Paphos is preparing to get all jazzed up once more with an evening of jazz compositions by Michael Messios, as performed by the Michael Messios Symmetry band.
Band members Michael Messios on the bass, saxophonist Charis Ioannou, Ioannis Vafeas on the drums and pianist Marios Toumbas will chase those Monday-eve blues away on Sunday when they take to the Technopolis 20 Cultural Centre stage for one night only.
All four members of the band are graduates of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and they hold a Master’s Degree in Jazz Music. They are also jazz-music instructors at universities in Cyprus and perform regularly in festivals and concert halls throughout the island and all over Europe. The musicians also have numerous collaborations on CDs, recordings and theatre productions.
After Messios returned to Cyprus after his studies he became part of a number of ensembles, including the Petsteppers, Charis Ioannou Trio, Cyprus Big Band and the Tassos Stylianou Trio. He has participated in major jazz festivals including the Krakow Jazz Festival in Bologna and the Crete Jazz Festival, and has played in prestigious jazz clubs like the Vortex in London. He has numerous important collaborations in the global jazz scene with names like Tony Lakatos, Gilad Atzmon, Janush Muniac, Mamelo Gaitanopoulos and Chris Byars.
Ioannou won the Woodwind Achievement Award in the last year of his studies in Boston and in 2001, after graduation, he moved to New York where he stayed for three years. While there he obtained his Master’s Degree in performance and performed and taught around the state.
When he moved back to Cyprus in 2005 he collaborated with various musicians and appeared in all the major clubs and festivals around the island, as well as a number of venues around the world.
The musician is currently teaching saxophone and the jazz idiom at the University of Nicosia as well as making guest faculty appearances in workshops held in Italy, Lebanon and Greece. Meanwhile he also continues to perform and record as a leader as well as a sideman, both in Cyprus and abroad.
Vafeas performs regularly in festivals and concert halls all over Europe. He has performed music of different styles and participated in numerous CDs, recordings, theatre productions and films, always distinguished by his personal technique and individual style. Since 2002, the musician has been teaching in public schools and he has also been a member of the faculty of the University of Nicosia since 2009.
Toumbas has a similar pedigree, having appeared in all the major clubs and festivals around the island when he returned to his homeland. He has performed all over the world with famous jazz musicians such as bassist Anthony Jackson (creator of the 6-string el.Bass), saxophonist Tony Lakatos and guitarists Jeff Richman and Brett Garsed. He has also performed at international jazz festivals such as the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, the Krakow Jazz Festival in Poland and the Blues North City festival in Serbia. He has played concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in London and Sun City Music Hall in Johannesburg.
The Michael Messios Symmetry Band was created after many years of collaboration and friendship between the four artists. Performing together, they present works composed by Messios. These pieces bring to our ears a mixture of strong melodies and complex rhythms. Messios’ compositions include influences from both traditional and contemporary jazz music, enriched with elements from ethnic and Mediterranean music.
Michael Messios Symmetry Band
Live performance by the band. June 11. Technopolis 20 Cultural Centre, Paphos. 8.30pm. €10. Tel: 70-002420
