Pandelis Karayorgis

Pandelis Karayorgis (born 1962) is a Greek-born and Boston-based pianist, composer and educator.

Pandelis Karayorgis
Background information
Born1962
OriginAthens, Greece
GenresJazz, post-bop, avant-garde jazz
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1989–present
LabelsCadence, Leo, Clean Feed, hatOLOGY, OkkaDisk, Not Two, Driff
WebsiteOfficial Website

Life and career

Karayorgis was born in Athens, Greece in 1962. He began classical piano lessons at the age of 9, but by the end of high school he was in love with jazz and beginning to play gigs while pursuing a degree in economics. In 1985, Karayorgis went to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory, where he earned BM and MM degrees in music while studying with Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, and Joe Maneri among others.[1]

He studied and performed extensively the music of Thelonious Monk and Lennie Tristano. In the nineties, he worked closely with violinist Mat Maneri producing several recordings mostly in duo format. During the same time, he also co-led a group with Eric Pakula featuring much of the Tristano repertoire, and collaborated with Argentine saxophonist and composer Guillermo Gregorio.[2]

He recorded for labels such as Cadence, Leo, Nuscope, OkkaDisk, Clean Feed, hatOLOGY, Not Two, and Driff, an artist-run label co-founded by Karayorgis and Jorrit Dijkstra. Some of the most extensive recording/performing collaborations have been with Nate McBride, Curt Newton, Luther Gray, Jef Charland, Randy Peterson, Ken Vandermark and Dave Rempis. His projects include the Pandelis Karayorgis Trio, the electric trio mi3, the quartet Construction Party, the quintet System of 5, and the Whammies, a group dedicated to the music of Steve Lacy.[2]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Release year Title Label Personnel/Notes
1989 Hand Made Lyra
1992 The Other Name Motive Solo piano and duos with Mat Maneri (electric violin), Erik Kerr (drums)
1994 In Time Leo Duo with Mat Maneri (electric violin)
1994 Between Speech & Song Cadence As Pakula/Karayorgis/Rosenthal; Eric Pakula (alto sax), Pandelis Karayorgis (piano), Jonathan Robinson (bass), Eric Rosenthal (drums), guest: Mat Maneri (electric violin)
1995 Lines Accurate Quartet co-led by Eric Pakula (alto sax), with Nate McBride, Jonathan Robinson (bass), Eric Rosenthal, John McLellan (drums)
1998 Lift & Poise Leo Duo with Mat Maneri (violin), guests: Joe Maneri (clarinet), John Lockwood (bass)
1998 Heart and Sack Leo Trio with Nate McBride (bass), Randy Peterson (drums)
2001 Let It Cadence Duos and solos with Nate McBride (bass)
2001 No Such Thing Boxholder Collaborative trio with Ken Vandermark (clarinet, tenor sax), Nate McBride (bass)
2001 Blood Ballad Leo Trio with Nate McBride (bass), Randy Peterson (drums)
2002 Disambiguation Leo Quintet co-led by Mat Maneri (violin), with Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Michael Formanek (bass), Randy Peterson (drums)
2004 Seventeen Pieces Leo Solo piano
2005 We Will Make a Home for You Clean Feed As the mi3; trio with Nate McBride (bass), Curt Newton (drums)
2007 Free Advice Clean Feed As the mi3; trio with Nate McBride (bass), Curt Newton (drums)
2007 Chicago Approach Nuscope Collaborative trio with Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet), Nate McBride (bass)
2007 Foreground Music Okka Disk Duo with Ken Vandermark (tenor sax, clarinet)
2008 Betwixt hatOLOGY As the mi3; trio with Nate McBride (bass), Curt Newton (drums)
2011 System of 5 hatOLOGY Quintet with Matt Langley (tenor sax), Jeff Galindo (trombone), Jef Charland (bass), Luther Gray (drums)
2012 Instruments Of Change Not Two As the band Construction Party; quartet with Forbes Graham (trumpet), Dave Rempis (alto sax), Luther Gray (drums)
2013 Window And Doorway Driff Collaborative trio with Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet), Steve Swell (trombone)
2013 Circuitous Driff Quintet with Dave Rempis (tenor, alto & baritone sax), Keefe Jackson (tenor sax, bass & contrabass clarinet), Nate McBride (bass), Frank Rosaly (drums)
2013 Cocoon Driff Trio with Jef Charland (bass), Luther Gray (drums)
2014 Afterimage Driff Quintet with Dave Rempis (tenor, alto & baritone sax), Keefe Jackson (tenor sax, bass & contrabass clarinet), Nate McBride (bass), Frank Rosaly (drums)
2015 Matchbox Driff As the band Matchbox; quartet with Jorrit Dijkstra (alto sax), Nate McBride (bass), Curt Newton (drums)
2015 Bathysphere Driff As the band Bathysphere.

With The Whammies

  • The Whammies Play the Music of Steve Lacy (Driff, 2012)
  • The Whammies Play the Music of Steve Lacy, Vol. 2 (Driff, 2013)
  • The Whammies Play the Music of Steve Lacy, Live Vol. 3 (Driff, 2014)

As sideman

With Guillermo Gregorio

  • Approximately (hatART, 1996)
  • Red Cube (hatOLOGY, 1999)

References

  1. Henderson, A. Pandelis Karayorgis biography, Allmusic, accessed March 29, 2014.
  2. Pandelis Karayorgis at All About Jazz
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