Live Jazz events & concerts in Greece

Floros Floridis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, and currently splits his time between Thessaloniki and Berlin. He counts as one of the main figures of jazz in Greece. In 1979 he and Sakis Papadimitriou recorded the first modern jazz album that was produced in Greece – “Improvising at Barakos” (double LP). As a leader/co-leader he collaborated and recorded with Peter Kowald, Guenter “Baby” Sommer, Paul Lytton, Okay Temiz, Nicky Skopelitis, Paul Lovens, Phil Wachsman, Carlos Zingaro,Hans Schneider, Louis Moholo, Vincent Chancey, Jean-Marc Montera, Milos Petrovic, Ivo Papazov as well as with Greek musicians Savinna Yannatou, Dimitris Polizoidis, Babis Papadopoulos, Michalis Siganidis, Kostas Vomvolos, Ilias Papadopoulos,…in Berlin with Michael Griener, Jan Roder,Chris Dahlgren,Olaf Rupp,Ulrich Gumpert,Clayton Thomas,Achim Kaufmann,..
This has resulted in the release of more than 40 CDs throughout the years. He has also participated in various CD-productions of other artists in Greece as well as abroad.
Floridis studied Physics and got his diploma in Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki. He then studied classical clarinet as a student of the Romanian professor Konstantin Ugureanou. He started his career as a professional muscian in the 70s. From the beginning his main interest in music was improvisation, and that continues up to now. As one of the first impro-jazz-musicians in Greece he founded the Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music of the Municipality of Thessaloniki in 1984 where he was the artistic director and coordinator for seven years. Furthermore, he was the artistic director and organizer of the following music festivals:
1997 – 9 Days of Jazz in the festivities of the Cultural Capital of Europe Thessaloniki
2008 – Impro Days Hydra
2010 – Impro Jazz in Megaro Moussikis Thessaloniki
Besides his work as a musician Floridis worked as a producer for the national greek radio ERT 2 from 1995 to 1997. Then, from 1997 to 1999, he collaborated with the LYRA label as a producer, including the production of the CDs by the BLACK SEA ORCHESTRA and FLORINA BRASS BAND II. He also founded the label j. n. d. records (later j. n. d. re-records).
Floridis has played concerts and festivals in Greece, Europe and USA with a great number of European and American musicians – a. o. Evan Parker, Peter Broetzman, Ken Vandermark, Irene Schweitzer, Ivo Papazov, Andrew Cyrille, Barre Phillips, Conny Bauer, Johannes Bauer, Mathias Bauer, Hans Reichel, Sirone, William ParkerSteve McCall, Andre Jeaume, Barry Guy, Clayton Thomas, Chris Dahlgren, Olaf Rupp,..
Some of the international groups, in which he was a founder and member, are the BLACK SEA ORCHESTRA, the INTER-BALKANIC ORCHESTRA and the FLORINA BRASS BAND. Floridis also participated in the well-known Greek group CHIMERINOI KOLIMVITES (“Winter swimmers”) for more than 20 years and in the EURO-AMERICAN ORCHESTRA of Cecil Taylor in Berlin 1985.
His latest CDs are the sountrack of the film “Der Deutsche Freund” (2012, normal records, Bonn), “Grix – Sweet, Sour, Sharp and Soft” (2009, Jazzwerkstatt, Berlin) with Antonis Anissegos and Yorgos Dimitriadis, “Well anything can happen” (2010, Puzzlemusic, Athen) with Nicky Skopelitis and Babis Papadopoulos, “The new Trio” (2011, Jazzwerkstatt) with Guenter “Baby” Sommer and Akira Ando and “Three of a Sort” (2011, Jazzwerkstatt) with Okay Temiz and Nicky Skopelitis.
Floridis has written and selected music for films, theater plays and dance performances. Since 1997 he has collaborated with theatre director Roula Pateraki. A. o. he was responsible for the music of the plays “Splendid’s” by Jean Genet and “Chomata” by George Veltsos. In film he composed the soundtrack for “Anna’s Summer” (2001, by Jeanine Meerapfel), “Fictional lies on right occasions” (2002, by Jeanine Meerapfel), “Marie Langer – Roman der Erinnerungen” (2003, by Lester Y. Cano Alvarez), “Faruk’s Cafe” (2004, by Anna Schwingenschuh, Hakan Kurucu, Vera Bongartz, Jan Bonny, Zrinka Budjimila and others), “Mosconi or to whom the world belongs” (2005, by Jeanine Meerapfel), “Wer sich nicht wehrt, kann nicht gewinnen” (2006, by Jeanine Meerapfel) and “Der Deutsche Freund” (2012, by Jeanine Meerapfel).

Selected discography:
1979: “Improvising at Barakos” with Sakis Papadimitriou
1985: “L.S.F.W. Ellispontos” with Paul Lytton, Phil Wachsmann, Hans Schneider
1990: “Human Aspect” with Vincent Chancey, Peter Kowald, Louis Moholo
1991: “Pyrichia” with Peter Kowald, Ilias Papadopoulos
1996: “Florina Brass Band” with Valkanis Brothers
1997: “Aphorisms” with Peter Kowald, Guenter “Baby” Sommer
2002: “Anna’s summer” soundtrack
2009: “Grix – sweet, sour, sharp & soft” with Antonis Anissegos, Yorgos Dimitriadis
2011: “The New Trio” with Guenter “Baby” Sommer, Akira Ando
2011: “Three of a Sort” with Okay Temiz, Nicky Skopelitis
2012: “Der Deutsche Freund” soundtrack
2012:”Songs of Kommeno”with Günter Baby Sommer,Savina Giannatou,Evgenios Voulgaris,Spilios Kastanis

http://www.florosfloridis.com/