By Emmelia Georgiou
The popular jazz festival AglanJazz is back for two nights full of music, entertainment, food and drinks. A number of jazz bands have been invited to perform from all over the world at Aglanzia old square.
On Monday three bands will take stage: the Michael Messios Symmetry Band featuring Demetris Tsakas; Dock in Absolute with band members from Belgium and Luxemburg; as well as Portuguese band Carmen Souza Trio. The bands performing on Tuesday are our very own LP3; Ermis Michael Quintet from Cyprus, Holland and Poland; and the Next Step Quintet featuring Tivon Pennicott with band members from Greece and America.
The Michael Messios Symmetry Band members include Michael Messios on bass, Charis Ioannou on the saxophone, Marios Toumpas on piano and Giannos Vafeas on drums, featuring Dimitris Tsakas on the saxophone. They are all graduates from universities in the USA. Since their return, they have brought their talent and academic knowledge to our island. They have had numerous jazz performances all over the world and significant collaborations with profound musicians.
The band will perform Messios’ compositions which are characterised by strong melodies and complicated rhythms.
Dock in Absolute include members Eric Mingelbier on Percussion, David Kintziger on double bass and Jean-Philippe Koch on piano. With a shared love of jazz, they combine different styles of progressive jazz, classical and rock, playing the pianist’s old compositions, co-creating their unique jazz style in 2012. Their fresh approach to jazz allows them to push boundaries and to explore the potential of a new unique wave of sounds while adding strength to the jazz field.
The Carmen Souza Trio is formed by Carmen Souza on vocals and piano, Teofilo Pascoal on bass and Elias Jose Goncalves Kacomanolis on drums. Led by Souza’s amazing vocal talent and Pascal’s singular compositions, their music is characterised as a delicious recipe of African roots wrapped around jazz.
LP3, from Cyprus, is made up of Loizos Paphitis on guitar and compositions, Andreas Theodorou on drums and Marios Menelaou on electric bass. LP3 perform original material with a modern sound aesthetic and improvisational freedom. They were formed in 2016 and will present original music from their debut album The Undergod.
Ermis Michail Quintet is made up of Ermis Michail on guitar and compositions, Luis Mora on drums, Andreas Panteli on piano, Michal Jan Ciesielski on tenor saxophone and Marihn Van de Ven on double bass. Having as their basis the traditional jazz ideology and influences of modern music era, the quintet is true to exploring new artistic ways of expressions and improvisation of live jazz.
The Next Stop includes members Thodoris Kotsifas on guitar, Yiannis Papadopoulos on piano, Konstantina Manos on bass, Vassilis Podaras on drums and Tivon Pennicott on the saxophone. The band was formed in 2011 by five musicians with common influences and visions. They have recently recorded and will soon release their second album, featuring one of the most upcoming saxophone players of the New York scene Tivon Pennicott.
AglanJazz
Two-day festival of live jazz music. July 10-11. Aglanzia Old Square, Nicosia. 8.45pm. Tel: 22-462058
