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ADA PITSOU - Amorgos

SLAM: SLAMCD592
 
Ada Pitsou: compositions; Thodoros Kotepanos: piano; Dionisis Vervitsiotis: violin; Angelos Liakakis: ‘cello; Nikos Sidirokastritis: drums 
Recorded by Costas Bokos at Studio 19st
 
Showing that the SLAM label isn’t just a venue for improv, this recording brings a set of miniatures for a quartet with a structure that is neither classical nor jazz. Each piece runs for around 4 to 5 minutes, but the musical ideas and their development for each piece feel like they constitute a suite that has been shrunk to fit the limited timescale. 

The CD title is the name of an island in the Aegean.  Amorgos is the most eastern of the Greek Cyclades islands (with a population of a few thousand) and this lends some of the vibe to the set – both in terms of the musical palette used and the mood of the pieces.  Not only that, but the island itself contributes to the pieces, with recordings of lapping water, rustling grasses and blustering wind all featuring in the edits (and complementing the playing of the instruments).

Reviewed by Chris Baber

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