Xanthi Mavri

‘What was special about the rembetika song was the combination of the
traditional musical forms of the eastern Mediterranean
and the words of the songs, which dealt with the life of the urban underworld and
the less reputable elements of society.’ (Gail Hols, The Road to Rembetika) A
Greek vocalist, Xanthi Mavri, will show us the way to Rembetika. She will be
accompanied by the extra- ordinary Athenian musicians, Vasilis Papakostas
(buzuki) and Thanasis Farris (accordion). She will intertwine her performance
with the works of contemporary Greek composers such as Teodorakis, Hadžidakis
and Ksarkahos, and also Greek folk, and especially songs from the islands.
Between ‘68 and ‘72 Xanthi Mavri performed in many well-known music
centres. She stayed longest with the Heavenly
Park (To Perivoli t’
Ouranou), where the best quality folk songs could be heard. Later on, in the
centre of Athens,
she opened a tavern called ‘At Xanthi’ in a little corner, hidden away from the
eyes of tourists. Soon, artists and people engaged in culture began to gather
there. In the evening, Xanthi would cook delicious Greek dishes, and then
appear on stage. Often she was accompanied by a group called the Retrogard
Company, which soon offered some of the best interpretations of rembetika. For
two evenings Xanthi Mavri will fill the intimate atmosphere of Gajo Jazz Club
with a smell of the sea?

Accompanied by: Vasilis Papakostas
(buzuki) & Thanasis Farris (harmonika)

In collaboration with: Jazz Club Gajo; Supported by the Embassy of Greece (Ljubljana)
& the Greek Tourist Organisation.