Aman Rembetiko (Greece)

“Cafe aman” was a kind of popular café of pre-war Greece that had a strong presence in the large urban centres of Asia Minor, where singers and musicians improvised in free rhythm and melody. These were the places where the intense musical tradition of the Asia Minor people was formed, who later, after moving to the opposite side of the Aegean Sea, mainly to the port of Piraeus, created the Rebetika movement.

Cafe aman ceased to exist in Greece, following a prohibition order by the dictator Metaxas regime in 1937, but the music that was born in them continued to live on with the “Rembetes”. A variety of rhythms, but mainly of musical paths and melodies, was deeply rooted in the artists that period, managing to express their passions and emotions, but also finding, then as now, a great resonance in a multitude of people.

The musical ensemble Aman Rembetiko will take us with the beauty of its instruments and the magical voices of its members, to the captivating sounds of the Rembetiko melodies as they started from Asia Minor and reached the port of Piraeus.

The basic line-up of quintet can be increased, for instance with a male singer. These are the core members each of them a master:

• Chrysa Papadopoulou: voice and percussion
• Marina Liontou Mohamed: oud and vocals
• Daniel Barbas: guitar and vocals
• Alkis Zopoglou: kanun and vocals