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Alekos K. Vretos

Alekos K. Vretos Radio

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Panos (live on the air w/ Y. Fakanas)
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Panos (live on the air w/ Y. Fakanas)
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Released: Dec 21, 2009
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  1. Alekos K. Vretos

    We enjoyed recording for the Simeio Art TV show. It will air on Tuesday 28/5/2013 Channel: ET-1.... http://t.co/UbwixAA4HM

  2. Alekos K. Vretos

    We enjoyed recording for the Simeio Art TV show. It will air on Tuesday 28/5/2013 Channel: ET-1.... http://t.co/O9O9Ih0ycH

  3. Alekos K. Vretos

    published a new offer on Music2Deal: http://t.co/Y4Q40IXeQy

  4. Alekos K. Vretos

    published a new offer on Music2Deal: K on top of the piano, http://t.co/mwFOcclWI6

  5. Alekos K. Vretos

    likes a wanted on Music2Deal http://t.co/YxKLdwMcYi

Status and Mood

General Info

  • Genre: Fusion / Jazz / Other

    Location Argos, Please select your region, Gr

    Profile Views: 26718

    Last Login: 5/16/2012

    Member Since 10/30/2006

    Website www.alekosvretos.gr

    Record Label Jadeo Music

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

    Alekos K. Vretos was born in Athens. His first contact with music was at the age of three and he never stopped since. Alekos studied classical music in the Athenaeum Conservatory. At the same time, he enrolled in the Phillipos Nakas Conservatory were he studied jazz with Markos Alexiou amongst many others. Alekos won the award for “Outstanding Musicianship” of the Berklee College Music and the Phillipos Nakas scholarship for the year 1995. He studied as a Jazz Composition major at the Berklee College of Music (’00) in Boston. Some of the teachers that gave him more insight for music were: Vuk Kullenovic (composition), Ray Santisi (Jazz piano), Dick Lowell (Jazz composition), David Callahan (Conducting), and Dennis Grillo (Orchestration). During his studies in Boston he performed extensively as a piano player in jazz ensembles and Big Bands. He met the great Master Simon Shaheen who offered him the first steps towards the Arabic music and oud playing. Alekos considers Master Shaheen his mentor and his musical benefactor. They see each other once a year at Master Shaheen’s Arabic Music Retreat, where Alekos has attended from 1998-2004. Other teachers in Arabic music: Marcel Khalife, Bassam Saba, Dr Ali Jihad Racy, Dr George Sawa, William Shaheen and Charbel Rouhana. He has attended many lectures in Arabic music and in 2004 he won a gold medal in an oud improvisation and artistry contest in the U.S. As a professional he has performed with different ensembles in Greece with great reviews on his playing and composing. Some of the musicians that he has worked with are Gilad Atzmon, Theodore Antoniou, The Greek Contemporary Ensemble, The Kamerata (The Orchestra of the Friends of Music), the Jazz Upstairs Big Band, Mikis Theodorakis, Dimitris Maragopoulos, The Athens State Orchestra, Yiorgos Despotidis, Lakis Chalkias, Nikos Androulakis, Kostas Thomaidis and others. Also, he has appeared on TV as a permanent oudist in the “Greek Tradition show” in the Hellenic Television for 3 years. He has worked in the Music Ensembles of the Hellenic Radio for over two years as an oud soloist and arranger. He has collaborated with the Great Music Library in the Athens Concert Hall, as a supervisor in the digitalization of the “Mikis Theodorakis” archives. He conducted a research in cataloging the same archive in 1998. Some of the venues that he has performed in are: The Herodion, The Athens Concert Hall, the Berklee Performance Center, Mount Holyoke College, the Tombs of Kings in Palestine, The Argos Ancient Theatre among others. Alekos K. Vretos was the founder and Music Director of “The Meliti Ensemble”. Their first release “Yunan” was very promising and it was welcome by media and audiences. He collaborated with composer Mikis Theodorakis in “Editions Romanos” which manages the total work of the composer. Since 2006, Alekos K. Vretos has been collaborating with the Athens Concert Hall as a concert producer, producing shows such us the Herbie Hancock sextet, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Overtone Quartet featuring Dave Holland, Gilad Atzmon, Michel Camilo, Ron Carter Quartet, Gonzalo Rubacalba, Chucho Valdez, Bobby Shew, Chico Freeman, Arturo Sandoval, Staatskapelle Dresden, The Munich Philharmonic, . He is the CEO & Founder of Jadeo Music LTDP an indie record company, featuring world, jazz and classical music. Some of his other activities and awards were: Artistic Director for Music Affairs for the 11th and 16th Confrences for Microsurgery in 1995 and 2000, Student supervisor and management assistant in the Berklee music library 1997-1999, Cataloger for the Berklee archives 1997-1999, Award for community service in the city of Boston (Piano teaching for unprivileged children) 1997, Assistant speaker at the MLA Congress (Music Library Association) 1998. Argolis State Award for Music for his album “Yunan”. 2005

  • Members

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  • Influences

    Master Simon Shaheen, Marcel Khalife, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, etc.

  • Sounds Like

    Get to check it out watching the video or listening to the tracks!!!!! It's more fun that way and you can give it your own name. It's music mostly!!!!!

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Facts about Alekos

Greek oudist, pianist and composer Alekos Vretos has been merging jazz, Arabic, Greek and Latin music in a masterful blend of sounds from traditional instruments, such as the oud or the nay, vs. modern ones. As a band leader, Alekos has developed a unique atmosphere for his music: keeping traditional sound in the front line he expands it through jazz improvisation and exploding rhythmic development.
“Mergin’”, his first personal album released in 2009 – following ‘Yunan’ with The Meliti Ensemble in 2004 – was welcomed by audience and critics. A bold and tasteful blend of Jazz and Arabic improvisation, “Mergin’” raises oud playing to unexpected territories. A heavy jazz taste and a fine traditional Arabic scent emerges from the stimulating matching with musicians such as Bassam Saba and Takis Paterelis on this live – like recorded album. “Mergin’” was launched by Jadeo Music, an indie record and management company Alekos founded in Athens, featuring world, jazz and classical music and fellow artists.
Some of the venues that Alekos has performed in - with great reviews on his playing and composing - are: The Herodion, The Athens Concert Hall, the Berklee Performance Center, Mount Holyoke College, the Tombs of Kings in Palestine and The Argos Ancient Theatre.
He has collaborated with legendary composer Mikis Theodorakis, as well as Gilad Atzmon, Theodore Antoniou, The Greek Contemporary Ensemble, The Kamerata (The Orchestra of the Friends of Music), the Jazz Upstairs Big Band, Yorgos Fakanas, Dimitris Maragopoulos, The Athens State Orchestra, Lakis Chalkias, Kostas Thomaidis and Takis Paterelis to name a few. He, also, collaborates with the Megaron - the Athens Concert Hall – as a concert producer and has successfully delivered shows such as the Herbie Hancock Sextet, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Overtone Quartet featuring Dave Holland, Gilad Atzmon, Michel Camilo, Ron Carter Quartet, Chucho Valdes and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Bobby Shew, Chico Freeman, Arturo Sandoval, Staatskapelle Dresden, the Munich Philharmonic and the Palestinian Youth Orchestra. ..

Influences:

Alekos Vretos: Mergin
Master Simon Shaheen, Marcel Khalife, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Chick Corea, Miles Davis, etc.

Sounds Like:

Get to check it out watching the video or listening to the tracks!!!!! It's more fun that way and you can give it your own name. It's music mostly!!!!! View Alekos K. Vretos's Sonicbids EPK
View Alekos K. Vretos's EPK

Record Label:

Jadeo Music

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