Savina Yannatpu & Primavera En Salonico: Mediterranean Dreams

 

Savina Yannatou studied singing with Gogo Georgilopoulou and Spiros Sakkas in Athens, and later attended postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with a

scholarship awarded by Mousigetis Foundation. In 1979 she began working as a professional, in the greek radio 3, participating in the daily program “Lilipoupolis” in collaboration with the composer Lena Platonos. Following that, her career took off collaborating with many greek composers (Platonos, Mamangakis, Kypourgos, Katsoulis, Gregoriou, Marangopoulos, Kamarotos, a.o.) and having released numerous albums since then.
                          

Having built her reputation as a singer of Baroque, Renaissance, and early music, Savina Yannatou has increasingly veered toward avant-garde jazz and improvisational music. Accompanied by her band,

Primavera en Salonico, which she formed in 1993, Yannatou continues to demonstrate her mastery of Mediterranean music. Her repertoire includes songs from Sardinia, Corsica, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Cyprus, Albania, Spain, Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and her homeland in Greece. Gradually, she has extended her vocal techniques to include throat singing, glossolalia and ululations among others.
                              

Besides that, her repertoire consists mainly of Greek music, although she has been a founding member of an Early music ensemble (Εργαστήρι Παλιάς Μουσικής), and has always displayed a keen interest in

exploring free jazz and avant-garde music. Said explorations have led her to on- and off-stage collaborations and sessions with international musicians such as Barry Guy, Peter Kowald, Floros Floridis, Günther Pitscheider, Gerald Preinfalk of the band BPM, Ken Vandermark, Sussan Deyhim, Damo Suzuki of the krautrock group Can, and Kiya Tabassian of the Ensemble Constantinople.
                          

In the mid-1990s, she joined forces with jazz / traditional musicians forming a band known as

'Primavera en Salonico', interpreting Sephardic and Mediterranean songs, having recorded 8 CDs in Lyra and ECM records and giving concerts all over the world. She has been a founding member of an Early Music ensemble in Athens ("Early Music Workshop") in the '80s. She has always displayed a keen interest in exploring free jazz music.
                     

She has composed music for theater (National Theater of Greece, National Theater of Northern Greece,

Thessalian Theater, Theater of Neos Kosmos, "Playback" theater, for the plays: "Medea", "Bacchae", "Ifigenia in Aulis", "Dibuk", “The Caukasian Chalk Circle", "Persona", "The Suppliants") and for pantomime performances. She occasionally participates in workshops, teaching vocal improvisation for actors and musicians.
                                 

PRIMAVERA EN SALONICO

                     

The group was formed in 1993, when this group of musicians, under the direction of Kostas Vomvolos,

collaborated for the production of the Sephardic Folk Songs with Savina Yannatou. But before that its members have been collaborating in various groups, recordings and music projects since the early eighties. The musical activity of the group members covers a broad range of styles: from European classical and old music to Byzantine music, traditional Greek music and music from the Near East to jazz, all of which with a strong emphasis on modern musical tendencies and improvisation.
                        

The group members have published some 15 CDs as composers, soloists or members of other groups,

while the overall number of appearances on CDs surpasses 150 titles. The group -- which focuses on a mix of European classical, Byzantine, traditional Greek, and Near Eastern music -- creates a world music sound with a combination of Western instruments (guitar, violin, and double bass) and Eastern instruments, including toumbeleki, bendir, tambourine, daoul, kanonaki, nay, and tamboura.
                    

       

Based on traditional material - mainly from the Mediterranean Area - Savina Yannatou and the group Primavera en Salonico offer an open sound without borders or labels, from simple songs extending to

contemporary music forms. Insisting on acoustic instruments, half of which have their origin in the East, they attempt at exploiting their specific sound, oftentimes also exploring them to the limits of their possibilities. Beyond her exquisite interpretive capacity Savina Yannatou gives special emphasis to the expression of the "music" of each different language, without letting that stop her from oftentimes using her voice as one more instrument.
                    

With a background that combines classical studies and "authentic" traditional music with improvised

music and jazz, Savina Yannatou and the musicians of Primavera en Salonico find themselves like rope-dancers on the chord which connects the modal music of the East with the equivalent music of Western Europe, music of the Middle Ages and the popular polyphonies of the Mediterranean. Beginning from the melismatic riches of the Eastern Maqam and the charming irregular rhythms they explore the territory of collective free improvisation, meeting there modern jazz.
                          

Savina Yannatou and Primavera en Salonico have been giving concerts all over the world since 1996. This includes the whole of Europe, the United States, Israel and Taiwan, and venues like the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Barbican in London, the 92nd Street Y in New York, The Holon Theatre in Tel

Aviv, the Melbourne Concert Hall and various WOMAD festivals, as well as numerous other world music festivals, like Stern Grove in San Francisco, Taipeh World Music Festival, Fiesta des Suds in Marseille and many others. Highlights of 2003 include the Moers new Jazz Festival in Germany, Music Meeting in Holland and a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, in 2004 Etnosur Festival in Spain and Musicas do Mundo in Portugal, while 2005 started with a concert at the 20st edition of the International Jazz festival Muenster in Germany.
                       

MEMBERS

Savina Yannatou - Vocals
Kostas Vomvolos - Quanun, orchestration
Yannis Alexandris - Oud, guitar
Michalis Siganidis - Double bass
Kyriakos Gouventas - Violin, viola
Kostas Theodorou - percussion
Haris Lambrakis - Nay, recorders

ALBUMS FOR THIS COMPILATION:

01. TERRA NOSTRA 2001
02. SUMIGLIA 2005
03. SONGS OF AN OTHER 2008
04. SONGS OF THESSALONIKI 2015   

TRACKS

01. Evga Mana Mou (From The Album: Sumiglia 2005)
02. Me To Feggari Perpato (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
03. Saleri Hovin Mermen (From The Album: Songs Of An Other 2008)
04. Apolitikion Agiou Dimitriou (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
05. Muineira (From The Album: Sumiglia 2005)
06. Prismo Dojde Od Soluna Grada (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
07. Ah, Marouli (From The Album: Songs Of An Other 2008)
08. Dunie Au (From The Album: Songs Of An Other 2008)
09. Ivan Nadonka (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
10. Iptidadan Yol Sorarsan (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
11. El Barquero (The Batman) (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
12. La Cantiga Del Fuego (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
13. Sto Pa Kai Sto Xanaleo (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
14. Tin Patrida mou Ehasa (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
15. Kadife (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
16. Yanno Yannovitse (From The Album: Sumiglia 2005)
17. Yedi Koule (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
18. Ah Mon Die (Ah My God) (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
19. Smil Smiljana (From The Album: Songs Of An Other 2008)
20. Una Muchacha En Selanica (From The Album: Songs Of Thessaloniki 2015)
21. Xanthi Evreopoula, No Seas Capritchosa (Blond Jewish Girl) (From The Album: Terra Nostra 2001)
                        

Savina Yannatou is the best Greek Female Ethnic vocalist and this is a compilation that I made from 4 albums. It's not available in the music stores and I offer this one to those who want cross a bridge between East and west and explore new musical frontiers. Free your soul following this voice of Angels.
KOSTAS

Flac Size: 665 MB

Savina Yannatou & Primavera En Salonico: Ta Sefaraditika HERE

Savina Yannatou And Primavera en Salonico : Ta Sefaraditika 1994

She is the best Greek Ethnic Vocalist and this is one of the best albums released in Greece .

One of the best posts on this blog

Savina Yannatou (Greek: Σαβίνα Γιαννάτου / born March 16 , 1959 in Athens) is a renowned Greek female singer .
                                          

She studied singing at the Greek National conservatory in Athens and later at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In 1979 she began working as a professional and two years later participated in the recording of the critically acclaimed album "Εδώ Λιλιπούπολη" ("Edo Lilipoupoli", "Lilipoupolis here"); following that, her career took off and has since released numerous albums, singing in different languages. Her repertoire consists mainly of Mediterranean , Renaissance , Baroque and Sephardic songs , although she has a keen interest in classical , jazz and avant-garde music .
                                           

Yannatou is also a songwriter ("Rosa das Rosas", "Dreams of the mermaid"), as well as a composer for theater ("Medea" for the National Theatre of Greece) , dance theater and video art. Currently she's an ECM artist.

Sephardic music was born in medieval Spain , with cantigas being performed at the royal courts . Since then , it has picked up influences from across Spain , Morocco , Argentina , Turkey , Greece and various popular tunes from Spain and further abroad . There are three types of Sephardic songs , topical and entertainment songs , romance songs and spiritual or ceremonial songs .
Lyrics can be in several languages , including Hebrew for religious songs , and Ladino.


These song traditions spread from Spain to Morocco (the Western Tradition) and several parts of the Ottoman Empire (the Eastern Tradition) including Greece , Jerusalem , the Balkans and Egypt . Sephardic music adapted to each of these locales , assimilating North African high-pitched , extended ululations ; Balkan rhythms , for instance in 9/8 time ; and the Turkish maqam mode .

Songs which are song by women are traditionally sung while performing household tasks , without accompaniment or harmony . Tambourines and other percussion instruments are sometimes used , especially in wedding songs . Men have added oud and qanun to the instrumentation , and more modern performers incorporate countless other imported instruments .



The early 20th century saw some popular commercial recordings of Sephardic music come out of Greece and Turkey , followed by Jerusalem and other parts of the Eastern Tradition .
The first performers were mostly men , including the Turks Jack Mayesh , Haim Efendi and Yitzhak Algazi . Later , a new generation of singers arose , many of whom were not themselves Sephardic .

Gloria Levy , Pasharos Sefardies , Flory Jagoda and Janet & Jak Esim Ensemble are popular Eastern Tradition performers of this period . Gerard Edery , Savina Yannatou , Stefani Valadez , Francoise Atlan and Yasmin Levy and are among the new generation of singers bringing a new interpretation to the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage and , in the case of Levy and Edery , mixing it with Andalusian Flamenco.


From the sephardic music roots has grown a large corpus of original new classical music , Notable among modern composers are:

* Yitzhak Yedid, who has composed mostly for chamber groups, strives to combine classical genres with improvisation of Sephardic roots and arabic music. Yedid's composition 'Oud Bass Piano Trio' is a good example of this.
* Betty Olivera, who has takes traditional Jewish melodies – both Ashkenazic and Sephardic – and sets them in complex, profoundly dissonant contexts. Her work Serafim for soprano, clarinet, violin, cello and piano is a good example of this.
* Taippi Fleischer, who has composed vocal works that merge contemporary Western compositional techniques with the modal, quartertone scales of Arabic music.


Τα Σεφαραδίτικα, λαϊκά τραγούδια των Ισπανοεβραίων , ερμηνευμένα σε αυτή τη συλλογή από τη Σαβίνα Γιαννάτου , συνιστούν στο σύνολό τους ένα αρκετά αντιφατικό όσο και γοητευτικό μωσαϊκό . Ο Ευρωπαϊκός Μεσαίωνας , η Βυζαντινή και Αραβοπερσική παράδοση συνυπάρχουν με στοιχεία από τη λαϊκή μουσική της Ιβηρικής , της Βαλκανικής και της ευρύτερης Μεσογείου . Πρόκειται για παραδοσιακά τραγούδια φτιαγμένα από τους Ισπανοεβραίους της Θεσσαλονίκης , που , έως πριν 50 χρόνια , ακούγονταν θλιμμένα ή όλο κέφι στις φτωχογειτονιές της πόλης .

YEDI KULE

ΓΕΝΤΙ ΚΟΥΛΕ

Του Γεντί Κουλέ περνώντας θα δεις τη φυλακή,
τήνε ζώνουν ένα γύρο τοίχοι πολύ αψηλοί .

Εκεί για σένα βρίσκομαι στα σίδερα δεμένος
και μέσα στο μπουντρούμι μου θρηνώ απελπισμένος .

Το φως μου το στερήσανε , βάσανο είν' η ζωή μου ,
το χάρο εγώ κορίτσι μου , τον βλέπω απέναντί μου .

Εγώ ' μαι μες τη φυλακή κι εσύ μες τα λουλούδια ,
πονάει το στήθος μου η καρδιά , θέλω για με να κλάψεις .

Απ' του Γεντί Κουλέ τις φυλακές έλα , μιά βόλτα κάνε
για να δεις σε τι μαύρο χάλι οι μέρες μου περνάνε .

Μαύρο φουστανάκι τράβα τώρα ράψε ,
και στη συναγωγή λάδι για μένα τάξε .

TRACKS

1.  La Cantiga Del Fuego - Το Τραγούδι Της Πυρκαγιάς     3:18
2.  Morenica - Μελαχρινούλα     2:57
3.  Alta Es La Luna - Ψηλά Είναι Το Φεγγάρι     2:45
4.  Tres Hermanicas Eran - Τρεις Αδελφούλες Ήταν     3:35
5.  Los Bilbilicos - Τ' Αηδονάκια     4:25
6.  Ya Salió De La Mar - Βγήκε Από Τη Θάλασσα Η Αρχόντισσα     3:38
7.  El Sueno Del Hija Del Rey - Το Όνειρο Της Βασιλοπούλας     4:50
8.  Yedí Kulé - Γεντί Κουλέ     5:40
9.  El Encalador - Ο Ασπριτζής     2:45
10. Morena - Μελαχρινή     2:05
11. Durme, Hermoso Hijico - Κοιμήσου, Γιόκα Μου Γλυκέ     2:25
12. Primavera En Salonico - Άνοιξη Στη Σαλονίκη     2:50

Label : LYRA
Year : 1994
Format : Vinyl LP ( Sorry for the scraches )
Aριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκηs
Διανομή : Κίνησιs

MP3 DOWNLOAD HERE

FLAC   HERE

Αφιερωμένο στο φίλο μου τον Λώρενs που ελπίζω να το εκτιμίσει !!!