15th Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival
Technopolis City of Athens - Onassis Cultural Foundation
Music everywhere
The Onassis Cultural Foundation meets Technopolis City of Athens on the Jazz trails ... Two
organizations, both very active in the music happenings of the city, begin their cooperation
on June 3, 2015, at the 15th Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival, with five days full of music
while they promise many surprises for the future.
The Athens Technopolis Jazz Festival, one of the most important cultural institutions of
Athens, is celebrating its 15th year and the OCC joins in the celebrations.
Technopolis - City of Athens hosts jazz trends from all over the globe, with music ensembles
that travel us to even remote parts of the world.
The festival features artists from Greece, Germany, Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, Sweden,
Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Israel, Belgium and Turkey.
The program of the festival in detail - Wednesday, June 3 to Sunday, June 7, 2015:
Wednesday 3 June 2015

20.00 Athens Big Band
The Athens Big Band was formed in 1998 at the initiative of virtuoso pianist Mr. Yiannis
Terezakis and has since had a very active and significant presence in the music happenings in
the City of Athens and all of Greece. The Athens Big Band repertoire includes performances
of historic compositions and orchestrations by the pioneers of the Big Band philosophy as
well as a wide spectrum of contemporary, quality jazz works. The Athens Big Band has
performed in all major concert halls and art and music festivals in Athens, Thessaloniki and
the provinces. Renowned maestros and composers of jazz and contemporary music have
conducted the Athens Big Band, including William Russo and Don Owens. Meanwhile,
distinguished Greek and international soloists have performed with the Band. The artists
who make up the Athens Big Band are among Greece's most competent soloists and are
renowned for their skills in jazz improvisation as well as their flexibility in interpreting
various jazz styles with accuracy.

21.00 The Wonderfall Quartet (Greece)
Eirini Konstantinidi (vocals, lyrics), Yiannis Papadopoulos (piano), Konstantinos Manos and
Thanos Hadjianagnostou (drums, composition) are the members of the group which has
been standing out in the new local jazz scene, through their albums and live appearances.
The music of Wonder-fall Quartet is based on a purely European atmospheric jazz
development with emphasis on refined vocals and the clarity of their sound. The group has
released two albums so far, "The Wonder-fall Quartet" and "Horizon", which emphasize
exactly the timeless poetical dimension of music through gentle, minimalist, internal and
dreamy sound & rhythm dips and plunges of the imagination and mind.
http://www.thewonderfallquartet.com/

22.00 Nicola Conte Combo
Creative and versatile musician, producer and DJ, Nicola Conte has marked the modern jazz
thing in Italy, Europe and the world. Nicola Conte gives a characteristic Italian color and
aroma in acid jazz, with which he was involved from his first steps in Bari's The Fez Collective
and with which he continues to work through modern swingin' and lounge extensions in
bossa nova and Brazilian music in general, exotica or modern jazz dub. Using a multi-faceted
musical tradition and action, Nicola Conte has created his own distinctive artistic identity
and each step he takes, whether recording an album or making a live appearance, takes it
further, as in their most recent album, titled "Free Souls".
www.nicolaconte.it
Thursday 4 June 2015

20.00 Athina Kontou Band (Germany)
Bornand raised in Germany, Athina Kontou has studied musicology and bass with jazz as her
main direction. Starting last year, she began to blend jazz with her Greek roots and formed a
band withthe participation of her cousin, Kalliopi Skourtou, a singer with an authentic Greek
voice. Jazz Melodies and harmonies were brought into the band by saxophone player Philipp
Sebening and piano player Johannes Bigge, who also plays harpsichord. This instrument
gives the band a very special touch somewhere between European classical music and the
Greek bouzouki. Sebastian Flaig completes the band sound with his eastern groove and his
accomplished percussion style.

21.00 Andreas Rodosthenous Ethnic Jazz Ensemble (Cyprus)
The members of the group are Andreas Rodosthenous (fretless electric bass), George
Morfitis (piano), Alkis Agathocleous (ney) and Stelios Xydias (drums). It was initially formed
for the recording of Andreas Rodosthenous' first personal album, however, it continues to
navigate through the magic of interactive music and improvisation since then. The
cooperation of the four musicians in relation to interactive music and improvisation matures
over the years and manages to always reveal a new face. It is through this process that the
group makes its music and has the term ethnic jazz in their title. This is music that builds
bridges between listenings and memories coming from the East as well as the West, while
obtaining a modern face itself.
https://www.facebook.com/andreas.rodosthenous?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

22.00 Nigun (Hungary)
Nigunwere founded by guitarist and composer Andras Parniczky in 2001. Unique in the
European jazz scene, the formation draws its music from the Eastern European Jewish
traditions. Although Nigun’s music can be best labeled as "Klez-jazz”, the creativity and
unstructured spirit of its musicians are also very significant in their attempt to combine
different genres, which we can enjoy on their newly released album titled Lebedik.
Nigundevelop their music through multiple jazz forms and genres and have performed in
many European countries as well as overseas in New York and Washington.
http://www.nigun.eu/index.html

23.00 OrangeTrane (Poland)
Following the rich jazz tradition of Poland, the group has been performing in the local scene
since 1994. Already from 1997 the Orange Trane singled out playing in a style that combines
the creative tradition of jazz with modern fusion manifestations and giving concerts in jazz
clubs and large festivals all over their country. The group was honored and awarded in many
cases while it has also released albums such as their debut album "Obertas" and "My
personal friend" in 1998. In 2011 Piotr Lemańczyk (contrabass) and Tomasz Łosowski
(drums, percussion) reactivated the group taking along with them the remarkable
vibraphone player Dominik Bukowski. In 2012, they recorded the album "Orange Trane
Acoustic Trio" and then "Fugu".
http://orangetrane.pl/
Friday 5 June 2015

21.00 Orfeas Wärdig Tsoukalas quartets (Sweden)
The head of the group OWT Q, saxophone player Orfeas Wärdig Tsoukalas, is of Greek origin
who has been raised in Sweden and keeps close contact with both the Greek as well as the
Swedish music scene. Having strong roots in modern jazz - as all the other musicians in the
group - Orfeas started from John Coltrane and has reached the current improvisational
trends prevalent in jazz. The group - comprising the Swedish Kristoffer Rostedt (drums),
Daniel Edvardsson (guitar) and Simon Petersson (contrabass) - has already released their
first album, titled "Prologue", which received raving reviews, thus opening the door to OWT
Q for a very successful tour in Scandinavia.

22.00 "Jeff Herr Corporation" (Luxembourg)
The group now consists of Jeff Herr (drums), Maxime Bender (saxophone) and Laurent
Payfert (contrabass) and it is a dynamic trio which builds its music on strong melodious
sounds moving along a post-no wave and free funk concept. The three musicians appear to
have an inherent harmonious structure in their tracks - as we hear in their most recent
album, "Layer Cake", which also contains songs by David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix. Herr and
the group Corporation has had an interesting presence and progression in the European jazz
scene from 2003 until nowadays, having recorded three separate and aesthetically variable
albums.
http://jeff-herr.com/

23.00 Emil Viklický "Grand Moravia" Trio (Czech Republic)
Pianist Emil Viklický is one of the major jazz figures of the old Czechoslovakia - and the
current Czech Republic. He had the opportunity to study in the United States at the end of
the ' 70's and has so developed a special contact with straight jazz which he managed to mix
with the melodious folk elements of his homeland - particularly from the region of Moravia.
All these years he constitutes one of the main pillars of the Czech jazz scene and his
extensive discography ranges from mainstream jazz to modern classical music. His trio, with
the clarification "Grand Moravia", also includes bassist Petr Dvorsky and drummer Cyryl
Zelenak, two experienced and very active jazzmen.
http://www.viklicky.com/trio.php
Saturday 6 June 2015

20.00 Gabriele Pezzoli Trio (Switzerland)
A Swiss trio which has been standing out within the wider European jazz scene for several
years now. The group consists of Gabriele Pezzoli (piano), Taavo Remmel (contrabass) and
Brian Quinn (drums) and has released three albums so far - the most recent one is this year's
"Viljandi". Gabrielle Pezzoli from Locarno showed from the very beginning a strong interest
for jazz improvisation and was based on clear classical genres while his musical interests are
also open to pop or electronic music. The result is that the music of the trio is always
beautiful and interesting, which is reflected in its every appearance, whether a recording or
a live appearance.
http://www.gabrielepezzoli.com/

21.00 Gorka Benítez & David Xirgu (Spain)
Basque saxophone player Gorka Benítez is currently one of the most celebrated musicians in
the Spanish jazz scene. His references to the saxophone are quite clear: They start from
Sonny Rollins and reach to Joe Lovano and, generally, his sound has an American jazz aroma
since he lived and worked in New York immediately after his studies in Bilbao. Now, based in
Barcelona, he is working with several of his own ensembles having as his main partner the
drummer David Xirgu. Having being friends for a number of years, the two musicians
develop duets between them which do not go beyond the limits of jazz tradition following
charming rhythm and melody paths.
https://soundcloud.com/mondaymusicproducers/alejandro-pe-rez-gorka-ben-tez

22.00 Duo Carlos Bica & Joao Paulo Esteves da Silva (Portugal)
Bassist Carlos Bica and pianist Joao Paulo are two of the most well-known and distinct
personalities of the contemporary Portuguese jazz scene. They have been working together
for more than ten years in joint projects or in ensembles formed by one of them and joined
by the other. Carlos Bica is better known in the international stage since he works with many
foreign musicians mainly in his own ensemble, the Azul Trio. Joao Paulo started from
classical music as wonder-child, but he found his true self when he turned to jazz. Joao Paulo
participates in Carlos Bica's group 'Materia-Prima' while Bica plays in "White Works", Joao
Paulo's latest album.

23.00 Marjorie Barnes & Equinox (Ireland & Holland)
Marjorie Barnes has had a long career in the classic soul and jazz scene, since in the middle
of the ‘70’s she was the lead singer of the popular soul group ‘The Fifth Dimension’. Since
then she has been travelling all over the world singing along major music stars, participating
in musicals, jazz festivals, large concerts, etc. From 1978 to 2000 she was living in Europe
where she had made a family as well as a name for herself as a great singer of jazz
standards, which she continues to uphold in the best possible way. Returning to Europe,
Marjorie began last year a fruitful and creative collaboration with the Irish jazz group
Equinox.
http://www.equinoxjazzquintet.com/
Sunday 7 June 2015

21.00 Yoav's Eshed Trio Millionaires (Israel)
Yoav Eshed is a very talented guitarist who stands out in the Israeli - and not only - jazz scene
over the last few years. He began learning music from his very early years and started
learning guitar at the age of 13, showing a great talent in this instrument. From this age he
also started to appear with top jazz musicians in his country. In recent years, Yoav Eshed is
continuously studying under scholarships in the United States and stands out in live
performances and competitions in Israel and abroad. His most recent distinction is last
year's award at the International Montreux Jazz Festival - where he won 3rd prize in the
guitar competition.
http://www.yoaveshed.com/

22.00 Hijaz (Belgium)
A multi-ethnic quartet, which although its starting point is the rich Arabic tradition, it has
been evolving through the jazz genres into something dreamy and panhuman. The group of
Hijazz consists of Tunisian Moufadhel Adhoum (uti), the Greek-born pianist Niko Deman, the
Portuguese bassist Ruy Salgado and the Belgian drummer / percussionist Chryster Aerts. Its
main field of action is mainly the multiple and complex music styles of the Mediterranean
which are blended and create a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. The group has
released three albums ("Dunes", "Chemsi" and "Nahadin") through the music of which one
can see the abolishment of borders and restrictive constraints. With Hijaz we are
experiencing a real sense cultural freedom.
http://www.hijaz.be/Hijaz/Hijaz.html

23.00 Mercan Dede Secret tribe (Turkey)
He is one of the most creative contemporary Turkish musicians. Mercan Dede draws from
the musical/philosophical lessons of the rich Sufi tradition and applies them to
contemporary music - acoustic or electric/electronic. He so manages to produce a new
music blend which has a special aesthetic value in both modern and traditional circles
internationally. Mercan Dede's music covers a wide range of sounds that range from
tribal/house to pure traditional to world jazz, with great agility. The worldwide travels of
Mercan Dede result in the incorporation of elements from different cultures in his music and
thus create a truly cosmopolitan view.
http://www.mercandede.com/EN/
Technopolis City of Athens: 100 Pireos Street, Gazi, (+30) 210 3475518, (+30) 210 3453548
press@athens-technopolis.gr
More info: www.technopolis-athens.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Τεχνόπολις-Δήμου-Αθηναίων/115300882032
https://twitter.com/Technopolis2015
http://instagram.com/technopolis_athens
Trolley bus: 21 (from Omonia square), “Fotaerio” stop
Buses: 049, 815, 838, 914, Β18, Γ18 “Fotaerio” stop
Metro: “Kerameikos” station