| What they said about the composers, singers and musicians |
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Markos Vamvakaris
"The Bouzouki, its improvisations and its secrets, are not known to everyone. The bouzouki, which was persecuted by the police as if it were a crime, is a wonderful thing, a great matter. Not just anyone can play it. I learned from the old masters little by little, in dives all over the place, because I had a passion for it. I lived just to play."
From the autobiography of Markos Vamvakaris.
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Yiovan Tsaous
"He stood in for me as a true father. The melodies of Yiovan Tsaous were something fantastic and his way of working unique. As an instrumentalist Yiovan Tsaous was amazing and highly rated in those days. "
From the autobiography of Yiannis Lelakis. |
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Anestos Delias
"Anestos father, Panayiotis, played santouri and his father's brother, Michalis, the violin, and Anestos played the guitar... Anestos was a good composer and a fine lad, quiet... And he played lovely magical bouzouki."
From the autobiography of Nikos Mathesis. |
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Stratos Payioumtzis
"He had nightingales nesting in his throat".
From the autobiography of Stellakis Perpiniades.
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"Marika was unrivalled on stage... When she sang the people were positively pinned to their tables. She was terrific. She sang and it was a master class, like a teacher lecturing students at their benches. The joy Marika brought to the stage created an atmosphere that just wrecked the place."
From the autobiography of Vassili Tsistanis.
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Apostolos Hatzichristos
"Apostolos Hatzichristou was like a column of the Parthenon!"
From the autobiography of George Zambetas. |
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"Tsistanis is the Greek seashore, he is the Greek mountains, the sun, the flowers, the truth, sorrow, pain, tears, joy, nobility. Tsistanis is the people!"
From the autobiography of Yiannis Lelakis.
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"I had no shoes and my trousers were rolled up, but when he started to play, I couldn't keep still. I started dancing at the back of the room, near our own table, and I could see that Papaioannou was watching me. Then he stopped playing. 'Hey you kid!' he said.'Come over here and dance'. But I was ashamed because I had no shoes on and I shook my head. Papaioannou had been smoking, I could see he was excited. 'If you don't dance' he said 'I'll break the bouzouki in two'. What could I do?... at first I was nervous, with everyone looking at me, but then I began dancing and I forgot about the people. When I stopped dancing they went wild, and Papaioannou went on playing and I went on dancing all night. I tell you... there wasn't a thing that wasn't smashed. They broke the chairs and tables and plates and glasses, and they carried me out on their shoulders."
From 'The Road to Rembetika' by Gail Holst.
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Yiorgos Batis
"Batis is the pioneer among rembetes... when we speak of Batis we're talking rembetiko and the history of Pireaus. A great matter, The king of hashish smokers and the king of rembetes... The teacher of them all."
From the autobiography of Nikos Mathesis.
"You should all know that Batis comes first of all. First Batis, and then all the others follow afterwards. I would say that the most famous man in Piraeus was Batis."
From the autobiography of Michalis Genitsaris.
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What they Said
