Alekos Vretos

EPK BIO – LONG

Alekos Vretos is an internationally active oud virtuoso, composer and bandleader whose work bridges jazz improvisation with Mediterranean, Arabic, Greek and contemporary music traditions. Known for redefining the role of the oud in modern contexts, he combines strong compositional thinking, orchestral awareness and cinematic narrative with deep improvisational language.

Originally trained as a pianist, he studied at Berklee College of Music, where he received the Outstanding Musicianship Award and the Philippós Nákas Scholarship. His early work was also recognized by the City of Boston with an Award for Community Service.

Vretos has released several landmark recordings including Yunan with the Meliti Ensemble, recipient of the Argolis State Award for Music, followed by the personal albums Mergin’ and K. on Top. His current project, Mediterranean Echoes, explores rhythm as a collective melodic force within a jazz quartet without percussion.

Alongside his recording activity, he has composed music for film, theatre, television and multimedia, including the award-winning film Coeur Noyé (Drowned Heart), which received Best Film at the Martinique International Film Festival.

He has collaborated with major figures such as Mikis Theodorakis, Simon Shaheen, Gilad Atzmon, Haig Yazdjian and Martha D Lewis, and has performed at leading venues and festivals in Greece, the UK, Mexico, the USA and Europe, including the Athens Concert Hall, Herodion Theatre, Ronnie Scott’s, Rich Mix, The Vortex, Primer Piso Jazz Club and the Brosella World & Jazz Festival.

In parallel, Vretos has held long-term institutional and leadership roles with the Athens State Orchestra and the Megaron – Athens Concert Hall, contributing to large-scale productions, artistic planning and cultural initiatives.

Awards

Award for “Outstanding Musicianship” of the Berklee College Music and the Phillipos Nakas scholarship for the year 1995. Award for community service in the city of Boston (Piano teaching for unprivileged children) 1997. Argolis State Award for Music for his album “Yunan”. 2005

Gear

Alekos Vretos plays a Dimitris Rapakousios hand made oud, manifactured to his specifications.

Alekos K. Vretos: K On Top

Read "K On Top" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey

by C. Michael Bailey
February 18, 2015

All musical genre can be blended with one another. As I get older and more persnickety, I am coming to believe that just because two musical traditions can be blended that they necessarily should be. I have listened to countless experiments with cross-pollination that best have been left alone. Gratefully, this is not true of Greek musician and composer Alekos Vretos, who seamlessly divines the perfumed essence of Middle Eastern music, infusing that essence into jazz and creating a rich ...

Recording

Alekos Vretos Releases His New Album "K On Top"

Source: Alekos Vretos
December 5, 2014

Jadeo Music & Ankh Jazz presents K on Top, a new CD by Alekos K. Vretos. After his debut album Mergin’ in 2009, oud soloist and composer Alekos K. Vretos embarked on a new journey through music he loves. Mixing and matching over the years with his various ensembles (trios, quartets, quintets), he found the musical balance he needed to record this intriguing new work. Arabic, Greek and Latin music elements served on a powerful jazz platter by a strong ...
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PRESS QUOTES Ø “Alekos Vretos seamlessly divines the perfumed essence of Middle Eastern music, infusing that essence into jazz and creating a rich world music hybrid that is as enjoyable to listen to as it is bold to consider.” C. Michael Bailey – All About Jazz (18th February 2015) Ø “If you hear music with your soul, you can’t miss out on “K on Top” by Vretos” Maria Markouli – It’s My Blender - mariamarkouli.blogspot.gr (12th January 2015) Ø “Every piece (in “K on Top”) demonstrates a linear climax of feelings that are drawn through the compositions” Christos Ieridis – Ta Nea (1st December 2014) Ø “A World Jazz dynamite with Alekos Vretos’ signature” Dimitris Trikas – Popaganda.gr (29th November 2015) Ø “Alekos Vretos lives amongst us all. There are too many good reasons to say that he is needed in the Athens music scene.” Yannis Panagopoulos, Fractal Magazine, (4th September 2014) Ø “Moments of artistic showmanship (from Alekos Vretos), though, charged with pure passion. That was, and is, the most important thing.” Review by Yorgos Monemvasitis, ENet, (21st June 2014) Ø “-The Jazz “foreman”-. Alekos Vretos is not your average jazz musician, he has taken it personally to propagate world jazz music to everyone.” Athens Voice, (21st May 2014) Ø “Alekos Vretos is admittedly a very unusual case of musician. It is hard to think of many others who, having gained a lot of knowledge and highly skilled in a very difficult and demanding nature (Jazz), suddenly turned into a perhaps even more demanding genre (World Jazz) with a traditional instrument (oud), which soon came to be played by Alekos with quite an extent virtuosity!” Thanos Mantzanas, Aygi, (29th September 2012) Ø “A musician that has gained respect, through evolving into a style of “Mediterranean Jazz”.” Mondomix, (2nd January 2012) Ø “Vretos created a world-jazz fusion song that is as incredibly catchy as any Billboard pop music tune; not an easy feat to accomplish. Surreal.” Dave Summer, birdistheworm.com, (2nd January 2012) Ø “It is so interesting, we can certainly get why it won the World Channel 1st prize on OurStage in July of 2010”. OurStage.com (February 13, 2011) Ø “Alekos Vretos does a wonderful job flexing the Greek music muscle, injecting it with Latin, Arabic and of course-given his creative gives-and-takes with Atzmon- Jazz flavours. Review by Danai Molocha for Live At Your Local www.liveatyourlocal.co.uk (12th April 2012) Ø “Unique in its kind” Kornilios Diamantopoulos, JAZZ & JAZZ (February 2010) Ø “Jazz music as played by Vretos belongs only to him” ETHNOS OUT (18th February 2010) Ø “An overall interesting and pleasant debut from a very promising musician” Yiannis Stefanakos, JAZZIN’ (March 2010) Ø “Mergin’ is an excellent musical journey, a reason for one to smile” Sotiris Mpekas, DIFONO (17th February 2010) —————————————————————————————- CD reviews fro "YUNAN" ‘E’ 01-05-2005 Meta....Mousikis......... by G. Christodoulopoulos A caravan of western-trained greek musicians, explores in detail the artistic tradition of the middle-east, guided by the outstanding oud soloist, student of Master Simon Shaheen, Alekos K. Vretos. Great collaboration of Nikos and Yiasemi Saragouda. Athinorama 2005 cd reviews by........A.Zilos With similar artistic sensitivity musicians as G. Konstantinidis & D. Theologitis (violin), B. Karahoutis(bass), D. Emmanouil(perc), N. Saragoudas (oud), A. Skandalos(qanun) and others, Alekos K. Vretos(oud) & P. Papadopoulos(violin) let the greek soul to share its history with the arabic one. Sunday Ethnos out 12-18 December 2004 cd review Greek.......Caravan in the middle-east A musical bridge between east and west is formed by this interesting CD release. Exactly like Greece is the cross road between east and west, the same applies to the pieces of this album as they are distinguished by the harmonic co-existence of elements from the eastern and western “palette”. Ta Nea weekend 4-5 December 2004 With an Eastern Sent.......... by H. Pontida Independent production by six outstanding musicians- Meliti ensemble - that gives a flavor of the interaction of the Arabic and Greek musical tradition. Apofasi 23-12- 2004 what to hear and not during the Christmas holidays by..........C. Siafkos Young and effective with an inspiration in ways that combine east and west, are the members of the “Meliti ensemble”. they come with the album “Yunan” with a new music proposition.

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