Day 2 - 09/12/2023 - 19:30
Kalesma
Soundscapes belonging to the Eastern Mediterranean region, focusing on Cypriot music creation with contemporary approaches for 6 voices. The vocal group will present personal compositions bridging the local musical tradition with the modern jazz aesthetic.
Κalesma is a six -member vocal group focusing on vocal performance and research of Cypriot and Greek folk/traditional music, while creating original compositions, aiming at bridging local traditions with contemporary creation. References to Cypriot folk poetry constitute a vital role in the music of Κalesma.
Vassilis Philippou, Savvas Lagou, Paris Paraschos, Freideriki Tombazou, Katerina Paraschou, Anastasia Zakinthinou: Vocals
Odysseas Toumazou: Guitar
Loud Urban Soul Teachers
The Loud Urban Soul Teachers aspire to present compositions written or co-written by Adonis Aletras for series such as The Young and the Restless (CBS), Love and Marriage (OWN), for films such as Section 8 and Sunrise in Kimmeria. With their energetic sound and the exquisite voice of vocalist Sophia Patsalides, the band’s instrumental music and songs will set up an unforgettable ambience at this year’s Showcase.
The Loud Urban Soul Teachers is a band established by composer and guitarist Adonis Aletras, aspiring to introduce to the Cypriot and international audience a repertoire of jazz/funk compositions and songs written by A. Aletras for Hollywood productions. During the past 10 years, he has been composing music and writing songs for American TV series and film productions. Under this capacity, he has been commissioned to compose music of various genres with different styles and tones. To this date, he has composed jazz/funk music for multiple productions, drawing on his experience from his studies at the Berklee College of Music and his long-standing career in the live jazz music scene with the band New Dimensions.
Adonis Aletras: Guitar
Sophia Patsalides: Voice
Moses Joseph: Keys
Rodos Panayiotou: Drums
Evelthon Michaelides: Bass
Michalis Michael, Iakovos Parpas: Trumpet, Saxophone
SONICA
The Cypriot powerhouse group SONICA unites on Rialto’s stage with one of the Baltic’s leading saxophone players, Toms Rudzinskis, to present a new, previously unperformed repertoire, as well as a few tunes form their debut album Introducing Sonica. The band’s new work combines the familiar, dark synth trance with elements of dance music, making it groovier than ever. Analog synths, virtuosic bass lines and intense grooves are the elements that determine Sonica’s sound.
SONICA, a synth-centered group that combines nu-jazz with vocabulary from ambient, electronica & funk, emerged in 2022 with a presentation of their debut album Introducing Sonica, a somewhat experimental synth-drum record that balances modern jazz and live electronic music. The band was created by pianist and keyboardist Christos Yerolatsitis, and mixes the rich sounds of analog synths and vintage keyboards with intricate drumming by Stelios Xydias. Coming from a jazz background, improvisation remains central to the group. With a second keyboardist (Andreas Panteli) joining the live setting, the band aims at maintaining freedom in the music, even when heavily arranged. The band’s powerful, raw energy comes to life as the two keyboardists interact on stage, colouring the music with contrasting soloing styles and building on each other’s ideas.
Christos Yerolatsitis: Keys, Compositions
Andreas Panteli: Keys
Stelios Xydias: Drums
Tom Rudzinskis: Saxophone
Eleonora Roussou
Songs about love in neo-soul, jazz and bolero styles, amongst which a music poem about “the meeting” (of souls). I felt the necessity to highlight love as a reminder/resistance to today’s everyday life, that we are safe and loved.
The project Hará was formed in 2019 by Eleonora Roussou as a means of expressing a series of music explorations needing embodiment. Diverse sounds and music styles, musicians with different backgrounds yet with the same joy for beautiful melodies and improvisation. The band’s music is a series of compositions inspired by human relationships, and by the nature of feelings. They are influenced by jazz, pop, Latin, classical, eastern Mediterranean, flamenco and soul, with a dominant element of improvisation. The band first appeared in the 6th Rialto Jazz and World music Showcase in 2019, and then Aglanjazz in 2021, the 16th Cyprus Rialto World Music Festival in 2021, the 8th Rialto Jazz and World Music Showcase in November 2021 and at Windcraft Music Festival in August 2022. The band has almost completed the recordings of Eleonora’s first album, titled Hará, which is expected to be released at the end of 2023.
Eleonora Roussou: Voice, Flute
Elias Ioannou: Trumpet
Marios Charalambous: Saxophone
Odysseas Toumazou: Guitars
Christos Yerolatsitis: Piano
Andreas Rodosthenous: Bass
Stelios Xydias: Drums
Rodos Panagiotou: Percussion