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Soul of Buffalo presents Petros Klampanis (World-Class Jazz Bassist-Composer w/ his Trio) live in the 9th Ward6pm Doors, 7pm Show
Tickets: On sale 11/15 @10am – General Admission Seated – $45 advance, $51 day of show available at TixR.com or in person at the Babeville Box Office (M-F 11a-5p – in person only, no fees for cash transactions, 3% credit/debit card fee).
Greek music composer, bassist and jazz performer Petros Klampanis is quickly becoming a household name in Greece and highly acclaimed within the international jazz scene. Having grown up on the island of Zakynthos, he was surrounded and influenced by the overlap of Mediterranean and Balkan folk music.
Now living between New York City and Athens, Greece, he is curious in his approach, always seeking unique ways to integrate elements from multiple genres, ranging from classical music to pop. His varied musical life journey marries aggressive melodicism, beautiful intonation, and uniquely personal sound on all the projects he leads or produces.
“The reason I fell in love with jazz is the freedom of expression it gives the performer each time. I got that bug very early in my life, ever since I started playing music. If I was to describe my music, I would call it a fusion of styles…mainly jazz and jazz improvisation, classical music such as romanticism, and world music. To be precise, the music of my country, Greek music.”
Klampanis withdrew from the Polytechnic School in Athens to pursue double bass performance studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory in 2005. He later completed his formal studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York and went on to perform alongside some of the city’s renowned jazz musicians, including saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, and drummer Ari Hoenig.
His relationship with Osby led to the release of his debut album, “Contextual,” on the saxophonist’s Inner Circle Music label. The album was praised by acclaimed bassist Arild Andersen which he described as, “one of the most exciting projects I have heard from a bass player in years.” Klampanis has received equal praise for his playing and composing. Fellow bassist Drew Gress notes his “aggressive melodicism, beautiful intonation, and uniquely personal string writing.” In 2012, Klampanis was invited by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra for a series of concerts throughout Latvia. His arrangement of the Greek folk song “Thalassaki” was recently performed by the Greek Public Symphonic Orchestra in Athens, with whom Klampanis performed in 2013.
Klampanis has collaborated with world-acclaimed artists such as Greg Osby, Jacques Morelenbaum, Oded Tzur, Arooj Aftab, Anoushka Shankar, Shai Maestro, Gilad Hekselman, Jean-Michel Pilc, Ari Hoenig, Snarky Puppy, Kinan Azmeh, Dimitra Galani, Maria Farantouri, Kinan Azmeh, among many others. His extensive list of performance credits includes Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Blue Note, The Kennedy Center, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA NYC), Barbican (London), Roskilde (Denmark), Glastonbury (UK), Rock in Rio (Lisbon), JazzAhead (Bremen), Jazzkaar (Tallinn), Athens Jazz Festival, XJazz Festival (Berlin), as well as Megaron Mousikis Athinon, Megaron Mousikis Thessalonikis, Onassis Foundation (NYC) and the Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
Since 2011, Klampanis has recorded five albums as a leader, receiving praise for his playing and composing. His 2022 album “Tora Collective” features a compact hybrid jazz/Greek folk ensemble interpreting popular Greek songs as well as originals. Using traditional Greek music to discover a common new voice, the project aims to build dialogue, spark creativity, cultivate respect for the past, pave a path forward, discover a new musical storytelling powerful enough to reach and touch audiences in many countries. This is an experiment that bridges worlds: the east and west, the traditional and the modern, the nostalgic and the forward-looking, using the power of music and improvisation.
His second album “Minor Dispute” was selected as one of the best jazz records of 2015 by National Public Radio. His third album, “Chroma” (Motéma), was named Best Live Album of 2017 by the Independent Music Awards and was featured in major international radio and press outlets including WBGO, FIP and TSF in France, Jazz, DownBeat and JazzTimes.
His fourth album (and first trio album) “Irrationalities” (Enja/Yellowbird), featuring longtime collaborators Kristjan Randalu and Bodek Janke, was recognized at the 2020 Independent Music Awards in three categories, and hailed by JazzTimes as “a dazzling, multifaceted thing of beauty.” His fifth album “Rooftop Stories,” a solo bass project recorded in Athens during the pandemic, highlights the imaginative musical universe of Klampanis using the bass as both a melodic and percussive instrument, as well as his voice. His new record “Latent Info” will be released in early 2025.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The 9th Ward, 341 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202-1871, United States,Buffalo, New York
Tickets
