Musicians from Greece and Australia will pay homage to the Greek blues, or Rebetiko, in a festival at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Saturday.
Pliri Ntaxei and Chrysoula K & Purpura from Greece, plus Australia-based performers Zourouna, the Melbourne Rebetiko Ensemble, Pascal Latra and the Philhellenes, thee Melbourne Bouzouki Orchestra with Dean Georgalas and the Manasis School of Greek and Dance Culture promise to create a melodious symposium.
Rebetiko was created in the hash dens of Piraeus 100 years ago by Greek refugees from Asia Minor.
It has over the decades become a globally respected musical style. Rebetiko is the music of passion, pain and love. It is a tapestry woven of Byzantine, Turkish, Roma, Jewish and other musical legacies.