Votskos Sokratis Quartet
Pajko, Fire In The Forest On The Mountain
Label: Fair Weather Friends Records
Genre: Jazz / Avant Garde
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Moment’s Aeternity: a 12/8 composition celebrating the raw power of the “moment”, marked by whirling improvised moments between drums, bass clarinet and Harris P’s Armenian duduk.
Pajko, fire in the forest on the mountain: in Sokratis own words: “I have a really vivid memory as a child. I was staring at the Djena mountain from my window in Archangellos which sits on the Pajko mountain. A little beam of light shone far in the horizon; it was a fire that in my little eyes looked as if the giants of Almopia were trying to communicate with
each other using phryktoria (a way of contacting through fire in Ancient Greece).”
Footprints of some Giant Steps: While the classic compositions of two true Jazz Giants - Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane- are certainly different, they do both connect in a mystical way. Rearranged in 5/8 combining half of each melody and half of each one’s chord
progression, keeping the form of the piece for improvisation, still in 5.
Oson Zeis Fainou (Seikilo’s Epitaph): found in a tomb stone in the Northeast of Greece, this is the only melody saved from the ancient times. It is accompanied by lyrics contemplating the meaning of life:
Ὅσον ζῇς φαίνου ‘’While you live, shine
μηδὲν ὅλως σὺ λυποῦ don’t feel blue for anything
πρὸς ὀλίγον ἐστὶ τὸ ζῆν because our life is short
τὸ τέλος ὁ xρόνος ἀπαιτεῖ. and time demands an end.’’
Here is to Oghene K: ’’Hey man, where is the groove?’’, he would say, just to trigger another wave of inspiration for Sokratis. Oghene was a true force of nature, a well of kindness, a masterful artist that left this world too early. This one is for him.
Balkan Riff (for Milcho Leviev): Milcho Leviev (1936-2019), was a long-time friend and collaborator and a true inspiration for expression, creativity and colorfulness. Expressing the deep sentiments evoked by the Balkan sound and history, this is a sorrowful dialogue between bass clarinet and contrabass.
Spirits of Djena: one of the most esoteric and personal moments of the album. Composed and recorded during the challenging times of the COVID-era, you can hear the baritone and tenor saxophone firmly grounded on a crispy, hypnotizing contrabass groove.