More than 35 musicians will take part in the fourth Cyprus Jazz and World Music Showcase Platform next week in Limassol, with an eye to presenting the whole spectrum of contemporary Cypriot musical creation in jazz and world music.
The two-day event, on November 24-25, will see local talent take to the Rialto stage to entertain the audience with their energetic sounds and welcoming stage presence.
Day one will present the Alexis Kasinos quartet, the Ioannou/ Vafeas quartet, Loizos Pafitis Underdog and Macumba.
The Alexis Kasinos quartet is a collaboration between young musicians – Alexis Kasinos, Antreas Panteli, Cahit Kutrafali and Stelios Xydias – whose common goals are creativity, teamwork and the expression of their personal musical identity through the band’s compositions. The songs performed by the quartet are written by the band leader Alexis. They are influenced by different musical genres, combining Eastern rhythms with jazz harmonies and lyrical melodies.
The Ioannou / Vafeas quartet – Ioannis Vafeas, Charis Ioannou, Dimitris Miaris and Greg Makamian – was created in 2016 after many years of collaboration and friendship between Ioannou and Vafeas. Their new album Bridge of Locks, whose seven compositions are based on the rhythms of Straight Ahead Jazz, was recorded in April 2017.
Loizos Pafitis Underdog, from Nicosia, have performed around Cyprus in major festivals. The band started out as a trio but soon wanted to add more depth to their sessions so they added Nicolas Melis on piano, Elenora Rousou on flute and Elias Ioannou on trumpet to the original trio, who are Loizos Pafitis on guitar, Marios Menelaou on bass and Andreas Theodorou on drums. The band will present original compositions from the soon to be released album The Underdog.
Macumba was formed soon after Chilean bassist Rodrigo Caceres came to Cyprus and met Rodos Panagiotou, George Morfitis and Elias Ioannou – who were already well-known in the local Latin-jazz music scene. Together, the four musicians experimented with sound and seek to constantly evolve their own musical horizons and musical range.
Day two of the musical showcase will feature the Free Over Four quartet, Trio Tekke and Dave De Rose, Vasiliki Anastasiou together with The Amalgamation Project, and Mighty Sugarcane.
The Free Over Four quartet – guitarist and composer Ermis Michail, pianist and composer Andreas Panteli, bassist Cahit Kutrafali and drum player Ioannis Vafeas – blend different genres, moving between collective and solo improvisation with the use of the most dominant emerging idea.
With two internationally acclaimed albums under their belt – the latest being Zivo – Trio Tekke have continued to forge their own take on Rebetiko. The band’s sound infuses the Greek Rebetiko sound with Afrobeat, Cumbia, Acid Rock, Psychedelia and Jazz.
The Amalgamation Project mix traditional and folk sound with jazz harmonies. The band – Vasiliki Anastasiou, Ermis Michail, Alkis Agathokleous, Rodos Panagiotou, Andreas Rodosthenous, Christina Metaxa, Myrto Aristidou – will present an amalgam of music from around the Mediterranean and the Balkans fused with modern musical elements. The band will be joined by an eight-woman choir.
Mighty Sugarcane are an electronic jazz-funk group playing original music with the use of electronic samples, synthesizers and hard grooves. The trio – Marios Takoushis, Stelios Xydias and Cahit Kutrafali – will focus on their unique combination of electronic/funk sounds, energising their set with samples and catchy riffs whilst adding vocoders, deep bass lines and fiery grooves.
Fourth Cyprus Jazz and World Music Showcase
Jazz festival. November 24-25. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. 8.30pm. €6/10 one day, €10/15 two days. Tel: 77-777745
