Greek Music: RFI

One good place to start might be the compilations on the Rounder label; there's one called "Women of Rembetica" which compiles a lot of female vocalists, and another called "Mourmourika: Songs of Greek Underworld" which is a sort of "outlaw" music.

I'm not knowledgeable enough to make a proper generalization, but from what I've gathered the northern greek music (eg: from Thraki/Thessaloniki, anywhere near Macedonia) has more similarity with Arabic music.

I live in a largely-Greek neighborhood (Astoria, NY), so I hear a lot of this music, mostly the poppier stuff, in the various bars/cafes but never know who it is that's playing.

(i know i always say him but i think his LP on globestyle is fab)

(it's called "yiorgos mangas")

A lot of Anababoula's stuff is too westernized for my taste (or anyway, westernized in the "wrong way" for me). I saw them perform once, as well.

I guess I should list the names of the few performers I know I like (mostly from an EMI sampler I bought):

Haris Alexiou (except the one CD I bought by her had lots of annoying synthesizer sounds, which completely distracted from her singing).

Eleni Vitali.

Nikoletta Mazaraki.

Katerina Papadopoulou.

Giannis Parios.

Katerina Stanisi is okay.

I like male singers too, but don't know the names of the guys with the deep, imposing, voices that appear on my Greek music tapes. They are my role-models for masculinity, however.

I will look into Mourmourika.

I have to say, part of the appeal is the pattern of syllables that would never occur together in English.

I'm only slightly interested in rembetika, but since so many of you here seem most familiar with that end of Greek music, I will mention that Alexiou does an excellent cover of "Ime prezakias" a song sung by Roza Eskenazi (though I don't know if she was the first). Alexiou delivers it in rhythms that are conversational sounding.

What I read in the liner notes of a Greek music compilation is that rembetika is actually a sub-category of laika.

*Meant in a pretty neutral sense.

Haris Alexiou: Best Of
Ta Doueta Tis Haroulas
Elefteria Arvanitaki: Ekpombi
Glykeria: Bolta Stin Ellada
Best of Glykeria
Eleni Vitali: [something]
Stelios Kazantzidis: Megalies Epitixies Dekaetia ‘50
Megalies Epitixies Dekaetia ‘52-`63
Megalies Epitixies Dekaetia ‘60-`70
George Dallaras & Marinella: Live Sto Megaro Mousikis
Manolis Angelopoulos: [something]
Soula Birbili [composer: Theodorakis]: I Mikres Kiklades

what does this stuff sound like? is it accessible (in the broadest sense) if you don't know a word of modern greek? is this a good compilation?

listen to "The Space Victory Theme" by the Space Cossacks and you get the picture.

A fair amount of this stuff is going to have chunky, potentially corny-sounding, bass and drums, but I usually find that part acceptable. Also, some cheesy/psychedelic 60s keyboard, but I tend to like that.

I think this will be the year Greek music breaks (in my head).

http://www.musiccorner.gr/images/mbi/cd_korou.jpg

Bithikotsis - "Drapetsona":

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19B067CO3EGOE0JIBUOJH80SW9

Kazantzidis Marinela (female) with Stelios Kazantzidis (male):

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=06WHAMZBMP50Y1ZGXRMZYOX5P1

Glykeria, performing live:

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3BO9ONH09Q1BM06IOZ00HEYNO4

Manoli Angelopoulos cover of Oum Kalthoum's "Inta Omri" (as a much shortened song):

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1J8ZCOPD12HT01BXSMIWDJBGBZ

Haris Alexiou doing an old rembetica song, "Ime Prezakias - TsifteTelli":

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3MTABHFHJKE6L0T7ISVVEHCR4G

i got a compilation of traditional music from hpeiros, which i think is tasos halkias, lots of great clarinet (i think his son may be quite famous also)

i also like the rebetica ive heard

Which Eleni Vitali should i pick up first?

I got recommended this

http://www.studio52.gr/info_en.asp?infoID=00000d4l

Unfortunately, I am not actually familiar with her work, I just know I like some or all of what I've heard by her. How did you get interested in Eleni Vitali, or were you interested in Greek music generally and someone recommended her?

I've gradually become more interested in Greek Music recently and this is one of the names that seems to pop up from time to time. There's a few Greek places near where I live so I hear it from time to time in the evening also

I got two volumes in a Greek compilation series from the 60's called 'To Neo Kyma'. It means 'The New Wave' apparently. Think it was some of the earliest Western influenced Greek folk (or psych folk, I guess). Stuff ranges from what sounds like Buffy St Marie singing Light Flight to what I believe is that Arleta track mentioned above. Can't say for sure, as I can't read me no Greek alphabet, no suh.

I recently got JSP's new 4 - CD box set Vassilis Tsitsanis: The Postwar Years 1946-1954 and it's phenomenal. Tsitsanis wrote so many classic songs, and they're performed here by great singers like Marika Ninou, Prodromos Tsaousakis, Sotiria Bellou and Irina Georgakopoulou. Modern Greek popular music starts here.

I just picked up Psarantonis's 2008 album Mountain Rebels (it's on emusic) and it's a trip. He's a lyra player from Crete with an extremely dynamic, emotional singing and playing style, and one of the finest live performers i've ever witnessed... long modal improvisations predominate.

This shop is just round the corner from where I live, and for years I've been meaning to go in, but haven't. This thread made me google them, and it seems it is now shut, for a very sad reason. They are still selling stuff online, though, so thought it might be of interest:

http://www.trehantirimusic.com/index.asp

Haris Alexiou really looks amazingly beautiful in many of these photos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aypxuDjvmqA

Of course, she has a great voice and is a phenomenal vocalist, not nearly as well known as I think she I ought to be by now in the English speaking world.

From the same album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUDntQCyGvw

early rebetiko is where it's at for greek music

Zzzzzzzzzzz. Let's pretend that nothing happened after the 1930s in Greece. No Kazantzidis, no Marinella, no Dalaras, no Haroulas, no Glykeria, no Arvanitaki. None of the major artists since that time that are legends in Greece.

I have seen grown men weep when they heard Ola Se Thimizoun played. Rebetiko is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to incredible Greek music - epirotika, kritika, nissiotika, neo kima are all genres worth investigating. I'm not Greek, but I'll take their 20th century musical culture over any other European country.

I think the main reason people always mention early rebetika is that it's what's been marketed the most in the west (at least recently--I don't know what happened earlier); and the reason for that is probably simply that getting the rights to put that music out is really easy, because of its age.

(I have to admit I think Egyptian popular music peaked in the 40s and 50s (or maybe into the early 60s), so I shouldn't rule out of hand the possibility of preferring Greek music of the 1920s and 1930s, but I just don't see it.)

Gives me chills:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryZMBpXdpmc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IGvwgNAdrY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47gTFR91324

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvmUCQhp9XM

Annoying amateur video for the last one though. Just ignore image.

The master, Stelios Kazantzidis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPzs_GRmc0s

& those amazing touches of vocal harmony, one of the things I love about Greek music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nywAi9F137Q

Wow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBz46aGcuNk

Actually, this guy's whole channel looks like its worth the time (my time anyway):

http://www.youtube.com/user/xrstavrakis#p/u/0/d4slwJ9wsyU

Making my way through. I recognize this one. Orchestration may be a bit kitsch, but the total package is awesome, imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U109TNszYmU

In response to Rudipherous's comment on the Rembetika thread, I'll occasionally post some YouTubes of other genres of Greek music here. Here's some Epirotika, the music of the northwest corner of Greece known as Epirus. Clarinet, violin and laouto are the main instruments, and there's some incredible vocal music as well. This features the biggest star in Epirot music. clarinetist Petroloukas Halkias and his family band (brother on violin, son on second clarinet), playing a Miroloi (lament). As an aside, this is the loudest band I've ever seen live, at the club they run in Athens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNAysHNqgK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNAysHNqgK0

Here's Melina Kana doing one of my favorite island songs (nisiotika), "Armenaki", in a 4/4 rhythm called ballos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-hNVZXbqwI

The first one didn't appear (as I guess you noticed) and the second one (which is maybe the first again?) isn't working for me. But that last one is a song I recognize and love, though in a different performance. Possibly something I taped off the radio, or possibly included on a live Glykeria recording I borrowed and copied from a Greek restaurant.

Yes, the second one is the first again - works fine for me the second time. I don't know a Glykeria version of the song, but it's possible - she sings everything. The version I prefer is by Mariza Koch but haven't located it on the net yet. Nisiotika is a genre that went ballistic when Greek singer Giannis Parios put out a double album of rocked-up traditional island songs in 1982; it's still the biggest selling album in Greece ever. But it's akin to what happened to flamenco guitar when the Gypsy Kings hit - it's hard for the general public to hear the more rustic-sounding stuff now. Anyways, someone else I should mention is the amazing Domna Samiou, the most important conservator of traditional Greek music, Here she is in concert at the Acropolis at age 76: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4g9IKqwmAw

I've never gotten around to posting any Manolis Agellopoulos youtube links, but he's another singer I like, of gypsy ethnicity, who I've read achieved popularity partly for his covers of Arab songs. (I know he covered "Inta Omry," and am blanking on some others I think I've recognized.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-33LAHzYjm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxpYRQQ5HQ

Wow Rudipherous and ρεμπετις - we would love to have your knowledge over at the Pop World Cup. Greece just played a draw against South Korea (Greece fielded "Adiaforeis" by Giorgios Mais) which I have to admit didn't win me over despite some phenomenally energetic bouzouki.

The group is wide open though and I have no idea what song the manager (Johan of Birdseed's Tunetown) will choose next. http://freakytrigger.co.uk/ft/2010/02/pop-world-cup-2010-group-b-greece-v-south-korea/

Hmmn..... That Giorgios Mais track exhibits the major reason for my distaste for the genre of skiladika. With Greek music's rich variety of what they call dromoi, the Turks call maqam and we call (somewhat incompletely) modes, why are the melodies of this genre so often minor in nature and banal and horizontal at that? Nice bouzouki lick, I guess, but it's not in aid of anything.
I'll keep an eye on that group though, thanks TH.

Good stuff!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh-ZhtwLzU0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4yameT1DqQ

As much as I'm always asking why I haven't dug into Greek music more, I have to admit the answer may simply be that it tends to be a bit depressing, especially in large quantities. Even correspondingly melancholy Arabic music seems to have some sort of push toward ecstasy which I often seems to me to be absent in Greek music.

I still can't believe someone I used to work with tried to claim that Dalaras was somehow more iconic that Kazantzidis, when I don't even think he was familiar with the latter. Basically a nice guy, but a bit of a know-it-all, who didn't know when he was in over his head.

This is pretty great (thanks to dow for mentioning in on the Record Store Day thread):

http://longgonesound.com/current-travails/2014/1/18/alexis-zoumbas-a-lament-for-epirus-1926-1928-original-artwork-by-robert-crumb-10-recordings-with-deluxe-gatefold-lp

That is superb, sublime. I play Epirotian music, with the guy in this video, and this Alexis Zoumbas release is some of the finest I've ever heard.
http://youtu.be/F9yfNPzuwn4

so good

Very.

The NYT discovers Epirotika . Actually, this article very vividly describes my own experiences at festivals in Epirus. Contains music links.

the zoumbas stuff linked up there is quite something

Okay lets try that again. Article here

https://f1.bcbits.com/img/a1176359078_10.jpg

Sorry, off topic but this From Dust to Digital comp from 2013 is worth exploring. 42 tracks so it takes some perseverance but there's some lovely music in there.

https://dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/greek-rhapsody-instrumental-music-from-greece-1905-1956

Okay, so I just clicked on ρεμπετις's link (thank you for sharing) and it appears that my post wasn't entirely off topic. Will give it a read!

If anyone really wants to delve into Epirotika, this playlist is excellent. Some pretty good dance education too, if one was so inclined. You just have to skip past the videos which are people dancing to canned music.

Epirotika

This is great (not sure who it is or what sub-category it falls into--I guess laika?):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFi-cTmWicQ

The channel is quite extensive.

some talk on the post-fahey thread about this awesome comp:

https://soundcloud.com/thirdmanrecords/1-02-sousta-rethymniotiki-sousta-dance-of-rethymno

Sorry, off topic but this From Dust to Digital comp from 2013 is worth exploring. 42 tracks so it takes some perseverance but there's some lovely music in there.

https://dusttodigital.bandcamp.com/album/greek-rhapsody-instrumental-music-from-greece-1905-1956

― millmeister, Monday, September 29, 2014 7:12 AM (two years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

So if I've OD'd on most of the Christopher King comps and the Alexis Zoumbas LP, is this a logical next step? I'm really into the demotik Epirus music, but don't really know much rebetika, or much Greek music beyond these recent collections. Does this comp favor one style over another? I definitely dig the darkness / sadness of a lot of the primeval village music, but I'm pretty open to it all. Just wondering if I should add this to my Amazon wishlist so my in-laws can take the hit instead of me! (Christmas is coming)

Kristi Stassinopoulou & Stathis Kalyviotis's NYN, then. Only just caught this via the fRoots list. First cut caught my attention. Not so sure of the album overall though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ylmGzz3Hfw

The beginning makes me think of As Tears Go By. Kristi Stassinopoulou is a good, pleasant singer but doesn't strike me as being on par with the great singers out of Greece. But what are they doing?

More. Feel like I am waiting for the guitar and/or bouzouk to break out and do a bit more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1czBr45AeZI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKBHrZGP2DY

Vintage Greek Hawaiian steel guitar!