A tribute to Manos Loízos

“I recall being a kid, listening to Haroula Aleksiou sing the calle Aristóteles (a few verses by Lefteris Papadópoulos, set to music by Yannis Spanos): “I pulled out tangerine peel from my pockets and threw it into your eyes to make you cry.” This tangerine peel, this Mediterranean fragrance, sweet and sour like the gloom that makes eyes water; this is Haroula, this is her voice. A voice that whispers, inspires us to dream, hits our soul’s softest chords and, at the same time, is able to shake us and drag us to unanticipated depths right before lifting us up to the heavens through the inspired rendition of a zeïmbekiko. This is what makes her voice unforgettable, and what makes her so unique: she can suffer and rejoice; she can sing ancient, anonymous, harsh folk songs accompanied by clarinets – songs she used to sing years ago in her Greek village, Thebes, during popular festivities; she can dance to the rhythm of the bousouki and make her whole audience stand up and join her, then sit down quietly and pen tender and intimate verses like the ones in Nefeli, which she sings solo with piano accompaniment. This woman who’s been giving life to our radio sets and record collections for years, meaning to our loneliness and our love affairs, endless cheerfulness to our dances and celebrations; this

woman, whose passion and authenticity make her shine from every stage she walks on, embodies everything we used to love - and still keep loving - about Greece. She is our Haroula.”

Klairh Skandami
(Archeologist, Greek language teacher)


Greek singer, songwriter and poetess Harís Alexiou began her career in the early 1970s. During these years of tireless artistic activity, she has published more than 30 albums in which she sings the verses of the great Greek poets, her country’s folk songs and her own compositions, which have already turned into Greek folk classics.

The so-called “Haroula from Greece” partly broke from tradition and, for some time, sung her folk repertoire in her country’s night-clubs besides performing in great theatres and festivals in the five continents.

Ever interested in young Greek artists and willing to support their efforts, Harís also collaborated with world-class artists such as Loreena McKennit, Seze Aksun, or Paolo Conte.

Harís Alexiou firmly believes that Greek song, through its lyricists and composers, has inspired her to love and gain a deeper understanding of her country’s history and culture.

LINEUP:

Harís ALEXÍOU, vocals
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Papadoukas KONSTANTINOS, piano
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Manolas, DIMITRIOS, bouzouki
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Pertsinidis CHRISTOS, guitar
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Gotsinas CHRISTOS, drums
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Politis NIKOLAOS, bass
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Papadopoulos EFTHYMIOS, flute
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Vasiliou CHRISTAKIS, percussions
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Giouletzis ATHANASIOS, violin