excellent collection "2LP in 1 CD" released at 1991 in limited number of copies. It contains 2 early multi-platinum LPs of Giorgos Dalaras (Γιώργος Νταλάρας), the most popular singer in Greece today. The first one was released at 1971 and is known as "The Metic" (Ο μέτοικος) and the second, from 1975, is titled "At those windows up there" (Στα ψηλά τα παραθύρια) by the Greek great composer Stavros Kougioumtzis (Σταύρος Κουγιουμτζής). Both are considered as masterpieces of the greek musical history and contain some of the most beautiful songs of Dalaras. The CD is a real gem. Enjoy.