Multi-talented musician and one of the best rebetiko singers. Of Italian nationality, he came from a musical family which came to Piraeus in 1918. In 1922 he settled in Drapetsona, where his father, who played the violin, opened a musical instrument manufacturing workshop.

With the insistence of Vangelis Papazoglou and Stellakis Perpiniadis, he appeared on stage as a singer in 1934 and in 1935 recorded his first album with "Seretis " by Iakovos Montanaris. Kostas Skarvelis chose him as his main singer and entrusted him with 48 of the approximately 70 songs that Giorgos Kavouras recorded in his discography Giorgos Kavouras died on February 20, 1943, after suffering a stroke while playing in the shop of his friend Stellakis Perpiniadis in Chaidari.

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Alexis Zoumbas was a Greek folk violinist who gained recognition for his recordings in the early 20th century. He is particularly known for his contributions to the Greek and Balkan music traditions, as well as his influence on American folk music.

Zoumbas was born in the early 1880s in the region of Epirus, which is now part of Greece. He emigrated to the United States in the early 1900s, like many Greeks seeking better economic opportunities. In the United States, he continued to play and record his music, which featured a unique blend of Greek, Balkan, and American folk elements. His recordings often showcased his virtuosic violin playing.

While not widely recognized during his lifetime, Alexis Zoumbas' recordings have gained attention and appreciation among folk music enthusiasts and collectors over the years. His music has been influential in the revival of traditional Greek and Balkan music and has also left a mark on American folk music.

Zoumbas' recordings are considered valuable cultural artifacts, preserving a snapshot of the musical traditions of his time and the cross-cultural influences that shaped his music.

This week we once again focus on instrumental rare Rebetiko Gems. Delving into some works from Lukianos Cavadias, Alexis Zoumbas & Manolis Hiotis.

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The bouzouki was apparently not particularly well-known among the refugees from Asia Minor, but had been known by that name in Greece since at least 1835, from which year a drawing by the Danish artist Martinus Rørbye has survived. It is a view of the studio of the Athenian luthier Leonidas Gailas (Λεωνίδας Γάϊλας), whom the artist describes as Fabricatore di Bossuchi. The drawing clearly shows a number of bouzouki-like instruments. Despite this evidence, we still know nothing of the early history of the instrument's association with what came to be called rebetiko Recent research has however uncovered a number of hitherto unknown references to the instrument during the 19th and early 20th centuries, including evidence of its established presence in the Peloponnese. Become a patron of this podcast www.patreon.com/ConKalamaras

Delving into the world of rare recordings from the 1920's, and one of the oldest recordings of the bouzouki!

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Spiros Peristeris was born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. His parents were Aristides, a famous musician who originated from Athens, and Despina (née Bekou) who was a Corsican Greek and an Italian citizen. Peristeris learned to play the mandolin from a young age. Around 1914, his family moved to Constantinople where Peristeris graduated from the Italian school, managing to learn Italian and German. He also completed his music studies and was already an acclaimed musician at the age of 18. Agapios Tomboulis (Hagop Stambulyan) (Greek: Αγάπιος Τομπούλης; 1891–1965) was a famous Armenian and Greek oud player of rebetiko and Greek folk music, Armenian folk music, Turkish folk music, Jewish folk music born in Constantinople, he is known for being a well-known associate of Roza Eskenazi.

Vassilis Tsitsanis (1915-1984) was a Greek singer, songwriter, and bouzouki player, considered one of the most influential figures in Greek music. He is often referred to as the "architect" of modern Greek popular music.

Tsitsanis was born on January 18, 1915, in Trikala, Greece. He began playing the bouzouki at a young age and eventually moved to Athens in the late 1930s to pursue a career in music. His innovative style and compositions played a significant role in the evolution of rebetiko, a genre of Greek music associated with urban working-class culture.

The bouzouki arrived in Greece following the 1919–1922 war in Asia Minor and the subsequent population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The early bouzoukia mostly had three courses (six strings in three pairs, known as trichordo) and were tuned in different ways, according to the scale one wanted to play. At the end of the 1950s, four-course (tetrachordo) bouzouki started to gain popularity. The four-course bouzouki was made popular by Manolis Chiotis, who also used a tuning akin to standard guitar tuning, which made it easier for guitarists to play bouzouki; this angered purists, but allowed for greater virtuosity and helped elevate the bouzouki into a truly popular instrument capable of a wide range of musical expression. Recently the three-course bouzouki has gained in popularity. The first recording with the four-course instrument was made in 1956.