INTERVIEW WITH ANDREAS GEORGIOU

Andreas has kindly allowed me to interview him through the grace of email, the following are his thoughtful responses to my questions, revealing some of the nature of this esteemed jazz master.

When did you first become inspired to play?
Listening and dancing to traditional music in Cyprus from the age of 4, music played on violin, lute and bendir and of course vocal improvisations on spontaneous poems and then two musicians appeared in the neighbourhood, a Cuban drummer and a Cypriot sax and accordion player, rehearsing nearly every day their program for the only cabaret in town. Every Sunday a big brass band was playing classical tunes in the municipal garden and my eldest sisters used to play the accordion and sing classical music in the municipal choir of Famagusta… I wanted to play an instrument but I could not decide which one!
Why did you choose guitar?
Guitar I felt was very close to me …the sound…the way it was played…the relationship of the instrument with my body… at the age of 10.
Who were your inspirations?
My classical guitar teacher Michael Michaeloudis was a great inspiration to me not only because of his virtuosity but also for the whole “atmosphere”, spirit, and ethos of his teaching and musical approach. And then around 15, this new guy Jimmy from South Africa appears and he taught me the blues. Then my ears came to know Jimmy Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Alvin Lee, Beethoven, Johan Sebastian Bach, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ravi Shankar, Barrios, Stravinsky, Coltrane, Sun Ra Arkestra, Debussy, Bella Bartok, Miles Davis, Subramaniam, McCoy Tyner, Xenakis, Lakshmi Shankar, George Adams, Mozart, Scriabin, Dizzy Gillespie, Irakere, Joe Pass, Jobim, Duke Ellington, Mingus, Berg and Webern, traditional, Byzantyne, Balkans, Africans, India…
When and why did you move from Cyprus?
I left Cyprus in 1978, as a refugee after experiencing the war of 1974 and losing all my property (my precious hand made classical guitar also). I had to choose between Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and Athens. Amsterdam was nice for a free life situation, drugs, women etc., but no balance! Berlin at that time was too dark…unfriendly…I could still feel the Nazis around! Paris… without speaking French…with the right accent too… you die on the street!
Why did you choose Greece as your base of operations?
Athens… I could begin with only 30 EUROS in my pocket (that was my property when the ship reached Pereaus, plus a single bed, a chair and table, my Gibson and a cheap classical guitar). My sister already worked and lived in Athens with her family so she helped me finding a job to be able to pay my studies etc.
When and how did you get involved with Libra Records?
I already had 4 albums produced before LIBRA showed interest in my music in 1998. My music was “coloured” NOT COMMERCIAL so Libra saw this as a challenge promoting and producing not commercial artists. BUT Alkis Vafias(the owner) always liked to remind us that he spends all these money without getting back his expenses. Of course on the other hand he does nothing for promotion and right distribution! Nevertheless I am grateful to Libra because without their financial help, my latest 3 albums would not have been materialized!!
Do you have plans to record again in the near future?
I have a lot of music ready to be recorded but I always wait for the right moment, the right musicians, the right opportunity…
Do you handle your own business?
I never had a manager (although I always needed one!). For some reason all my
Concert invitations come from strangers who happen to listen to my music, or friends who respect me and happen to know someone in the scene…
What are your inspirations in composition?
Inspiration is something which comes from” inside” and from “outside” at the same time. Spirit and Matter fuse under the supreme power of Love! Creation and Destruction… Nature… Sunshine… Light!
Why did you choose the style of music you perform/record?
The style of music I play, improvise, and compose was not chosen. It is myself transforming itself into another state or dimension of expression. It can be “esoteric” or “exoteric”.
How long have you been teaching, and what is the most important thing for your students to learn?
I’ve been teaching for 20 years. The most important thing for my students to learn is self-reliance through music. Every performance has a different “colour”, “structure”, and “appearance”, a beautiful living organism. Each artist is another world to communicate with… My aim is always to bring out his “most beautiful musical self”.
I could write a book answering this very complex question! I would like to state only this; It is impossible to experience the essence of what is called MUSIC without spiritual development and spiritual evolution of the so called musician!!!
I read an article about you that mentions your spiritual practices, would you like to comment on that?
Philosophy…. The female nature in all its aspects and beauty… has been always an inspiration and part of my life. Women…so erotic but still so mysterious… M U S I C!