Mode Plagal: Greek Ethno Jazz Meets Turkish Music

If you like Ethno Jazz and music combines new and old, you would like Mode Plagal. It is a group from our neighbor Greece. They perform traditional Greek music fused with Jazz, Funk and the other genres. I like Ethno Jazz genre that it make us meet different cultures music and instruments with modern elements. It must be separated from Ethnic Music definitely. Ethnic Music only targets fans or people who enjoy hearing ethnic melodies. Many people could think that it is a boring music, although it is not. Ethno Jazz’s target is a bit larger by using traditional elements with modern items. It is also good way to make people like jazz. I like Greek traditional music that to hear it in the jazz forms made me feel very good.

Athens based group Mode Plagal was founded in 1990. Their first two albums are instrumental albums that you could hear traditional music in jazz and funk forms. They added vocal to their music in the third album. They have another album that I would like to talk about it. They made an album with Turkish musicians. It is the perfect fusion of Turkish and Greek music with modern elements. Mode Plagal had collaborations with many artist and performers and they joined countless festivals and organizations. I also suggest you to see their live performance.

The band has five studio albums.

• Mode Plagal (1995)
• Mode Plagal II (1998)
• Mode Plagal III (2001)
• Beyond the Bosphorus (2003)
• In The Belly Of The Beast (2010)

Although their all albums are suggested highly, I would like to talk about their album Beyond the Bosphorus. The album recorded with Turkish ethno jazz band Bosphorus Project in Athens and Istanbul. I wrote an article about Turkish ethno jazz project Hijazz. Click here to read it. You meet with Turkish Classical Music in Jazz forms. Bosphorus Project is a jazz band blends Turkish traditional music with modern jazz. The band also includes some musicians from Hijazz Project. Mode Plagal members met with them and decided to make an album together. Finally, they made a perfect ethno jazz album.

You could find Turkish and Greek traditional melodies with modern jazz elements. Mode Plagal and Bosphorus Project made a masterpiece album that all world music fans should buy it. Although some of the songs are traditional songs, you could also hear some modern songs. I could say some of their songs are highly psychedelic. Beyond the Bosphorus is highly appreciated album that it attracts your feelings. You could hear well-arranged songs with a perfect female vocal. Ey Zahit, For Sappho, Itinerary, Shuttle Boats, Tatavla and The Tumult of Torrents are appreciated songs in the album.

Mode Plagal is an exciting ethno jazz band from Greece. Their music connects old and new, east and west, traditional and modern. Visit their website to listen some of their song and watch their live performance videos.

http://www.modeplagal.gr/index_EN.htm

Bye for now!

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Makis Ablianitis: Greek Jazz and New Age Composer

New years’ first article is written for a nice Jazz man and world music expert Makis Ablianitis from Greece. He makes the Greek music excellent with Indian and Far East melodies. If I say New Age, everybody says Vangelis from Greece. However, there are so many listenable musicians in our neighbor Greece. One of them is Makis Ablianitis. He is a jazz guitarist who met with guitar when he was young, and educated in the United States. He had some jazz projects, but his New Age and world music identity is known better than his jazz identity. Although he has a solo career, he also worked with famous ethnic music artists like Omar Faruk Tekbilek and Michalis Nikoloudis.

He formed his own jazz band in 1995. Between 1995 and 1998, he also joined some ethnic music projects as a member with names I told above paragraph. His debut album Flame Keeper was released in 1996. It is a typical jazz album that you could hear his ability on guitar. The real Makis Ablianitis music has started in 2000 with the album named in Bahar. He worked with famous Indian flute player Hariprasad Chaurasia and Manolis Lidakis who is well-known and reputed singer in Greece. The album combined Greek Music with Indian and Far East music. Dragan Dautovski who is a kaval and gajda virtuoso from Macedonia (FYROM) and some oud and kanun players also joined the project. It is a very good multi instrument project. Love Secret, Eternal Song and Bahar are my favorite song in this album. It is an highly recommended album that makes you feel very good with his multicultural music.

Makis Ablianitis also formed a collateral trio band with two Greek jazz/blues people. The collateral band name is Hot Organic Trio and the band played cover songs with only guitar, Hammond organ and drum. He toured Greece, Macedonia and Turkey. He recorded songs from Bahar album and made some new songs for his album Bahar Live Under the Sky. He worked with famous musicians and performers in this album. Normally, live albums are not good albums to get to know a musician, but this album erases all cliché understanding about music. It is very good album to know his musical background. This album is extremely suggested album that you will fall in love with Love Secret song. All songs are very successful and fascinating but Love Secret is really a special song. Buy the album and listen it! The song will impress you.

In 2008, he released his new album Kismet. Makis Ablianitis also worked with reputed musicians and composers from Greece and closer countries including Dragan Dautovski from Macedonia. His band Dragan Dautovski Quartet is also very nice band to listen. Please, check from Google. His music gets mature day by day. This album is also extremely suggested album that Baba trilogy will make you feel good. Kismet is also very nice song.

You could visit his official website to listen some preview songs. Makis Ablianitis is an impressive musician that he deserves your attention. Buy his albums for having high quality New Age music.

http://www.makisablianitis.com/

Bye for now!

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