• Music

    Marika Politissa – All Parts Dark

    Much respect to Mississippi Records out of Chicago, Illinois for releasing this magnificent artifact! The back story is explained in great detail on the label’s Bandcamp site: Marika “Politissa” Frantzeskopoulou was a Greek singer from Constantinople, reknowned for her precise, fluid and graceful performances and depth of feeling. Backed by some of the best musicians of the era on lyra, violin, oud, kanonaki and guitar, Marika’s repertoire and techniques drew from Byzantine and Ottoman musical traditions. She possessed an ability to devastate her audience through her expressions of grief, exile, and tragic love, running the gamut of cafe aman, torch…

  • Music

    Gadjo Dilo – Manouche de Grec

    Imagine if Django Reinhardt and Vassilis Tsitsanis were to form a band together, combining the best elements of gypsy jazz and rebetiko.  This is what Gadjo Dilo offer.  The musicianship is superb, the recording is crisp, and these young Greek lads have a punchy, authentic sound that will get you grooving.

  • Music

    Brendan Perry – Songs of Disenchantment – Music from the Greek Underground

    Dead Can Dance singer and multi-instrumentalist Brendan Perry is absolutely enamored with Greek culture, and it’s obvious because a lot of DCD’s work has an affinity towards it.  Perry is especially appreciative of rebetiko, the local variant of the blues in Greek culture.  This album is his paean to his adoration of rebetiko, and is perhaps the first time some of these ballads have been recorded in English.  This disc is a labor of love.