| Now , on Rembetika - or as some say - Rebetika More like Greek of Turkish-occupied origin Nick -- ..actually the music originates in Asia Minor - the artists all Greeks of (Smyrni, Konstantinoupoli etc, - known as Mikrasiates or Anatolites (Asia Minor people), who were situated along the western shores of what is Turkey today. That area was Greece at one time for over 2500 years back until the Ottomans came along. The music has the flavor (influences)of Eastern-asiatic chords, drugs, the politics of the day, marked by words of social unrest, doom and forbidden ethnic intermingling, clandestine rendez-vouz; some conjuring visions of the dark gloomy, urban, underground of hashish, prostitution and like Pauline says - the down and out that was prevalent in Anatolia at that time because of the undercurrent of joblesssness, hardship, discrimination - unhappy people whose paternal land was occuplied and were living under the Islamic thumb. In most of these songs, one can detect a very strong underlying unrest. If you ever see a picture of a group of musicians - sitting - sometimes as many as 100 - combination of acoustic guitars, bouzoukia and baglama (looks like a mini-bouzouki)- all in 3 or 4 graduating rows on a stage at a club...the vocalists, usually a couple of women or one man and one woman - woman with a tambourine sitting front row center with a rasping low voice - taking turns, almost talking through a song with gentle moarnful changes - that's Rebetika. The accompaniment is almost overwhelming though....just imagine all those musicians (guitars, baglamas and bouzoukia) simultaneously chording out behind the vocals. The Rebetists were not formally-schooled musicians. Most were known by their "by-ear" natural talent and most of the early songs and melodies were not even recorded. The groups got together to practice by ear and there was no sheet music involved. Eventually, professionaly musicians did get to write Rebetika songs down on sheet. Imagine dark, smoke-filled clubs. This is not a dance music really, although back then, the single men did get in some "punk" moves like a form of the zembekia (solo expessionistic dancing marked by slumped back, the dragged kick and a cigarette hanging hap-hazardly from his drunken lips). Rembetika is like Urban Blues, cloaking political purpose, distain and underground in orientation. Rebetika moved over to mainland Greece with the 1921 Population Exchange when the Asia Minor Greeks dispersed and resettled in the 'new' Greece. In mainland Greece Rebetika became known as the sound of the working class. It reached its classical period between 1940-1950 when Laika (La-eeka)started taking over in popularity. But there is still a strong following for rebetika especially in the young cool set in Athens. Pireaus, the port of Greece was the place to visit to hear Rebetika in the 40's, 50s and 60s. Rebeatika drew the sailor's attention so it was always found in port cities and towns like Pireaus, Rafina, Patra, Kalamata - where ever there was a port and sailors. Many of the "prosfiges" (refugees) from Asia Minor/Anatolia had settled in Pireaus - and their children are still there. Many of the rebetika songs refer to prosfiges, Konstantinoupoli and Smyrni and Arabia - referring to the Turks. I have also caught some great Rebetika on the islands of Chios,Cos, and Lesvos - these islands are predominant in Anatolian Greeks and sea-oriented types. Another place Rebetika is still prevalent in Greece is in the Thrake and Makedonia counties of Northern Greece - also locations they had settled after the population exchange (Kavala, Komotini, Halkidiki, Keramoti,Thessaloniki). Rebetika spread throughout the eparxeia (countryside)of Greece through radio and travelling musicians. I don't know if they're still around, but worth a mention just about now -- In NYC in the 80's there was a US group where the lead singer had origins from Asia Minor -- probably her parents. She formed a group and called it Annanbouboula. They had also incorporated a sitar and other middle-eastern instruments within their rebetika fusion scores. The songs were all fusion of Rebetika and US-brand rock in a middleeastern flavor. Unique. I wonder if any of you have their CDs. I have a couple of them. They played in Greek-American clubs in NYC and toured all Canada, US, Turkey and Greece. They had quite a following. One of their CDs was called "Greek Fire". Since the Greeks were occupied by the Ottoman Turks for over 450 years, something was bound to rub off, right? Thus the Imam Baildi, Rebetika, Greek coffee, the worry beads and Baklava. Oh, I know, someone's going to ask what's Imam Baildi. Ha! Here's an excellent site that tells all about Rebetika! http://www.forthnet.gr/rebetiko/essay/essay.htm Here's a vocalist of Rebetika, Smyrnaika and Politika. http://www.sophiabilides.com/ How's this for a quickie essay on Rebetika. OPA! Litsa p.s. the music heard is Zorbas theme from the known movie |
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