Sakata Akira / Damianidis Giotis / Di Domenico Giovanni / Skoric Aleksandar / Nilssen - Love Paal / Damianidis Petros / Yamamoto Tatsuhisa

Hyperentasis - Live In Thessaloniki

Label: Defkaz

Genre: Jazz / Avant Garde

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LP x2 180gr €32.99

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Hyperentasis is a double LP celebrating the unique connection between legendary saxophonist Akira Sakata and the city of Thessaloniki. Home to Defkaz Records and the birthplace of the Damianidis brothers, Thessaloniki has welcomed Sakata countless times. This release captures two of his landmark performances as a bandleader in the city.

The first LP features the group Entasis with Giovanni Di Domenico (upright piano), Giotis Damianidis (electric guitar), Petros Damianidis (double bass), and Aleksandar Škorić (drums). Recorded at Duende Upstairs on March 27, 2023, it's a psychedelic free jazz journey where Sakata's melodic saxophone lines and Di Domenico's distinctive piano patterns weave seamlessly with the atmospheric guitar of Damianidis and a strong bass–drums foundation.

The second LP documents the 2025 tour honoring Akira Sakata's 80th birthday. Recorded at Club Omilos on January 29, 2025, and presented by Duende Jazz Club, Sakata 80 brings together two powerhouse drummers—Norwegian Paal Nilssen-Love and Japanese Tatsuhisa Yamamoto—alongside the Damianidis brothers, forming an electrifying quintet around the unstoppable Sakata. The music shifts between intense, tightly-packed climaxes and unpredictable, organic explorations, with the drummers' energy ranging from massive power to subtle percussive nuance, pushing the performance toward its ultimate destination: "Hyperentasis."

These two LPs are inseparable pieces of the same musical puzzle: the first sets the stage for the second, with the entire journey from Entasis to Hyperentasis spanning 90 minutes of pure, immersive free jazz.

Akira Sakata: alto saxophone, clarinet, vocals, bells
Giovanni Di Domenico: piano
Giotis Damianidis: electric guitar
Petros Damianidis: double bass
Aleksandar Škorić: drums
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums
Tatsuhisa Yamamoto: drums

artwork by Johan De Wilde
design by Jeroen Wille

Entasis (27/3/2023) Recorded Live at Duende Upstairs, Thessaloniki by Christos Charbilas, mixed by Giovanni Di Domenico, mastered by Titos Kariotakis

Sakata 80 (29/1/2025) Recorded live at Omilos Club by Titos Kariotakis, Thessaloniki. Organized by Duende. Mixed and Mastered by Titos Kariotakis and Christos Charbilas.

Gatefold sleeve, with obi.