Lefteris Kordis
Pianist, Composer, and Inner Circle Music recording artist Lefteris Kordis has established himself as a unique voice in the Mediterranean Jazz idiom. He grew up in a multi-cultural environment in Elefsis, an ancient town near Athens, Greece. Since the age of four, he studied, performed, and composed based on a wide spectrum of genres including Greek Folk, Western European Classical, Jazz, Byzantine chant, and Modernist/Avant-Garde.
He graduated from the Experimental Music Gymnasium and Lyceum of Pallini, the National Conservatory of Athens, the Ionian University, and pursued a Master’s and a Doctorate at New England Conservatory on a Fulbright and an Onassis grants. He has performed in major international venues such as the Carnegie Hall, Panama Jazz Festival, Corfu Jazz World, and Toronto Jazz Festival with music legends Mikis Theodorakis, Steve Lacy, Sheila Jordan, Glykeria, Joe Lovano, Vasilis Saleas, Greg Osby, Panayotis Lalezas, and Robin Eubanks, among others.
Lefteris is currently Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and the Global Jazz Institute teaching alongside John Patitucci, Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, and Joe Lovano. He is the co-director -along with Dimos Dimitriadis, head of the jazz program at the Ionian University- of the “Aqua Jazz,” a program that builds bridges between folk musicians and jazz improvisers in Greece and the East Mediterranean region. Lefteris serves as gospel choir director and organist/pianist at the historic Columbus Ave AME Zion Church in Boston, MA. He also performs regularly at the Beehive, Boston with his jazz trio featuring bassist John Lockwood and drummer Karen Kocharyan, and he co-leads the Penny Muse Band, a Greek art-song and Folk music band.
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“A pianist with skill, touch, musicality and a gift for making songs from songs. Plus, he can swing! Give a listen” Bob Brookmeyer ~ Composer, Trombonist, NEA Jazz Master
”Talent like his is rare.” Steve Lacy ~ Saxophonist, Composer, McArthur Genius Fellowship Award Recipient
“In these times, when we are in great need of fresh examples of intercultural dialogue, Lefteris Kordis's music is an abundant source of inspiration.” Danilo Pérez ~ Pianist, Composer, Multi-Grammy winner
from Media
“Some 70 years after Dizzy Gillespie incorporated Afro Cuban rhythms into the big-band context, jazz today regularly takes its cue from global musical traditions
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
Boston
Willing to teach
Advanced only
Credentials/Background
Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music @ Global Jazz Institute & Ear Training Areas Jazz Improvisation (all instruments) Composition Music Theory Eastern Mediterranean Styles (Theory & Practice) Teaching Philosophy @ http://leftchordmusic.com/leftchordmusic.com/Pedagogy.html
Clinic/Workshop Information
1. Inter-Galactic Harmony (as masterclass - concert) 2. Concepts in combining Folk & Jazz 3. Rhythm Trees more info at lefteriskordis.com, leftchordmusic.com and pennymuseband.com
