Greek Oudist Pianist And Composer Alekos Vretos Has Been Merging Jazz Arabic Greek And Latin Music In A Masterful Blend Of Sounds From Traditional Instruments Such As The Oud Or The Nay Vs. The Modern Ones. As A Bandleader Alekos Has Developed A Unique Atmosphere For His Music Keeping Traditional Sound In The Front Line He Expands It Through Jazz Improvisation And Exploding Rhythmic Development. “Mergin’” His First Personal Album Released In 2009 – Following ‘Yunan’ With The Meliti Ensemble In 2004 – Was Welcomed By Audience And Critics. A Bold And Tasteful Blend Of Jazz And Arabic Improvisation “Mergin’” Takes Oud Playing To Uncharted Territories. A Heavy Jazz Taste And A Fine Traditional Arabic Scent Emerges From The Stimulating Matching With Musicians Such As Bassam Saba And Takis Paterelis On This Live – Like Recorded Album. “Mergin’” Was Launched By Jadeo Music An Indie Record And Management Company Alekos Founded In Athens Featuring World Jazz And Classical Music And Fellow Artists. He Was Included In 2013 List Of The 100 1 Most Influential People In The Greek Music Scene. Some Of The Venues That Alekos Has Performed In - With Great Reviews On His Playing And Composing - Are The Herodion GR The Athens Concert Hall GR The Berklee Performance Center USA Mount Holyoke College USA The Tombs Of Kings In Palestine The Argos Ancient Theatre GR The Half Note Jazz Club GR The Vortex Jazz Club UK The 1er Piso Jazz Club MEX 2nd Athens World Jazz Music Festival GR 1st Medieval Byzantine Festival Of Kastoria GR . He Has Collaborated With Legendary Composer Mikis Theodorakis As Well As Gilad Atzmon Simon Shaheen Haig Yazdjian Theodore Antoniou The Greek Contemporary Ensemble The Kamerata The Orchestra Of The Friends Of Music The Jazz Upstairs Big Band Yorgos Fakanas Dimitris Maragopoulos The Athens State Orchestra Lakis Chalkias Kostas Thomaidis And Takis Paterelis To Name A Few. Read More On Last.Fm. User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply.