Emmanuel Saridakis

Emmanuel Saridakis
Emmanuel Saridakis
  • country:Greece
  • region:Athens
  • style(s):Greek, Jazz
  • label:not signed
  • type:Solo, Composer/Songwriter, Duo
  • instrumentation:jazz combo, piano
  • artist contact:Beikof, Nastazia

Links

Composer - Arranger - Piano - Keyboards - Hammond organ

PRESS REVIEWS
"Saridakis solo's have clear compositional direction with energy and attention focused on particular figures and developments. It was as if the clouds had parted, and the scene was suddenly visible and compelling."

"Live at Birdland N.Y.C. "

"NEW YORK PRESS" - Jim Eigo
" Mode Plagal is Hipper than any new American record I've heard in a long time. They take traditional dances and carols from Macedonia and Thrace and grooves them to death. On a recent visit to Thessaloniki, Billy Cobbam listened to a number of Greek jazz albums. This is the one he bought."

"MODERN DRUMMER" - Hal Howland

Bio
Emmanuel Saridakis was born in Athens, Greece on 1977. At the young age of 12 he was already performing with school bands, and by the age of 14, had already appeared on television nationally in Greece.

Emmanuel joined Dimitrios Vassilakis quartet in 1993 at the age of 15, establishing him self as a kid prodigy to the professional Greek music scene. Joining Takis Barberis band in 1997 gave Saridakis his first recording experience when he participated on Barberis’ Naiva CD. Released in 1998, Naiva was on the top of the charts in Greece.



In 1999 Emmanuel joined Mode Plagal. This experimental group combines the traditional music of Northern Greece with elements of African American music. The band created a new “mainstream” on the Greek music scene that received recognition not only all over Greece, but also in other countries in Europe, Asia, and America. They received 5 snares in “Modern Drummer” for the first CD. The 2nd CD was voted 96 on the World Music Charts in Europe for 2000, and the 3rd CD has reached the Top 20’s of the charts in Greece, and was voted No 13 in the Top 20 of the WMCE (World Music Charts Europe) in March 2002, and No 33 in the TOP 100 for the Year 2002.



During that time Emmanuel participates also on Dimitris Vassilakis “Daedalus Project-Labyrinth”. This album was album of the month for the BBC music magazine March 2002 and was voted 2nd jazz album of the year 2002 at the BBC Internet poll.



In 2006 he earned a place in the top 25 best jazz piano players in the world under the age of thirty in the prestigious Thelonius Monk competition.



Emmanuel has also recorded and/or performed with America Jazz & Rock artist such us: David Liebman (sop. sax), Mark Johnson (bass ), Ralph Peterson (drums), Jamey Haddad (drums, percussion), Melissa Slowcum (bass), Essiet Essiet (bass) Ron McClure ( bass ) Satoshi Takesi ( drums, perc. ) Bill Derby (guitar), Todd Isler (drums), Kenny Rampton (Trumpet), Lily White (sax) Andrea Valentini (drums), Bud Maltin Orchestra, Vali Music, Power Stacion Orchestra; and European artists, Bulgarian master of kaval Theodosii Spassov, Kostas Anastasiadis (drums), Petros Loukas Halkias (Clarinet), Savina Gianatou (Vocals) Kostas Theodorou (bass), Arleta, Eleni Tsaligopoulou, Aggelos & Stelios Dionisiou, Yiota Vei, Dimitris Basis, Sotiria Leonardou, etc.



He has been seen in major festivals, concert halls, clubs and in Private Functions such as: Birdland, Blue Note, Yale University, Smoke, Cleopatras Needle, Pumpkins, Sugar Hill Bistro, 17 MAIN ,Assembly, South City Grill, Palmers Crossing, Onassis Foundation, World Yacht Club, The Princeton Club, The Penn Club, NYC Athletic Club, The Hilton Hotel, The Marriott Hotel, The Pier Hotel, The Skyline Club at Met Life Building, Barbican (UK), Athens Concert Hall (GR) , 1st and 2nd ETHNIC-JAZZ festival in Athens (2000-1), NATIONAL PERCUSSION FESTIVAL, Half Note Jazz Club, Parafono, Diogenis Pallas, Iera Odos , Sfedona, Hi-Hat, Bebop, President Hotel, Intercontinental Hotel, The Hilton Hotel etc.

"Saridakis solo's have clear compositional direction with energy and attention focused on particular figures and developments. It was as if the clouds had parted, and the scene was suddenly visible and compelling.

"Live at Birdland NY "NEW YORK PRESS" -Jim Eigo

" Mode Plagal is Hipper than any new American record I've heard in a long time. They take traditional dances and carols from Macedonia and Thrace and grooves them to death. On a recent visit to Thessaloniki, Billy Cobbam listened to a number of Greek jazz albums. This is the one he bought."

"MODERN DRUMMER" - Hal Howland

"Mode Plagal is one of the most inventive bands on the current Greek roots scene…"

Folk Roots Magazine (UK) - Chris Williams

"... compared to the king of the Thraecian wedding music, the Bulgarian clarinet player Ivo Papasov,..[...]..Mode Plagal are more radical in dissolving the ethnic references..." writes T. Maas, about their 2001 live appearance in Club Paradiso, Amsterdam (The Netherlands).

In 2010 he returns to Greece, teaches jazz, blues, rock & pop piano styles at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory and continues his collaborations with Takis Barberis group and Dimitris Vassilakis.

In 2015 he presents his first solo piano concert on the subject: "Our Greek Folk Musical Tradition Interpreted for Solo Piano" in the Concert Hall of the Conservatory of Philippos Nakas. Combining elements from the tradition of the solo piano from the romantic period to jazz, he tries to bring the Greek piano community closer to our folk tradition.

In 2016 he creates a trio by presenting his own compositions and popular folk songs in order to create a new musical stream on the jazz scene of Greece. The trio of Emmanuel Manos Saridakis consists of: Kostas Anastasiadis and Michael Evdemon - electric bass

In 2018 he released his first personal music album titled: The Greek "Real Book", Vol. 1 (for solo piano & the crying voice)