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Happy Ney Year!

Beginning the year with 4 new NeyCafé meetings, the following Wednesdays 18:30-20:30 CET on 11/1, 18/1, 25/1 and 1/2.

You don’t have to be a coffee lover to join – although you might as well be one 🙂 – but you do have to love the Ney!

NeyCafe is a 2 hours long online meeting point, organised irregularly, some weeks yes, some weeks nop, where everyone is welcome: Ney players, other musicians & instrumentalists or simply people interested in the instrument and the music it plays and the music it can play!

Every meeting will be unique in the sense that i might propose a specific piece to study, or a new composition or even work on improvisation or something else that pops in mind; the topic might as well come from the participants in a form of a comment, question etc. so it’s an open meeting, like a coffee one 😉

Other topics we might or might not touch are: makam, modality, sound and timbre textures, dynamics, improvisation, taksim, inspiration, contemporary modal compositions, classical, folk and devotional musics from greece, turkey and the middle east. Anyway the idea is to make music and hopefully have a nice time learning new things, not only having… coffee!

Meetings next 4 Wednesdays 18:30h-20:30h CET, 11th, 18th, 25th of January and 1st of February

Zoomlink to meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81381720341?pwd=aExWYjZJWnFqK3duSG5wZmY4b3o5QT09

Please let me know in advance that you are coming and have your camera on during the session, participants with closed cameras will not be accepted 🙂 as we don’t want to have coffee with black screens! 😀

A 15e donation is suggested per session and it can be made using the donation button at https://christosbarbas.com/contact/ however, no one will be turned away due to a lack of funds.

I appreciate your contribution at any level.
PM me if you have any further questions 😉

Love

Christos

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Tα δύο βίντεο από την συναυλία μας στο Καρδεδέου τον Μάη τους 2021 είναι πάλι διαθέσιμα στο youtube με τα κομμάτια “The Sea” & “Atlas”:
Με την αυριανή διπλή συναυλία στο Άσπρο δέντρο, στην Θεσσαλονίκη, την Πέμπτη 22/12 στις 12:00 και στις 20:30 αποχαιρετάμε την Ελλάδα και το 2022. Ευχαριστούμε όλο τον κόσμο τους φίλους και το κοινό για την συγκινητική ανταπόκριση στις συναυλίες!

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Atlas’, The album of our duet with Efrén López, entered this month on in the World Music Charts Europe! Good news before our tour in Greece on December 15-22 (Syros, Athens, Kozani, Larisa, Thessaloniki).
Big thanks and gratitude as always to Constantino López and Primavera en el Atlas Estudio for inviting us and recording, #NathalieKaragiannis, for the artwork of the album, Eleni Lomvardou for the graphic design, Seyir Muzik for hosting us and publishing and Xango Music & Outlandish Recordings for the distribution in Benelux & Greece ❤️🎶
1. Souad Massi: Sequana (Backingtrack, Algeria)
2. Majid Bekkas: Joudour (IGLOO Records, Morocco)
3. Dawda Jobarteh: Do You Know A Place Called Flekkeroy? (ajabu!, Gambia/Denmark)
4. Rachele Andrioli: Leuca (Finisterre Records, Italy)
5. Liraz: Roya (Glitterbeat Records, Israel/Iran)
6. Antonis Antoniou: Throisma (ajabu!, Cyprus)
7. Alice in WonderBand: Rikataka (CPL-Music, Serbia)
8. Adedeji: Yoruba Odyssey (One World Records Production & Management, Nigeria)
9. Dj Click & Masha Natanson – singer: Violins Against Bombs (No Fridge, France/Ukraine)
10. Efrén López & Christos Barbas: Atlas (Seyir Muzik, Spain/Greece)
11. Wesli: Tradisyon (Cumbancha, Haiti)
12. Momi Maiga: Nio (Segell Microscopi, Gambia/Senegal/Spain)
13. Al-Qasar: Who Are We? (Glitterbeat, France)
14. Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin: Ali (Dead Oceans, Mali/USA)
15. Yanna Momina: Afar Ways (Glitterbeat, Djibouti)
16. ENKEL: Love Hurts (Nordic Notes, Finland)
17. A Moving Sound:: Starshine (ARC Music, Taiwan)
18. Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek: Dost 2 (Les Disques Bongo Joe, Turkey/Germany)
19. Okra Playground: Itka (Nordic Notes, Finland)
20. Chloe Matharu: Small Voyages (self-released, UK/Scotland)

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October & November will see the preparation of a new project, rehearsing and recording new music and an album with Soolmaan Sextet. The premiere will be on February 10th 2023 at the amazing Kamermuziekzaal of Concertgebouw Brugge in Belgium. Excited and looking forward to work in this new quintet format!
Tristan Driessens: oud & lavta
Nathan Daems: saxophone & ney
Christos Barbas: ney, piano & lavta
Levent Yıldırım: percussion
Andrea Piccioni: percussion

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Christos Barbas (Ney, Piano) invita en este ciclo de cinco conciertos a siete músicos, todos ellos singulares, para explorar diferentes lenguajes musicales y su coexistencia. Desde el barroco, a la música otomana y sufi, el jazz y la música japonesa, con el eje común de la improvisación, el sonido acústico, la sensibilidad y el silencio, en cada concierto se crearán espacios sonoros inspirados en el carácter y la textura de los instrumentos y de los músicos.

22.01 Farran Sylvan James – Violin

13.02 Pau Puig Olives, Laia Puig Olives & Nabil Naïr – Ney Quartet

04.03 Antonio Mazzei – Piano

18.03 Efrén López Sanz – Oud, Oğur Saz, Rabab, Lavta Presentacion de album Atlas

01.04 Horacio Curti – Shakuhachi

***

22.01 | 20:00 Farran Sylvan James – Violin
Comenzó a estudiar el violín en su ciudad natal de Vancouver, Canadá, a la edad de tres años y completó sus estudios en Nueva York y la Juilliard School. Está actuando profesionalmente desde los dieciséis años en orquestas por todo el mundo como Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble en Harvard, Les Violons du Roy de Québec y la Orquesta de Cámara de Montreal. Desde que se mudó a Europa hace quince años, se ha especializó la música antigua y actúa en las salas más emblemáticas como concertino y solista, (Musikverein, Palau de la Música, Berlín Philharmonic, etc), grabando discos para Harmonia Mundi, Challenge, Arsis y Sony y dirigiendo orquestas tanto en España como Canadá. Es cofundadora del grupo Muom, coro de cantos armónicos.

13.02 | 20:00 Ney Quartet
Pau Puig Olives – Aunque su instrumento principal es la dolçaina, toca diferentes instrumentos de viento de la tradición musical catalana y compagina su actividad en el mundo de la música tradicional de calle y de concierto con clases en diferentes escuelas y conservatorios. Actualmente toca con el duo Cati Plana i Pau Puig, la orquesta OMAC, Ganxets grallers del Baix Camp, A Vore, QuatreQuarts, Xarop de Canya, Solk, la Suterranya o Els 3 peus del Gat. www.paupuigolives.com

Laia Puig Olives estudia dolçaina en el Conservatorio de València y más tarde se interesa por diversos instrumentos de viento de música antigua y tradicional. Ha formado parte de Tresmall, L’Ham de foc, Evo y Alm. Actualmente es profesora en escuelas de música, estudia ney con Christos Barbas y oboe barroco en el Conservatorio de Castellón.


Nabil Naïr – Nacido en Tánger, estudia piano desde la infancia y más adelante aprende clarinete de forma autodidacta. Apasionado por innumerables culturas y estilos, desde el jazz contemporáneo a las músicas modales, se forma con músicos como Manos Achalinotopoulos, Efrén López, Sokratis Sinopoulos o Christos Barbas. Ha participado en proyectos de músicas tradicionales como Faluka, Sukūn, Jako el Muzikante o Milo Ke Mandarini Trío, así como en formaciones de música improvisada y otras propuestas interdisciplinares.

04.03 | 20:00 | Antonio Mazzei – Piano
Antonio es un premiado pianista, compositor e improvisador de una fluidez notable, con un sonido reconocible y un curioso sentido de impredecibilidad. Su constante compromiso creativo no es sólo con el dominio de su instrumento, ya que sus intereses intelectuales y artísticos se reflejan con similar idoneidad en los roles que ocupa como compositor, improvisador, productor, educador y artista multimedia. Más allá de los diversos y contrastantes estilos que domina, su lenguaje conlleva siempre a una profunda reflexión. www.antoniomazzeimusic.com

18.03 | 20:00 | Εfrén López Sanz Presentación de album ‘Atlas’
Εfrén es multi instrumentista, compositor e ingeniero de sonido especializado en instrumentos de cuerda pulsada de la Europa medieval, el Mediterráneo Oriental, Oriente Medio y Asia Central. Ha participado en proyectos con músicos de toda Europa, el mundo árabe, Turquía, Irán y la India. Como docente imparte regularmente talleres de técnica instrumental (zanfona, ud, bağlama, guitarra sin trastes, rabab) y teoría (makam, músical modal e ingeniería de sonido) en centros de toda Europa. Ha participado en la grabación de más de 70 discos, nueve de ellos con proyectos propios, siendo galardonados con varios premios en España y Alemania.

01.04 | 20:00 Horacio Curti – Shakuhachi
Horacio es un maestro de shakuhachi formado en Japón con un trabajo como intérprete que abarca desde la música clásica/tradicional japonesa, hasta la improvisación libre y la música clásica contemporánea occidental. Ha grabado varios discos, ‘home is now’ es el último, y actuado como solista con la orquesta Nacional de España y tocado con músicos y bailarines en diversos países de Europa, Asia, Norte y sur América. Es además etnomusicólogo, actualmente profesor de la Esmuc, desarrollando su investigación en temas de estética sonora de la música japonesa y en investigación artística. www.shakuhachi.es

***

Christos Barbas flautista, pianista y compositor multifacético, reside en Barcelona desde 2015. Su distintivo sonido en el Ney (flauta de caña del Medio Oriente) y su multi instrumentalismo se exhiben en varios álbumes de sus bandas Yeden, Neda y Magnanimus Trio, así como en discos a dúo con Murat Aydemir, Peppe Frana y Efrén López. Su música, difícil de catalogar, recoge inspiraciones diversas desde la música Otomana clásica, y la Griega hasta la improvisación, el jazz, la música clásica y el minimalismo. Ha colaborado con artistas como Ross Daly, Zohar Fresco, L ‘Ham de Foc, Thomas Strønen, Björn Meyer y da conciertos en todo el mundo participando en grabaciones con discográficas como AN Music, Felmay IT y ECM Records.

****

Hora: 20:00
RONDA BARCELONA. C/Consell de Cent 382, Barcelona
AFORO LIMITADO – RESERVA NECESARIA
Entrada: 15e
Reservas: 934 614 704 / 655 494 758 – info@rondabarcelona.com
De lunes a sábados de 11h a 14h y de 17h a 21h

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Here you can listen to a great new recording by Ross Daly of Büzürk Peşrev by Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723) where i had the pleasure of playing the Ney, together with Efrén López on kudüm. Ross plays here 4 Tarhu, 2 Lyra with sympathetic strings, 2 Egyptian rababa and 3 Bendir.
via Ross Daly: This is one of my favorite compositions from the collection (Edvar-I-Musiki) of Prince Dimitrie Cantemir (1673-1723). It is in the somewhat rare Makam (mode) known as Büzürk (Farsi: Bozorg = large, grand) and is in the 30 beat cycle Darbeyn-I-Cedid. In this recording, together with myself, Efrèn Lopez participated playing Küdüm (small kettle drums) and Christos Barbas played the Ney (reed flute).
Dimitris Cantemir was a statesman, soldier, man of letters as well as one of the foremost composers and chroniclers of Ottoman urban music of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born into a noble family of Crimean Tatar extraction in Moldavia and was also renowned as one of the foremost linguists of his time (he allegedly spoke and wrote in 11 languages). He spent many years in Istanbul as a Moldavian envoy on behalf of his brother Antioh who was the ruler (voidode) of the province. Subsequently he himself was appointed as ruler and he placed Moldavia under Russian protection in the belief that the collapse of the Ottoman Empire was imminent.
He then joined Peter the Great in his campaign against the Ottoman Turks, a campaign which failed resulting in the exile of the Cantemirs to Russia. In Russia, where he died in 1723, he was granted the title of Prince by Peter and also by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.
The collected notations of Dimitrie Cantemir were transcribed into staff notation and published in 1992 by Professor Owen Wright, and it is largely due to this publication that we now have access to the entirety of the collection. To this day, many of Cantemir’s compositions are still regularly performed in Turkey as an important part of the Classical Turkish repertoire.

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Here goes another great composition by our friend Michalis Kouloumis! Nihavend Semai, 10/8= Ney time for me 😃

Via Michalis: I am very excited to share with you the “Nihavend semai”, a new composition of mine, performed live by the newly-formed “Michalis Kouloumis Quintet”.
Christos Barbas – ney
Efren Lopez – oud
Nikos Avgoustides – dbass
Ruven Ruppik – riq
Michalis Kouloumis – violin, composition

Credits:
Recording: Maxim van Meerhaeghe
Mixing: Efren Lopez
Video / Direction: Shalan Alhamwy
Cameras: Keder Ali, Ashti Malki, Shalan Alhamwy
Enjoy listening!

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Happy to see online a part of our streamed concert with Michalis Kouloumis Quintet at De Centrale some days ago in Ghent / Belgium! Here play play “Traces of Civilization”, Such amazing musicians and such a delight for me to be able to play the piano & ney at the same project!

 

Michalis Kouloumis – violin, composition
Efrén López – cretan lute
Christos Barbas – piano
Nikos Avgoustidis – double bass
Ruven Ruppik – percussion, drums
Credits:
Recording: Maxim van Meerhaeghe
Mixing: Efren Lopez
Film Direction: Shalan Alhamwy
Cameras: Keder Ali, Ashti Malki, Shalan Alhamwy
Special thanks to Jos Lootens for the production!

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Very happy to share here an half-hour length concert that we performed with Eléonore Fourniau & Labyrinth Ensemble at Cardedeu on the 1st of November 2020! Enjoy 😉

With her rich voice and powerful performance, Eléonore Fourniau sings the people of Anatolia. Flying to Turkey in 2010 with a one-way ticket and a backpack, she fell in love with the cultural diversity of this region and spent more than 6 years studying Turkish and Kurdish music and languages.

Internationally acclaimed for the quality of her interpretation Kurdish music, she also sings in other Anatolian languages (Turkish, Laz, Armenian, etc.) She accompanies herself with a three-stringed lute, the saz, the sacred instrument for the Alevi people, and the hurdy-gurdy, a western instrument of Medieval origin which echoes the mountains of Anatolia or the plains of Mesopotamia under her fingers.

These concerts are free to view but your donations are essential. We are relying on the generosity of our audience to make these and future concerts possible.
If you are watching, please visit our website and make a donation. A donation of 10e of everyone that is watching online will help us cover our costs and help us in our mission of providing seminars and concerts of modal music, as well as work and new opportunities for musicians.

http://paypal.me/LabyCat

PROGRAM
00:00 Aşkın şarabını / Music & Lyrics: Alişer Efendi
04:47 Heyder / Traditional Kurdish song, version based on an arrangement by Cemil Qoçgiri
08:11 Evîna Veşartî / Music & Lyrics: Eléonore Fourniau
12:31 Mala we / Music & Lyrics: Seîd Yûsiv
15:59 Gesi bağları / Traditional Turkish/Greek song
22:10 Leylê tu Leylê te ye / Traditional Kurdish song
25:52 Lo Berde / Traditional Kurdish song

Recorded 1st November 2020 at Teatre Auditori Cardedeu

Eléonore Fourniau – voice, saz, hurdy-gurdy
Alexandre Guitart – tombak, bendir, saz, backing vocals
Christos Barbas – ney
Mahdi Gheitasi – daf, dohola
Ignacio Sabadell – double bass
Efrén López – ud, meydan saz, kopuz, buzuq, rabab, backing vocals
Mixed by: Efrén López
Cameras: Susanna Cabiscol, Aleix Cánovas, Pere Prat
Video edited by Susanna Cabiscol

Produced by Associació Música Modal a Cardedeu / Labyrinth Catalunya

Homepage

With the support of:
Ajuntament de Cardedeu
Diputació de Barcelona
Creative Europe Program
Awakening Sleeping Instruments

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In this first premiére of the newly composed Nihavend Ayin by Christos Barbas, Labyrinth Catalunya Orchestra, consisting of professional musicians and students of modal music, is interpreting the work with a formation of 11 musicians coming from different places of the Mediterranean.
Recorded on October 30th, 2020 at the Teatre Auditori Cardedeu

It’s been an absolute pleasure composing and performing the suite of compositions that we presented this night. A big thank you to Efrén López Sanz for his support preparing, playing and mixing the concert, to the Labyrinth Catalunya crew and all the musicians and technicians that participated! During these months, being able to rehearse and play with a group of friends was the most wonderful gift of all! 🙂 Thank you all!
Dedicated with gratitude and love to my – and many other people’s – teachers that have introduced us in the world of modal music, have inspired us, and continue to do so: Ömer Erdoğdular & Ross M. Daly
***
Isabel Martín – bendir, voice
Efrén López – kudüm
Carlos Ramírez – nak tarhu
Alexandre Guitart Luengo – tanbur, voice
Sasha Agranov ( Selva De Mar ) – cello
Alexánder Pewló – lavta
Georgi Dimitrov – kanun
Borja Camí ( Amics del Bosc ) – ney
Ibrahim Bilen – ney
Pau Puig Olives – dolçainer – ney
Christos Barbas – ney, voice, bendir
Mixed by: Efrén López
Cameras: Susanna Cabiscol, Aleix Cánovas, Pere Prat
Video edited by Aleix Cánovas
***
The Ayin is the largest compositional form in Ottoman Classical music, about one hour long, and its liturgical function is to accompany the Sema, the ceremony of the whirling dervishes of the Mevlevi order.
Produced by Associació Música Modal a Cardedeu / Labyrinth Catalunya
With the support of:
Ajuntament de Cardedeu
Diputació de Barcelona
Europa Creativa Cultura-España
Awakening Sleeping Instruments

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A new blog about the Ney, where i will share thoughts and music about my favourite instrument! In this first episode i talk about: Basic info about the ney, sound production, tuning, background info, teachers, styles, lips, hüzzam makam, vibrato, relation with voice and at the end i play the first 2 parts from of Hüzzam Saz Semai by Refik Fersan.

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Happy Winter Solstice to everyone! To end this year (2020) and start the new one with music, i am sharing here a new recording with four Neys i recently made for the piece of Dominik Borucki & Plácida Pajares Fernández “Los Detectives de la Irrealidad”, a wonderful and intriguing work that moves through different genres, but most adequately would be characterized maybe as contemporary dance & theater. “Los detectives” is dedicated to, and inspired by, Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris”, so it was only fitting to accompany the music with images from this masterpiece of his.

The title “Become” is inspired by the work of composer John Luther Adams “Become Ocean”, part of his “Become Trilogy” (thanks Peppe Frana for the suggestion!) where a whole orchestra performs a 40+ minutes work where very few things happen – seemingly – but the effect is enormous, so there you go, a suggestion for a 40 minutes listening session can be a nice break to the 10 seconds attention span we normally give to music 😃.

Actually here, “Become” is Become pt II, the second part of a 12 minutes piece which i am planning on releasing later on. Many thanks to Efrén López Sanz for mixing the music and putting up with some many neys at one time! Keep safe, keep healthy and in the dark of the winter, look for the warmth & light inside and outside 😉

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So! THIS is happening ends of August at Labyrinth Online. What better way to begin the year, than with a seminar that will give you some more musical alzheimer? Meaning, you’ll forget everything you know about music, and learn new things that you will very soon – also – forget. Ok, i’m just kidding, for a serious description of this course read on 😉
 
IMPROvising COMPOsitions, compoSING improVISAtions:
 
“Improvising and composing are often seen as two distinct processes in music-making. Usually, improvisation is related to orality, freedom, and spontaneity, while composition to writing, structure, systematization as well as disposing of time to go back and revise the created piece(s).
 
The possibility of recording sound in the 20th century, as well as the increasing awareness of the importance of improvisation in most of the musics around the world, has questioned their separateness and led to a redefinition of their relation: we now tend to think about them as parts of a continuum, instead of as contrasting concepts.
 
Modal musical systems and modality in itself is an interesting case as it can help us expand further the way we see composition and improvisation as well as the relationship between them: Here we are not dealing with a continuum, nor with structure vs freedom, but with a set of pre-composed building blocks of possibilities, that everyone, the composer, the improviser, the interpreter, the student – and even the listener, some would argue – use with a varying degree of freedom, in order to (re)create and communicate meaning through music.
 
With these things in mind, in the course we will study and try to understand modality through this prism in order to unlock it’s potential for enhancing creativity: employing the flux and the live dimension that improvisation provides us with in the process of composition, and at the same time, animating and possibly structuring our improvisations with ideas coming from the area of composition. We will do so through the study and analysis of compositions, listening sessions, and transcriptions of recorded improvisations, as well as an in-depth practice of both composition and improvisation in the span of two weeks.
 
This course wishes to highlight the importance of composition and improvisation in all aspects of music-making, so even though composers and improvisers from other styles of music are very welcome, we also welcome interpreters and musicians that wish to deepen their understanding and enrich their performances in the instrument or modal traditions they are studying.”
 

US$ 240 for 30 hours of instruction (10 classes x 3 hours)

Registration includes access to video recordings of all classes.

Register now to hold your place:
https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0061-0004-26cbf3dea58747b4b767130d12964408

* Can’t afford it? Apply to become the Course Assistant here:
https://airtable.com/shrfBymBoxPAsrgGu

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This August 12-17 i will returning to Crete & Labyrinth Musical Workshop for the 5 days seminar “Composition in Modal Music”, part of the amazing programming and group of teachers in Labyrinth in Crete. Are you coming?!

Και αυτό το καλοκαιράκι επιστροφή στην Κρήτη και το Μουσικό Εργαστήρι Λαβύρινθος με το σεμινάριο “Σύνθεση στην Τροπική Μουσική”, μέρος του καταπληκτικού προγράμματος και της ομάδα καθηγητών του Λαβύρινθου. Τα λέμε εκεί;! 😉 12-17 Αυγούστου!

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Very excited for our concert at “Palau de la Musica” in Valencia: a non-stop 12 hours improvised concert with the title “‘Mentre estigues viu, brilla'” inspired by Efrén López Sanz! You can watch aaalll (can you?) of the concert Live Streaming on https://www.mapasonor.com  Sunday 07/07, from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Spanish Time..!!!

Efrén López: lutes, harp, hurdy-gurdy, guitars, theremin
Ciro Montanari: tabla, udu
Aleix Tobias: percussions
Alba Asensi: harp, voice
Christos Barbas: ney, piano, gaida, voice
Sandra Monfort: guitars, voice
Manolo Lopez: double bass
Raül Bonell: warr guitar
Kilian Estrada and Sagar Malé (Mapasonor): video
Juan Castelló Andrés: sound

More info about the project in the website of Mapasonor: https://www.mapasonor.com/newpage0d9b3b4f

Here are some photos from the concert

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Magnanimus Trio Trio week!

2 July Barcelona / Nota79 (feat. Juan Pablo Balcazar)
4 July Porto / Casa da Música

Join us!

https://mobile.casadamusica.com/…/…/magnanimus%20trio/events

http://www.nota79.cat/event/magnanimus-trio/

https://magnanimustrio.com/

Σε λίγες μέρες θα βρεθούμε με τους Magnanimus Trio για 2 συναυλίες στην Βαρκελώνη και το Πόρτο. Ακολουθούν συναυλίες στη Σουηδία και την Δανία, ελάτε αν είστε κοντά! 

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‘Beyond The Borders’ is the programme in this meeting of remarkable artists brought together to interpret traditional music of Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Armenia, and to play original songs by Anatolian saz player Cihan Turkoglu and lyricist Agathi Dimitroukas.
In the spirit of the project, the new songs also bridge traditions and idioms and emphasize the potential of shared expression. Legendary Greek singer Maria Farantouri / Μαρία Φαραντούρη excels in this music beyond the borders, shaped also with the active participation of producer Manfred Eicher. German cellist Anja Lechner here draws on a knowledge of traditional folk forms gained partly through playing music of Armenian-Greek philosopher composer Gurdjieff. Armenian kanon (zither) player Meri VardanyanVardanyan has previously appeared on ECM as a member of the Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble. Ney player and ethnomusicologist Christos Barbas, from Thessaloniki, has played everything from music of the baroque to ragas. Percussionist İzzet Kızıl grew up in Eastern Turkey in an environment dominated by Sufi rhythms and has worked in many transcultural collaborations, evolving new approaches to traditional percussion.

https://ecm.lnk.to/BeyondTheBorders

ords

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Next weekend i’ll be travelling to the country-side of Bologna, at Massa Lombarda and the wonderful space of Sala Rossa for a 2 days seminar on the music and songs of Greece and Turkey, plus a solo concert for Ney / Keys / Electronics on Saturday night!Benvenuti!

Info: https://www.facebook.com/events/2328314897384033/

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Για όσους βρεθείτε αύριο στο κοντα στο Αιγαίο, Σάββατο 15 Ιούνη στην Τήνο θα κάνω μια σόλο συναυλία με νέυ / πλήκτρα / effects στην γκαλερί Soul Food, Tinos!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1050386448485392/

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The Short film by Artemis Anastasiadou, “Into the Fields”, where i had the pleasure of writing music & songs is now online!

Plot: “During a short walk into the Texas fields, a mother and a daughter get confronted with their conflicting needs and desires.”

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Next concerts coming up, next month!

As part of the Festival “Les Nuits du Labyrinth” we will travel with Milo Ke Mandarin Quartet to Geneve, to join a powerfull programing of two weekends with over 15 concerts and events with artists of Labyrinth coming from around the world! Check the festival’s programming here.

Then off to Athens for another collaboration with the Guitar/Cello Trio with Tabakis Giorgos and Stavros Parginos, as well as two days presenting our “No Time” cd with Magnanimus Trio

Last but not least i’ll participate in the concert/release album of dearest friend and co-musician from Crete/Athens Giorgos Papaioannou, namely “Anamesis”

4/11 Milo Ke Mandarini Quartet / Geneve – Festival Les Nuits du Labyrinthe
16/11 Barbas Tabakis Parginos / Athens –  The Zoo
17/11 Magnanimus Trio Live at Underflow / Athens
18/11 Magnanimus Trio Live at Underflow / Athens
19/11 Giorgos Papaioannou, Anamesis, New Album Presentation

See you on the road 😉

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Μέρα γενεθλίων σήμερα και το καλύτερο δώρο ήρθε σήμερα από την Eleni Lomvardou τη φίλη και συνεργάτιδα, γραφίστρια η οποία επιμελήθηκε το εξώφυλλο ενός νέου δίσκου. Τα συναισθήματα είναι ανάμεικτα, γιατί η φωτογράφος και καρδιακή φίλη στην οποία ανήκει η φωτογραφία Alexandra P. Kavouraδεν είναι πια μαζί μας. Η Αλεξάνδρα είχε βγάλει μια σειρά από φωτογραφίες για το εξώφυλλο και για το εσωτερικό του cd, σε αυτό που έμελλε να ήταν το τελευταίο της ταξίδι στο Νεπάλ.

Έτσι, μέσα από αυτά τα ανάμεικτα συναισθήματα που αναδύονται από τη ζωή και το θάνατο, τη χαρά και τη λύπη, το φως και το σκοτάδι έρχεται να ταξιδέψει αυτή η νέα μουσική η οποία ηχογραφήθηκε το καλοκαίρι του 2012 και για διάφορους λόγους άργησε τόσο να έρθει στο φώς.

Ένα μεγάλο ευχαριστώ στον Murat Aydemir που εκτός από συνοδοιπόρος υπήρξε, και είναι ακόμη, μεγάλος δάσκαλος και δικός μου και πολλών άλλων.

Επίσης στον Ross Daly που μας εμπιστεύτηκε μια σύνθεση του σε αυτόν το δίσκο, καθώς και τον Bora Uymaz Hayranları που κόσμησε με την καταπληκτική του φωνή δύο τραγούδια, συνθέσεις του Murat και δικές μου, και ένα απίστευτο Gazel (φωνητικό αυτοσχεδιασμό) καθώς και στην Isabel Martín (μήλο ή μανταρίνι; Milo Ke Mandarini!) που πρόσθεσε κρουστά από την κεντρική Ισπανία και τον Carlos Ramírez που τα ηχογράφησε.

Πολλές ευχαριστίες επίσης στον Vangelis Apostolou για την άψογη δουλειά του στην μίξη και το mastering του δίσκου από την Κρήτη, καθώς και τους Onur Özçelik και ömer Taşkın για την ηχογράφηση στην Τουρκία και τα στούντιο της Kalan.

Το cd θα κυκλοφορήσει πολύ σύντομα διαδικτυακά και σε φυσική μορφή.

Επίσης μια σκέψη μου είναι να εκδοθεί σε LP Βινύλιο, όχι πρωτίστως για την μουσική, αλλά πιο πολύ για τις 14 υπέροχες φωτογραφίες της Αλεξάνδρας που θα κοσμούν το εσωτερικό του άλμπουμ, για να τους δοθεί ο χώρος που τους αξίζει… Προσεχώς περισσότερα νέα…

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“Entre Creta i el Montseny”
Article de Jordi Alsina, sobre la nova aventura de “Labyrinth a Catalunya”, combinant “fonts” de la música de Tesalonica amb el grup històric “Vorlike”!

Ένα άρθρο στα καταλανικά από τον Jordi Alsina για την καινούργια περιπέτεια του “Λαβύρινθου στην Καταλονία”, συνδιάζοντας πολύτιμες “πηγές” της μουσικής ιστορίας της θεσσαλονίκης, με τους Vorlike!…

http://www.enderrock.cat/…/noticia/8042/entre/creta/montseny

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Milo Ke Mandarini are Carlos Ramirez & Isabel Martin two wonderful musicians and friends from Toledo / Spain playing and investigating what would be called (in absence of a better term) “Musics from the Mediterranean. They were so kind as to invite me, not only to participate in their new Cd “La vereda de la gitana”  but also to form part of the extended project “Milo Ke Mandarini Quartet” together with wonderful Miriam Encinas Laffite on viela, recordes, percussion and more 🙂

Here is the video of one of the songs included in the new cd (you can buy it on their online shop), stay tuned for more news and concerts about this promising project!

www.milokemandarini.com

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Tomorrow Sunday at 09:00-10:00 (UK+1 time) i will be giving an interview in Spain’s National Radio 3, at Pilar Sampietro Colom’s “Mediterráneo” talking about music-making and traveling from Thessaloniki to Crete to Istanbul and then Catalunya!

I’ll be presenting also “Labyrinth in Catalunya” the new series of seminars & masterclasses (https://www.facebook.com/groups/labyrinthcatalunya/) and of course we will be hearing a lot of music from the last cd’s of Neda, Zohar Fresco’s “Tof Miriam”, Efrén López Sanz ‘s “El Fill del Llop”, Kelly Thoma’s “7Fish”, Ross Daly “An-Ki” and Magnanimus Trio “No Time”, and also playing some live music with the ney 🙂

You can hear online the program in this link, or even download it afterwards here