The new album Phosphorus Hesperus by Takis Barbagalas is one of the 2015 surprises.
It’s been two years since the second Manticore’s Breath album and Takis returns to the atmospheric, progressive sound of Will-O-the-wisp to deliver a fully instrumental album inspired by the myth of Phosphorus and Hesperus, the star with the two names.
Phosphorus Hesperus is a progressive-psychedelic album based on guitar, farfisa and flutes. Dreamy and poetic.
There are 4 compositions in total: side A is Phosphorus (3 parts), side B is Hesperus (1 part).
The artwork is again of very high standards with a hard cover and colored vinyl.
There are 3 limited vinyl editions: 300 numbered blue vinyl, 300 numbered green vinyl and 65 red & purple split vinyl including cd, poster and card. There is also a cd edition.
Video - Giorgos Panourgias
Takis has kindly answered a few questions for GREEKAZOID (in Greek the original answers adapted in English by GREEKAZOID):
Συνέντευξη με τον Τάκη Μπαρμπαγάλα - An interview with Takis Barbagalas
G: Phosphorus - Hesperus, Αυγερινός - Αποσπερίτης. Ο ήχος και οι συνθέσεις φέρνουν περισσότερο στο μυαλό τις μέρες των Will-Ο-the-wisp αλλά με ένα πιο ανοικτό και εξωστρεφή τρόπο. Πως προέκυψε αυτός ο δίσκος;
Phosphorus – Hesperus. The sound and compositions bring in mind the Will-O-the-wisp days but in a more extrovert way. How did this record come up?
TB: Η ιδέα για έναν instrumental δίσκο προέκυψε μετά την δημιουργία του τρίτου δίσκου των Will-O-the Wisp. Γι’ αυτό το λόγο στον τέταρτο δίσκο (A gift for your dreams) τα φωνητικά είναι περιορισμένα, ενώ τα μουσικά μέρη μεγαλύτερα. Η ίδια συνθήκη ίσχυσε και στα άλμπουμ των Manticore’s Breath. Μετά από αυτές τις παραγωγές θεώρησα ότι ήμουν πλέον έτοιμος για έναν instrumental δίσκο. Ο ήχος πλησιάζει περισσότερο στους Will-Ο-the-wisp, αφενός γιατί είναι ένας psych-prog δίσκος, αφετέρου γιατί δημιουργήθηκε από τους ίδιους συντελεστές. Η συνθετική λογική, η τεχνική και το κλίμα του δίσκου όμως διαφέρουν εντελώς, με το τελικό αποτέλεσμα να διαφοροποιείται αισθητά από τη δισκογραφία των Will-Ο-the-wisp. The idea for an instrumental album evolved after the 3rd Will-O-the-wisp record. That’s why the 4th album (A gift for your dreams) had extended musical and less vocal parts. The same condition was also present in Manticore’s Breath albums. After these releases I considered myself ready for a full instrumental one. The sound is closer to Will-O-the-wisp as it is a psych-prog record created by the same band members. Yet the approach and technique behind the composition differ and so does the ambience, making the final outcome quite different from the Will-O-the-wisp discography.
G: Κάνεις τις παραγωγές των δίσκων σου, φροντίζεις τα εξώφυλλα, αλλάζεις συχνά εκφραστικά σχήματα αλλά δεν κάνεις live. Σου λείπει η επαφή με τον κόσμο; Σου γίνονται προτάσεις να παίξεις στο εξωτερικό;
You produce your records, design the covers, change frequently expressive vehicles but hardly do any live performance. Do you miss this interaction with your audience?
TB: Τα τελευταία χρόνια, το ενδιαφέρον μου εστιάζεται ιδιαίτερα στη σύνθεση και στο studio. Ως προς το κομμάτι της δημιουργίας νομίζω πως αυτό με καλύπτει απόλυτα. Επίσης θεωρώ πως είναι λίγο δύσκολο να αποδοθεί στο live η όλη εικόνα, που έχω στο μυαλό μου. Ίσως στο μέλλον να κάνω ορισμένες επιλεκτικές εμφανίσεις. Όσον αφορά το artwork και την παραγωγή των δίσκων δίνω ιδιαίτερη σημασία στο να αποδοθεί το κλίμα του δίσκου με τον καλύτερο τρόπο και το τελικό αποτέλεσμα να φτάσει σ’ ένα υψηλό επίπεδο. These last years I am particularly interested in composing and working at studio. As of the creative part I am fully satisfied with this. I consider it difficult to make a live performance as I envision it. Probably in the future we will do some selective appearances. As for the artwork and the production, they are of great significance to me in order to best support the music and achieve a high quality standard.
G: Τι να περιμένουμε μετά; Δεύτερο προσωπικό, WOW, Manticore ή κάτι άλλο;
What to expect next? A second personal album, Will-O-the-wisp, Manticore’s Breath or other?
TB: Η επόμενη κυκλοφορία θα είναι ένας δεύτερος προσωπικός δίσκος, κατά πάσα πιθανότητα instrumental. Υπάρχουν ήδη δύο συνθέσεις έτοιμες και ηχογραφημένες. The next release will be a second personal album, probably instrumental. Two compositions are already finalized and recorded.
G: Έχεις κάποιο "τρελό" μουσικό όνειρο που θα ήθελες να πραγματοποιήσεις κάποτε;
Do you have a “wild” music dream you want to make true at some point?
TB: Νομίζω πως μετά από τόσα χρόνια και τόσους δίσκους έχω πραγματοποιήσει αρκετά από τα τρελά μουσικά μου όνειρα, μέσα από τα οποία αποβλέπω σε μία συνεχή μουσική εξέλιξη. I think after all those years and records I have fulfilled many of my wild music dreams, through which I aim at a continuous musical evolution.
What is particularly interesting about Tom Kazas is the diversity of his art.
From the psychedelic Moffs to the ethnic groove of Xitzaz, from his ambient works to his film-making, Tom seems to enjoy interpreting things from all possible angles, then letting his ideas “breath” before come into shape.
Tom Kazas, born 1965, is a Greek /Australian composer, producer, singer, multi-instrumentalist and recently a film maker.
The Moffs - Another Day in the Sun (from The Moffs, 1986)
As well as being the creative force behind the Moffs, the Australian psychedelic pop/rock group of the 80s, Tom has a rich discography as a solo artist, but also as a producer and arranger.
His collaborations range from psychedelic pop (Taj Orange EP, 1991), to the ethnic (with Richard Lawson of Lime Spiders on the 1994 Fig Tree Renaissance album, and with the Ducers, Shift the Teli album of 1996). From Greek jazz (with Xitzaz band and the album Turbulence of 1999) to Xmas songs (in Tiny Tim’s Christmas Album of 1996).
Taj Orange - Premonition (from In A Sea With..., 1991)
Unfortunately most of his records are really hard to find. Tom did surprise me and send me a couple of his rare and out of print recordings.
The album Turbulence by Xitzaz is a very special case. Kazas is a member, arranger and producer for Xitzaz, which is a band playing Greek jazz, as they claim on Tom’s web site.
I would describe this as a jazz/funk/traditional fusion featuring inspired covers of traditional and popular Greek songs but also original compositions from Kazas and the band.
Check their magnificent cover of master of rembetico Markos Vamvakaris' Frangosiriani.
Frangosiriani - Xitzaz (from Turbulence, 1999)
Tom’s latest album, Verdigris, was released earlier this year.
It is a full length piano album of four pieces.
A minimal work with an emphasis on the rhythmic, repetitive patterns which progress slowly in moving cycles.
Emerge - Tom Kazas (from Verdigris, 2011)
Cinema is another extension of Tom’s artistic endeavor. He has made several short films with The Topologist being the latest one. It’s a 16 minute “cinema poem on the examination of self”, as he explains.
The Topologist trailer
A discussion with Tom Kazas
G: Tom what is your Greek heritage?
My father was born in a village near Nafplion and came to Australia in 1959. My mother was born in Sydney, whose father came to Australia in 1933 from Castellorizo.
G: You have worked with many Greeks (writing music for their films, producing albums, composing etc). Is there an artistic Greek community in Australia?
I'm certain there is a community. I don't interact with it much now, so I don’t know what shape it takes. When I work with Greeks, I tend to see them as 'individuals with extras'. I have always enjoyed the freedom to be able to engage with Greeks, and then the freedom to ignore that identity. I think it's that circularity that helps to keep Hellenism alive for me, here in an anglophone country.
When I was younger I was much more involved with the Greek community in Sydney. I was the composer for a many Greek Theatre productions, and later with the Greek jazz band 'Xitzaz'. There was certainly a strong sense of community around those activities.
I suspect that as the Greek-Australian community matures and hybridizes, it becomes more about 'choosing' to be Greek. There is so much to choose from and be stunned by. I have always understood that it is at my core, personally and as a westerner, and know that it will continue to give me energy for the rest of my life.
G: You recently played a few gigs with the Moffs. How was it? Any plans for new music?
The recent Moffs gigs were a great experience for me, and I think for many people. Because we played a 1985 setlist with the original members, it was a rare opportunity to get into that distant headspace. Remember, I was twenty years old in 1985, so it was a way to experience part of that naiveté and joy again. After the gigs I was told there were a few tears in a few eyes. I was also told that 'Another Day in the Sun' had been played at weddings! Mostly, it was great to play that style of rock guitar and sing a few old songs. There are no plans for any further new music by the Moffs.
G: I think the uniqueness of the Moffs sound is somehow connected with your Greek heritage. In many cases you are following "eastern" routes when singing or playing the guitar. Same thing with your solo albums. For example in Garden of Fascination from Saint or Fool.
You are not only perceptive but essentially right in your listening. In fact, there has never been an album that I have released, Moffs or other, that has not had some rather strong Greek elements in it. I could easily make a list of songs for you like 'Garden of Fascination', that have a Greek heart; from the earliest Moffs to Verdigris, and in the Topologist.
Garden of Fascination - Tom Kazas (from Saint or Fool, 1997)
G: Another observation has to do with what we have already discussed as diversity in your music. I think these elements, that might be not so obvious or fully developed in the Moffs, were taken a step further on your solo albums. If the early years are about the big picture, then the mature years are about exploring the detail. For example, the Dolphin and I, Tapestry or the first half of Stealing Cake. I have the feeling that you took some not-fully-developed ideas and perfected them in your Telemetry or Fleeting Eternities albums. And then you took elements from Telemetry and Fleeting Eternities to stretch, improvise and further explore into Verdigris.
And again, you are right. The Moffs contained that combination of 'the song' and 'the instrumental' that I have mostly separated out, and continued to explore in my 'mature years'! It is mostly a conscious decision, for it has allowed me to bounce between the two poles, to use one to react against the other, a kind of escape valve.
It is true that on Verdigris I took a small group of seeds and sought to create whole worlds from them. Maybe it reflects my aging process, of seeking to distill and simplify, to explore what is easily missed, to try and have some power over time. Verdigris is this attempt at playing with time.
However, making the Topologist was such an important break in that musical bouncing process. It allowed me the freedom to really change the focus, and find a new way to question my place.
G: Is there a “wild” dream sitting in the back of your mind? Something that when it's done, it might surprise even its creator?
I don't really have an answer to that question, or, my answer doesn't seem to be that wild. Apart from: -wanting to connect with an audience of millions, -being heralded as a genius -being talked about, and -performing at Lycabettos...
If I have an answer, it is this: To stay connected with art. As I age, the form this connection takes is less important to me. What is important is the making, the praxis, the necessity of it. I hope to never lose my hunger for the thoughts and feelings of people, and the products of those thoughts and feelings. I would hate to lose that awareness, and then be content to live without it. That would be poverty. But I hear Kazantzakis' words resounding, for he told us how to attain freedom: by not fearing, not hoping. Being an artist is one of the few activities that allows you to act in freedom, expensive though this sometimes is.
G: What’s next?
I am putting the finishing touches to my new four song ep, ‘Melbn Pyxis’ that I will release in 2012. It is refreshing for me because the lyrics have never been this direct, or personal. It felt like I needed to be more courageous, and the lyrical honesty on the ep was a way of achieving that. I hope to also be performing these songs with a new band.
Later next year I hope to release the dvd, 'the Topologist and other Cinema Poems'. This release will mean that the Topologist will finally be available. It is also a nice way to issue some of my video work, of which a few are on youtube .
Several years ago, film and video became an all-encompassing activity for me. At a time in my life when I needed to ‘see’ things differently, film making became obvious and necessary. I think the activity of being a film maker was always latent in me. An added inspiration is the work of Theo Angelopoulos. Creating the Greek version of 'the Topologist’ was a wonderful exercise in exploring the poetry of the Greek language, and also the difficulties of translation. My dear friend Nonda Antonopoulos, from Xitzaz and the Ducers, did most of the translation work. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without him. It was also an honour to have Kristi Stassinpoulou perform the voice over.
In his own words:
My first record: I really can't remember. I had my sister's and uncle's records, and I was borrowing from the library and from friends. But at 10 years old I was given 'High Tide Green Grass' by the Rolling Stones.
I was also hearing the Greek music my father was playing in the house, Theodorakis and Xarhakos. He made little edited Super8 films of family things and would then project it with a variety of music from his reel to reel tape machine. These were early multi-media experiences for me.
My first concert: There was a festival day with local bands like the Angels, Split Enz, Jimmy and the Boys. But the first 'concert' for me was the Cure in 1981, I was 16.
The song I wish I had written: At the moment, it's 'Atom and Cell' by Nine Horses (David Sylvian).
1. The sheer beauty and wonder of existence. The depth of sorrow it also contains.
2. The scale of legal corruption.
3. What my children say and do.
My moto:
Oh, I have several. Here are but a few, in no particular order:
'To be courageous, one must perform acts of courage'.
'Be attentive to the few moments that give meaning'.
'You only know yourself in the presence of others'.
'Creative work is serious play'.
Letter to the Dead - Tom Kazas (from The Wound, 1999)
End as Beginning - Tom Kazas (from Telemetry, 2003)
Discography and info about Tom Kazas on his site: http://www.tomkazas.net Hint: Tom has a few copies of the out-of-print Xitzaz album. You can contact him here!
When I first contacted Demetrios Kastaris, beginning of November, I did it to ask if he was going to release any of the material produced by his new project, Conjunto Katharí. Until then I had only read on the web about the new group and their mix of salsa and gospel, but I didn’t have an idea of their sound. Nothing existed on the web. Demetrios not only responded but also sent me the 3 songs they had recorded at the time! The timing was great as he informed me they were about to release the songs. So this is probably the first article written where you can also listen to a sample of Conjunto Katharí music. The 3 songs were made available online last week.
Conjunto Katharí was founded in June of 2010 by trombonist Demetrios Kastaris and his wife, Arts Administrator Hilda Kastaris. Conjunto (pronounced cone-hoón-toe) means musical ensemble in Spanish, and Katharí means pure and clean in Greek.
Demetrios Kastaris explains that the purpose of the group is to perform Afro-Caribbean music with Gospel lyrics.
The instrumentation consists of 4 trombones in 4 parts harmony (big influence was the 4 trombones arrangements of Willie Colon), 3 percussionists, 3 singers in harmony, piano, bass, plus invited guest soloists.
Demetrios with Salsa Legend Willie Colon
The orchestra’s debut concert took place December, 2010 at Flushing Town Hall in Queens, New York with master Jazz virtuoso trombone and conch shell player Steve Turre as a guest.
Conjunto Katharí have just released their first recordings.
Here's a preview of the 3 songs 1. Si Tuvieras Fé Como Un Grano De Mostaza (If You Had the Faith of a Mustard Seed) 2. Vamos Escalando Peldaños (Let’s Go Climbing Up Stairs) 3. Wade in the Water
Q: Demetrios you've been called “El Griego Rumbero”. The Latin-Jazz Coalition has gained a good reputation and released an acclaimed album and you introduced Conjunto Kathari, your salsa-gospel project. What is your musical vision?
With the Latin Jazz Coalition I wish to continue doing concerts with well-known artists as well as continue growing as a trombone player, composer, arranger, band leader, and Jazz improviser. Just because I founded a new group called Conjunto Kathari does not mean that I am going to stop doing concerts with the Latin Jazz Coalition.
Oh by the way, I am called El Griego Rumbero because I was born in Greece and I maintain my Greek identity while performing Afro Cuban and Puerto Rican music with a great band and with well-known musicians. Historians and scholars of Latin music have brought it to my attention that I am the first Greek-American in recorded history to lead an authentic sounding Latin band of Afro Caribbean music and Jazz.
In terms of Conjunto Kathari which is only a year and a half old I have a very different vision. There is a message of God`s love in Conjunto Kathari. I want to give hope and love to people that feel hopeless and helpless, regardless of what culture they come from or what their religion is. God has put that love in my heart for all people. I desire to play in prisons, psychiatric hospitals, and on the streets in tough neighborhoods where there is gang violence, drugs, and prostitution. All these people need to feel love. I get this desire to do humanistic things from my relationship to Jesus Christ. I have been given so many blessings it`s time for me to give back.
For those who don`t know Greek and Spanish Conjunto Kathari means pure and clean musical ensemble. That`s quite a reputation to live up to. I feel that Conjunto Kathari has to play in an exceptionally excellent way because many people don`t accept our message as far as Jesus is concerned. If our music is great many people will eventually accept our message.
Also in Conjunto Kathari I get to play in a trombone section with a total of 4 great trombone players in 4 part harmony. I also get to play Salsa with Gospel lyrics as well as Contemporary and traditional Gospel music. I have wanted to do all of this for years.
Q: What is your Greek heritage?
I was born in Theassaloniki in 1959. In 1961 we moved to the United States. My dad was a Greek Orthodox priest for his entire life. My mom was a home maker from Athens. My dad was also 100% Greek and grew up in Athens but he was born in Alexandria Egypt. I consider myself 100% Greek (Greek American). I also can claim a small tie to African rhythm from my father`s side. I grew up in an extremely Greek environment and culture. We spoke Greek only at home and English only at school. I went to Greek school at 3:30 after American school for many years so that I would learn Greek. I have visited Greece in the summer ten times and I love my Greek culture.
We love to eat spanakopita and baklava. We also really love to listen to Kalamatiano and Zembekiko. Even though I am immersed in Afro Cuban music today I really love to listen to recordings of Haris Alexiou. I go crazy when I listen to that music.
By the way, my wife is from Colombia, South America so I am fully fluent in three languages, English, Greek, and Spanish.
Q: Your favorite music?
I love Latin music, Latin Jazz, Greek music, Jazz, Classical, almost everything except for music that talks about violence
Q: Any plans of live performances in Greece/Europe in the future?
It has been my desire for years to travel to Greece and do concerts. We have to stay at it and see what doors open up.
Q: What's next?
Well, I have been working very hard with my wife building the infrastructure and administrative strength of both bands. This part of being an artist is tedious and time consuming but as in the past it has opened many marvelous doors for performing and recording. We want to record more with both orchestras.
