White was playing with Giorgos Xylouris — a hero in
That these two guys came together is remarkable in its own right, but this show had a particularly unusual origin story. It was originally going to take place at Axios Estiatorio on Tennyson Street, but the restaurant's owner, Telly Topakas, discussed the show with Oriental Theater head Scott LaBarbera, who proposed that the event be held at the Oriental, with its superior sound system and larger space.
The performance — a hybrid of traditional Cretan folk style and more modern folk style, given Jim White's presence and the fact that Giorgos Xylouris was born in
In Denver last night, Xylouris and White looked to each other to anticipate and suggest the direction in which the music would flow. They conferred with each other verbally now and then, but the visual and musical cues were mostly sufficient, which gave the show a spontaneous energy. This music was designed to speak straight to people's hearts and effect some kind of change or strong emotional response.
What was remarkable was how some people knew the words to some of the songs — seemingly all in Greek. And for us non-Greek speakers, Xylouris's vocal inflections, along with his masterful
Sometime past the middle of the set, a guy in the audience got on stage and fanned out a stack of money, making it rain ones onto White and Xylouris. This amused White, but Xylouris seemed to be in a trance and ignored it until after the song ended. Then, he, too, displayed a bit of amusement. This may not happen at every show, but the sheer energy, dynamism, technique and power of this performance inspired that kind of enthusiasm. It seamlessly brought the ancient world and the modern world of music together. Xylouris White, with only a drum kit,
Critic’s Notebook
Bias: I've been a fan of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music for several years.
Random Detail: Ran into Charles Ballas of Multicast, Howling Hex and Formant at the show.
By the Way: There was an after-show event at Axios that included even more live music with a Mediterranean flavor.
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If you'd like to contact me, Tom Murphy, on Twitter, my handle is @simianthinker.