Petros Klampanis & Contextual

Petros Klampanis uses two catchy, Greek-flavored tunes-the 'Thalassaki' and the 'Hariklaki'-to communicate directly with both a Greek audience, which is always flattered when a Western jazzman references the popular and traditional music of their homeland, and with an international public, which has a liking for attractive and exhilarating exotic, eastern sounds!

However, Klampanis’ investment in Greek music is more than surface deep, and there is a clear desire on the part of this genuinely imaginative and creative musician to fully master a musical code which can generate musical idioms from a different culture and tradition. Of course, in the case of the composer and double bassist, this is also a declaration of identity and of roots; it would seem that this is what Petros Klampanis really wants, and he has produced some truly marvelous work to date, both alone and in collaboration with the musicians who join forces under the Contextual label.

Klampanis is a master of his demanding instrument, the double bass, and plays in an idiosyncratic, dense style which encapsulates his musical journey from Zakynthos and the Eastern Mediterranean to New York, his chosen base for many years and his new point of departure.

Performing at the Onassis Stegi with three truly exceptional musicians who have carved out enviable careers for themselves on the international jazz scene--the French pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, the Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman and the American percussionist, John Hadfield--Klampanis and his quartet will be performing their latest work, Minor Dispute. Contextual will be joined on stage by a string quartet—a combination that promises that scintillating fusion of jazz, classical and world music that is the essence of Petros Klampanis' work!