Alekos K. Vretos

Greek oudist, pianist and composer Alekos Vretos has been merging jazz, Arabic, Greek and Latin music in a masterful blend of sounds from traditional instruments, such as the oud or the nay, vs. the modern ones. As a bandleader, Alekos has developed a unique atmosphere for his music: keeping traditional sound in the front line, he expands it through jazz improvisation and exploding rhythmic development. In 2014, Alekos released his 2nd personal CD “K. on Top”. A long way musically from his previous work “Mergin’”, “K. on Top” is a statement of how World music and Jazz should be mixed without becoming to separate genres in one piece. Mature and stable, he is walking the line of good and tasteful musicianship overall. For his work and help towards the music scene (especially World Jazz), he was included in 2013 list of the 100+1 most influential people in the Greek music scene published by the Athens Voice newspaper.

Some of the venues that Alekos has performed in - with great reviews on his playing and composing - are: The Herodion (GR), The Athens Concert Hall (GR), the Berklee Performance Center (USA), Mount Holyoke College (USA), the Tombs of Kings in Palestine, The Argos Ancient Theatre (GR), The Half Note Jazz Club (GR), The Vortex Jazz Club (UK), The 1er Piso Jazz Club (MEX), 2nd Athens World Jazz Music Festival (GR), 1st Medieval Byzantine Festival Of Kastoria (GR), 2nd Fougaro Jazz Festival (GR), and more.

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Alekos K. Vretos Oud

Album Review

K On Top by C. Michael Bailey

December 04, 2014

Alekos Vretos Releases His New Album "K On Top"

PRESS QUOTES

Ø “Alekos Vretos seamlessly divines the perfumed essence of Middle Eastern music, infusing that essence into jazz and creating a rich world music hybrid that is as enjoyable to listen to as it is bold to consider.” C. Michael Bailey – All About Jazz (18th February 2015)

Ø “If you hear music with your soul, you can’t miss out on “K on Top” by Vretos” Maria Markouli – It’s My Blender - mariamarkouli.blogspot.gr (12th January 2015)

Ø “Every piece (in “K on Top”) demonstrates a linear climax of feelings that are drawn through the compositions” Christos Ieridis – Ta Nea (1st December 2014)

Ø “A World Jazz dynamite with Alekos Vretos’ signature” Dimitris Trikas – Popaganda.gr (29th November 2015)

Ø “Alekos Vretos lives amongst us all

PRESS QUOTES

Ø “If you hear music with your soul, you can’t miss out on “K on Top” by Vretos” Maria Markouli – It’s My Blender - mariamarkouli.blogspot.gr (12th January 2015)

Ø “Every piece (in “K on Top”) demonstrates a linear climax of feelings that are drawn through the compositions” Christos Ieridis – Ta Nea (1st December 2014)

Ø “A World Jazz dynamite with Alekos Vretos’ signature” Dimitris Trikas – Popaganda.gr (29th November 2015)

Ø “Alekos Vretos lives amongst us all. There are too many good reasons to say that he is needed in the Athens music scene.” Yannis Panagopoulos, Fractal Magazine, (4th September 2014)

Ø “Moments of artistic showmanship (from Alekos Vretos), though, charged with pure passion. That was, and is, the most important thing.” Review by Yorgos Monemvasitis, ENet, (21st June 2014)

Ø “-The Jazz “foreman”-. Alekos Vretos is not your average jazz musician, he has taken it personally to propagate world jazz music to everyone.” Athens Voice, (21st May 2014)

Ø “Alekos Vretos is admittedly a very unusual case of musician. It is hard to think of many others who, having gained a lot of knowledge and highly skilled in a very difficult and demanding nature (Jazz), suddenly turned into a perhaps even more demanding genre (World Jazz) with a traditional instrument (oud), which soon came to be played by Alekos with quite an extent virtuosity!” Thanos Mantzanas, Aygi, (29th September 2012)

Ø “A musician that has gained respect, through evolving into a style of “Mediterranean Jazz”.” Mondomix, (2nd January 2012)

Ø “Vretos created a world-jazz fusion song that is as incredibly catchy as any Billboard pop music tune; not an easy feat to accomplish. Surreal.” Dave Summer, birdistheworm.com, (2nd January 2012)

Ø “It is so interesting, we can certainly get why it won the World Channel 1st prize on OurStage in July of 2010”. OurStage.com (February 13, 2011)

Ø “Alekos Vretos does a wonderful job flexing the Greek music muscle, injecting it with Latin, Arabic and of course-given his creative gives-and-takes with Atzmon- Jazz flavours. Review by Danai Molocha for Live At Your Local www.liveatyourlocal.co.uk (12th April 2012)

Ø “Unique in its kind” Kornilios Diamantopoulos, JAZZ & JAZZ (February 2010)

Ø “Jazz music as played by Vretos belongs only to him” ETHNOS OUT (18th February 2010)

Ø “An overall interesting and pleasant debut from a very promising musician” Yiannis Stefanakos, JAZZIN’ (March 2010)

Ø “Mergin’ is an excellent musical journey, a reason for one to smile” Sotiris Mpekas, DIFONO (17th February 2010)

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CD reviews fro “YUNAN”

‘E’ 01-05-2005 Meta....Mousikis......... by G. Christodoulopoulos

A caravan of western-trained greek musicians, explores in detail the artistic tradition of the middle-east, guided by the outstanding oud soloist, student of Master Simon Shaheen, Alekos K. Vretos. Great collaboration of Nikos and Yiasemi Saragouda.

Athinorama 2005

cd reviews by........A.Zilos

With similar artistic sensitivity musicians as G. Konstantinidis & D. Theologitis (violin), B. Karahoutis(bass), D. Emmanouil(perc), N. Saragoudas (oud), A. Skandalos(qanun) and others, Alekos K. Vretos(oud) & P. Papadopoulos(violin) let the greek soul to share its history with the arabic one.

Sunday Ethnos out 12-18 December 2004

cd review

Greek.......Caravan in the middle-east

A musical bridge between east and west is formed by this interesting CD release. Exactly like Greece is the cross road between east and west, the same applies to the pieces of this album as they are distinguished by the harmonic co-existence of elements from the eastern and western “palette”.

Ta Nea weekend 4-5 December 2004

With an Eastern Sent.......... by H. Pontida

Independent production by six outstanding musicians- Meliti ensemble - that gives a flavor of the interaction of the Arabic and Greek musical tradition.

Apofasi 23-12- 2004 what to hear and not during the Christmas holidays by..........C. Siafkos

Young and effective with an inspiration in ways that combine east and west, are the members of the “Meliti ensemble”. they come with the album “Yunan” with a new music proposition.

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