The 3rd Greek Jazz Panorama remains resolutely outward-looking, providing a forum once again for creative encounters between jazz musicians from Greece and abroad. For the third year running, therefore, the OCC will be hosting an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western influences, written and improvised forms of expression, acoustic and electric sounds.
A constant feature of the Greek Jazz Panorama has been its openness to the international scene and its focus on facilitating collaborations between celebrated Greek musicians and important jazz musicians from abroad. But, then, how could it be otherwise at the OCC? Thus, in 2011, at the 1st Greek Jazz Panorama, three Greek combos engaged with three outstanding musicians from the Mediterranean, while the 2nd Greek Jazz Panorama brought Scandinavian musicians—and their impressive jazz scene—to Athens for a series of concerts with Greek jazzmen. This year, the Panorama will be showcasing a broad range of approaches from the domestic jazz and improvised music scene along with an equally varied selection of guest soloists. Balkan sounds, contemporary echoes of the third stream and free improvisation really will offer a panoramic view of jazz and its wealth of styles.
December 6, 2013 -Takis Barberis Group feat. Ilhan Ersahin
A special coexistence between East and West, where jazz music meets magically funk and rock but also the Indian, Balkan and Greek music.
Guitarist and composer Takis Barberis belongs to a generation of musicians who had the chance to take their first steps in a fateful period, at the crossroads of the Greek jazz, 80s, participating in Greek known jazz bands of the era like Jazz Fusion Quintet and the historical group Iskra, h. "National Jazz Archive » (David Lynch, George Fakanas, Farazis Takis, Takis Barberis, Nick Touliatos, Leonidas Pliatsikas) and then all the dekeatia 90s with his own ensembles involving several notable musicians (George Kontrafouris Takis Paterelis , John Vassalos, Giotis Kiourtsoglou etc). The music runs from rock and jazz goes into a creative fusion with folk and popular music introducing transnational (mostly Indian) ichorythmikes parameters and technology - always with aesthetic measure and specifications suited to modern jazz style and composition.
Ilhan Ersahin was born in Sweden in 1965 and raised in Turkey. When he was sixteen years old, he began playing saxophone. Since then he has worked in bands lead by Lawrence “Butch” Morris, drummer Victor Lewis, and trumpeter Wallace Roney, among others. As both a saxophonist and composer, Ilhan Ersahin
has grown into one of the most creative and adventurous music artists on the contemporary improvising scene since moving to New York from Istanbul. He owns the New York jazz club “Nublu” and his own record label under the same name. Nublu is an unmarked live music venue which became the locus of a downtown music scene; part jazz, part world, part rare groove. While he is influenced primarily by American post-boppers, Ilhan Ersahin has also absorbed the essentials of reggae, hip-hop, and pop in addition to Middle Eastern folk music. The profound impact of these diverse influences is clearly evident in his musical expressions. Unlike many other instrumentalists of his generation, ErÅŸahin is writing for a trio of sax, bass and drums-one of the most challenging instrumental formats in jazz-while also putting out some very strong hip-hop charts as well as leading a killer post modern jazz quintet. ErÅŸahin’s "Wonderland", recorded in Istanbul and New York comes forward as the vigilant reflection and expression of ties with Istanbul and his interest in Turkish music. A magical togetherness is evoked through the collaboration of musicians from Turkey and New York. “Wonderland” traveled through Turkey and Europe for Berlin Jazz Festival, Cologne Stadtgarten and Kopenhagen Bimhuis. Ilhan Ersahin ’s New York based trio has been the main attraction of the brunch held every Saturday at the popular jazz club, Sweet Basil. He has also directed Istanbul’s Akbank Jazz Festival jam session for three consecutive years, where he’s triumphantly traded riffs with such celebrated soloists as Sam Rivers, James Carter, Craig Harris, John Zorn and Jerome Harris. And leading his trio and quintet, ErÅŸahin has toured throughout Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and the United States. ErÅŸahin currently lives in New York.
Takis Barberis Interview - http://jazzonline.gr/en/articlesinterviews/interviews/item/1837-takis-barberis-interview.html
December 7, 2013 Sami Amiris Group featuring Rex Richardson 
Hailed as “An artiste with an exceptional talent who has made a name for himself as one of the finest trumpet players in the world today,” (4barsrest.com, in a review of a concerto appearance in London). Rex Richardson was named the 2008 Brass Herald Personality of the Year. Since 1995, he has recorded and toured around the globe with the critically acclaimed ensemble Rhythm & Brass. He also toured internationally as a member of the late jazz legend, Joe Henderson’s Quintet and in Europe with William Russo’s Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Since 1997, he has served as jazz soloist, soprano cornet and flugelhorn with the world famous Brass Band of Battle Creek, known as “The Rolls Royce of Brass Bands” (Brass Band World, 2007). He has worked with countless celebrity artists in multiple genres, developing a unique reputation in the trumpet world for his combination of singular virtuosity, a highly personal style, and an emphasis on improvisation in classical as well as jazz idioms.
Sami Amiris was born and raised in Thessaloniki. His first encounter with music was in a young age, with Mr. Panagiotis Moralis. Later, he attended "Anatolia College" high school in Thessaloniki, where he held a full scholarship during all years of study. Concurrently, he continued to study music with Mrs Matthaiou.
He studied mathematics in the University of Crete, and is currently attending graduate school in Athens. His interests include the foundations of mathematics, algorithms, complexity and algorithmic graph theory. Concurrently, he studied piano with Prof. Dimitri Toufexis, an internationally acclaimed pianist and conductor, and Julliard Alumnus and former instructor. He has taken part in a number of concerts and seminars, either as an active member or as audience. He has taken lessons in composition with Prof. Theodore Antoniou, Dr. Athanasios Zervas, and in jazz piano with the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Mal Waldron. He was the main pianist of the City of Athens Big Band, Small Combo and Contemporary Music Ensemble, all conducted by Dr. Zervas. He has also taken part in the "Improelectronics" orchestra, which specialized in contemporary experimental electronic music, as well as the Athens Jazz Orchestra, both also conducted by Dr Zervas. He has appeared in very important music halls, like the Athens Concert Hall, Thessaloniki Concert Hall, "Phillipos Nakas" Concert Hall, "Athena" Concert hall in the Art Conservatory of Athens, etc. He has appeared on stage with most of the important jazz artists of the Athens scene, as well as important artists of the international music scene, like Rex Richardson and Dom Famularo. During the 1st Greek Drum Camp, in which he took part, he shared the stage with Dom Famularo, Thomas Lang and Jeff Bowden. He has appeared in quite a few groups of all sizes and musical directions, either as a sideman, as in the Antonis Ladopoulos Quartet, the Yiotis Kiourtsoglou Quartet, etc., but also as a co-leader, as in Energy, a duet with drummer-extraordinaire Zach Pinakoulakis, Cover Charge Trio with Zach Pinakoulakis and Odysseas Konstantinopoulos on bass, etc. He has appeared in a seminar-concert with Yiotis Kiourtsoglou and Zach Pinakoulakis, focusing on the contemporary jazz and fusion scene. He has also taken part in Y. Kiourtsoglou's debut personal recording, "Hapopsis".
Today, he continues his 10-year-long association with Zach Pinakoulakis. He is also a founding member of "Nukeleus", along with Giannis Stavropoulos on drums and Periklis Trivolis on bass.
Sami Amiris interview - http://jazzonline.gr/en/articlesinterviews/interviews/item/2097-sami-amiris-interview.html
December 8, 2013 Kostas Theodorou featuring Tom Arthurs
Former BBC New Generation Artist, and participant in Take Five Europe, the work of trumpeter, flügelhornist and composer Tom Arthurs situates itself between large scale commissions for orchestra and beyond, rich and intimate chamber jazz, and experimental, beautiful and intriguing improvised music.Drawing influence from music ranging from György Ligeti to the pygmies of Central Africa, the work of film directors Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean-Luc Godard and the creations of pioneering chefs Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal, Tom's warm sound and all-encompassing approach are becoming increasingly well known across Europe and beyond. Recent recordings include Julia Hülsmann Quartet (ECM, 2013), Eric Schaefer's 'Who's Afraid of Richard W.' (ACT, 2013), Miles Perkin Quartet (2012), H3B Songs No Songs (Abalone, 2012) and Postcards from Pushkin with Richard Fairhurst (Babel, 2011). Winner of the Peter Whittingham Award in 2001, thrice-nominated in the BBC Jazz Awards (Best Instrumentalist and Rising Star), and a previous participant in the Serious/PRSF/Jerwood Take Five UK scheme, Tom has been featured extensively on BBC Radio 3 as part of the New Generation Scheme and beyond, and has performed internationally with festival credits including Berlin, North Sea, Cheltenham, Moers, Bath, Jazzd'or, London, Manchester, Belfast and Jerusalem. He has been broadcast by Radio France, SWR, WDR, RBB, and ARD in Germany, P2 in Denmark and Ö1 in Austria.
Kostas Theodorou was born in west Macedonia, Greece. He Started with music at the age of 15, playing guitar. In 1983 he moved to Thessaloniki playing with different musicians in several groups as a guitar player and then as an electric bass player. Later, in ’89 jumped to the Double - Bass and by that time, travelling for many years with a mobile house through all central and western Europe making music, learning at the same time many different instruments from different countries. In general, a self taught musician. From the year ’97 he returned to his home village making music and travelling all over the world (U.S.A.-Australia-Argentina….) The last years he has built up his own ensemble featuring prominent musicians from the Greek scene and participating in various festivals. He has worked together with: Mikis Theodorakis, Dionisis Savvopoulos, Kyriakos Sfetsas, Nikos Kypourgos, Michalis Siganidis, Savina Gianatou, Haig Yazdjian, Ara Dinkjian, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Theodosii Spassov, Vlatko Stefanovski, Tamara Obrovac, Khalil Karaduman, the group “Ashkhabad”, the National Theater of Greece, Frank Kollges, Jaki Liebezeit, Danny Hayes and many others.
Kostas Theodorou Interveiw: http://www.jazzonline.gr/en/articlesinterviews/interviews/item/1999-kostas-theodorou-interview.html
Third Greek Jazz Panorama — Artistic Director : Dimitris Trikas