Greek Jazz Panorama/New Generation 3

Αrtwork: beetroot

Now in its third year, the Greek Jazz Panorama / New Generation has become a major event on the Greek jazz scene. The star of the show is the next generation of talented musicians as they progress in leaps and bounds.

Taken together, the young musicians of the Greek jazz scene are an interested and hugely varied group from whom we can expect some truly great things. Come June, for three consecutive nights on the Onassis Stegi roof terrace, the new generation combos in the Festival line-up will showcase the dynamism of the Greek contemporary improvisation scene and the bright future that lies ahead.

The combos in question are the Next Step Quintet, the Stelios Chatzikaleas Quintet and the Stephanos Chytiris Flux Project, all of which will be joining forces with international soloists whose names are to be announced.

Program

Thursday 9 June

“Next Step Quintet”

Vassilis Podaras: drums
Takis Paterelis: saxophone
Yiannis Papadopoulos: piano
Thodoris Kotsifas: guitar
Ntinos Manos: double bass

Friday 10 June

“Stelios Chatzikaleas Quintet”

Stelios Chatzikaleas: trumpet
Kostas Giaxoglou: piano
Konstantinos Manos: double bass
Panagiotis Iliou: electric guitar
Christos Konstantinidis: drums

Saturday 11 June

“Stephanos Chytiris Flux Project”

Stephanos Chytiris: drums
Daniel Carter: saxophone
Bram De Looze: piano
Luca Rosenfeld: bass

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Photo: Nikos Zaragkopoulos

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Photo: Nikos Zaragkopoulos

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Photo: Nikos Zaragkopoulos

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

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Photo: Yiannis Soulis

“L’Écume des jours” [“Froth on the Daydream”] by Boris Vian—where real and surreal, love and death come together—was the spark behind the composition of the seven new pieces the quintet will be performing, led by the trumpeter Stelios Chatzikaleas. The quintet’s work is underpinned by a desire to re-examine the rules of harmonic and melodic development without necessarily following them.

The Next Step Quintet are rightly considered one of the rising stars of the Greek jazz scene. All five members are graduates of the Jazz Department at Ionian University, and the combo has already appeared at numerous festivals in Greece and abroad and garnered excellent reviews for its first CD, which was released in 2012.

Stephanos Chytiris (drums), Daniel Carter (brass), Bram De Looze (piano) and Luca Rosenfeld (bass) form the core of the Flux Project. Exploring the structures and spirituality of free jazz, they are back together on stage in Athens after two years of collaboration in New York. Guided by their first album, “PYRIN”, which was recorded in Brooklyn and produced by Michael Carvin, the quartet will perform a journey in sound based on the philosophical ideas of Heraclitus—ideas which also underpin their recordings.