Tsiftes at Bird's Basement Jazz Club

Rebetiko music, known as the Greek blues, emerged in Greece in the 1920s as the music of the poor and the outlawed. Early songs were written in prisons where inmates crouched in circles, singing and playing their shonkily made baglamas. Central to Rebetiko are the subjects of pain, heartbreak and comradery, themes relevant to the subculture of the time.

Eager to preserve this small piece of cultural history, the members of Tsiftes are known for their authentic renditions and vocal harmonies. Plate smashing is allowed only in a strictly metaphorical manner.

Lineup:

Con Kalamaras - Bouzouki/Vocals...

read more

Rebetiko music, known as the Greek blues, emerged in Greece in the 1920s as the music of the poor and the outlawed. Early songs were written in prisons where inmates crouched in circles, singing and playing their shonkily made baglamas. Central to Rebetiko are the subjects of pain, heartbreak and comradery, themes relevant to the subculture of the time.

Eager to preserve this small piece of cultural history, the members of Tsiftes are known for their authentic renditions and vocal harmonies. Plate smashing is allowed only in a strictly metaphorical manner.

Lineup:

Con Kalamaras - Bouzouki/Vocals
Nikos Kapralos - Bouzouki
Stav Thomopoulos - Vocals
Alex Petropoulos - Guitar/Vocals
Jenny Dixon - Violin

show less