GREECE: Kyriakos Sfetsas-Greek Fusion Orchestra (2018)

TERANGA BEAT proudly presents composer Kyriakos Sfetsas and his Greek Fusion Orchestra, an artist with a truly multifaceted body of work. Sfetsas formed GFO in 1976, in order to accomplish an ambition dating back to his 1960's Avant Garde period in Paris: to create a piece of work that would expand the boundaries of Greek traditional music. The result is a Progressive-Jazz Fusion masterpiece comprising complex and intriguing compositions, and performed by Athens' best musicians of the day.

Sfetsas grew up in the island of Lefkada where he studied classical music from a very young age at the local conservatory. At the same time he was genuinely connected to traditional music and especially to the sound of clarinet, the lead instrument in the region's folk music. From a young age Sfetsas would perform with Gypsy orchestras in local feasts. It was this experience that inspired him to create the GFO after his return from Paris in 1975. Sfetsas founded the orchestra while working at the National Radio, an orchestra comprising mostly members of the Variety Music Orchestra, who had a solid background in both classical and traditional music. In that way he was able to realize his ambition, something he could not do in Paris since it was impossible to find musicians trained in both musical cultures.

The recordings on this album, forming only a small part of his overall body of work with GFO, are previously unreleased. The music was recorded Stereo on Reel Tape and with high standards for the time, with the current mastering process highlighting even more the quality of the recordings. The result is truly impressive and pure audiophile album.

The LP version of the album is a Deluxe Edition and comes with a high gloss laminated gatefold cover, a printed insert and a digital download code. The CD packaging is Digipak with Slipcase, including a booklet with photos and liner notes outlining the story of the band members.