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Music Soup

MUSIC SOUP is a mainstay on the Greek jazz scene where they perform in all types of venues, from festivals and concert halls to jazz clubs, bars, and cafes. Evgenia and Nestor first met in 1998 when Nestor hired Evgenia to sing for a performance with his band. They continued playing together on and off for many years before they decided to form MUSIC SOUP in 2006. According to Evgenia, “We came up with our group name because we wanted to play different jazz-oriented styles in different group settings. We wanted a name that was a bit light-hearted, because we’re serious about our music but we prefer to not take ourselves very seriously.” CUT TO THE CHASE celebrates the group’s 10-year anniversary. Nestor adds, “We wanted our first project to reflect our musical journey as individuals and as a band. We try to capture in our compositions what it’s like as human beings to really live in the world and interact with people in different situations; therefore, in order to represent a whole range of our personal experiences, we don’t limit ourselves stylistically.” Evgenia Karlafti and Nestor Dimopoulos are two highly accomplished musicians, composers and arrangers who, although they live half a world away, have digested the quintessentially American idiom of jazz and created a sound that is imbued with their own culture, experiences, and personalities. Evgenia is an imaginative singer, organist and pianist, while Nestor’s musicianship is luminous. Together, along with their stellar sidemen, they have created a project that is high energy and innovative. About Evgenia Karlafti Music has always been part of Evgenia's life. Her father played the guitar, her mother played the accordion, and Evgenia began playing piano at the age of four. She is a classically trained pianist and has been a soloist and member of several chamber music ensembles, a keyboardist in rock groups, and she has also performed Greek and ethnic music. She started singing jazz as an adult and fell in love with the freedom the music offers. From that point on, she decided to focus mainly on singing and playing jazz. About Nestor Dimopoulos Nestor started playing classical guitar at an early age but was curious to see what was beyond that, so he decided to enroll at Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied jazz guitar. He worked with outstanding professors such as Ed Tommasi, Garison Fewel, and Ron Savage.

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No one loves an organ based jazz group more than I do, so when I heard that organ on the first song of “Music Soup’s” recording, I was happily expectant. “Cut to the Chase” is the title of this Cd and the song title of cut number one. It was composed by keyboardist, Evgenia Karlafti and guitarist, Nestor Dimopoulos. In fact, they have individually written or co-written every song on this project. The title tune bounces the time from 5/4 to 6/4 to 5/8 and races at top speed. I recognize immediately that these serious musicians are challenging the listener and themselves to play outside the box.(...) Dee Dee McNeil / Jazz Journalist Musical Memoires Blog High fliers on the local Greek jazz scene, this trio is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a smoking B3 led set that is an appropriate discovery for a label led by a B3 player in the flesh. With everyone on board knowing their apples, we get a sense that jazz is the international language once again as everyone on board knows what to do and adds some other side of the world flavor to the B3 festivities. This organ is purely organic with a zesty taste drawn from Mediterranean soil. Check it out. CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher Midwest Record In the UK we tend to think that Grecian jazz began and ended with the redoubtable Vasilis Xenopoulos. However, back in Athens, this CD indicates that there is jazz of Olympian standard going on in Vasi's home country. Music Soup are, basically, an organ/guitar/drums trio augmented for this album by three horns. Karlafti can swing - think Shirley Scott and Dorothy Donegan and Evgenia is up there with them and quite a few of her male contemporaries! She plays nice piano and sings good too - listen to Your Song. Guitar is comparable with anything heard 'twixt Adriatic and Atlantic and the horns also have their moments in the Aegean sun. Karlafti and Dimopoulos composed the nine originals - individually and as co-writers. Cut To The Chase is described as hip, eclectic jazz from Greece and I, for one, won't argue with that. If, in the unlikely event of finding myself in a Greek Taverna, I won't be fobbed off with the Fasolado. Instead, I'll cut to the chase, and order Music Soup - a double helping! Available on Summit/Chicken Coup Records via the usual suspects. Lance Liddle, Bebop Spoken Here Cool, Hip, New cross-genre music on Chicken Coup…Music Soup is a dynamic concept and group of musicians from Greece led by Evgenia Karlafti (organ, piano, el.piano, vocals) and Nestor Dimopoulos (guitar) that definitely have something to say…the music is pleasant, original, and hip – You’re going to enjoy this! (Editorial Review).

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