Zeeya: Pre-War Rebetiko and Greek Folk at Jamboree

Event information

A special Sunday night of pre-War Rebetiko and Greek folk featuring the 'Laiki kithara' (folk guitar) and violin at Jamboree, welcoming the fantastic Zeeya!

Zeeya are a dynamic, experimental guitar-violin duo based in London, playing a repertoire of pre-war (WWII) Rebetiko and Greek folk music. The 'Laiki kithara' (folk guitar) and the violin became increasingly important instruments in the urban folk music of the early 20th century in Greece and minor Asia. With musicians such as Antonis Dalgas, and Spyros Peristeris, the guitar breaks away from its monotonous rhythmic role and explores a plethora of melodic and rhythmic approaches. The violin acts as a second voice guiding and supporting vocals through lyrics that are very expressive, often long stories about love and despair, rejection and death.

As Zeeya, Vasileios Voulgaropoulos and Ismini Mouzakiti bring a progressive twist to the songs, experimenting with various techniques involving rhythms, harmonies and flavours from different musical genres. As a project, this is a space to explore this repertoire and these two instruments from a variety of perspectives – drawing inspiration from contemporary bands like Roviolides, Kadinelia, Monsieur Doumani and others.

Musicians

Ismini Mouzakiti: Vocals, violin
Vasileios Voulgaropoulos: Vocals, guitar

Jamboree food option: Our ‘Zer’ kitchen is open from 5pm serving delicious Middle Eastern fusion food for you to enjoy a pre-gig meal/snack if you wish!