Review: Kolida Babo - Spirits Of Mauronoros (Veego Records)

You will remember back in July when Kolida Babo released 'Kolida Balkanesque' / 'Free For All' that we were eagerly awaiting the release of the album, 'Spirits Of Mauronoros' and here it is!

Kolida Babo are two Greek woodwind musicians, Socratis Votskos (from Pella) and Harris P. (from Athens) and together with some electronics they make a jazz-folk sound that spans the known world of the classics and beyond.

If James Galway and The Chieftans did spirtual jazz it may well sound like 'Pangea's Journey' (current favourite track on the album) but this album refers to the old Mediterean in more than just the titles, 'Entering Cassiopea', 'Exiles In Aegean' and the title track. 

Apparently, Mauronoros means Black Mountain and is the name of a old village on the Greek/Albanian boarder and the track itself is like Wayne Shorter investigating a deep and leaky cave.

The eight track album ends with 'Kolida Balkanseque' which is very Balkanseque on the boarders of the work of Gilad Atzmon whilst the album opens with a track called 'Anthony Joseph Sciacca' which is the real name of Tony Scott, acknowledged as an original bebop clarinetist and latterly, one of the founders of world music.

Any fans of WeJazz, experimental and spiritual jazz and electronica and the recent 'Athos: Echoes from the Holy Mountain' (see review HERE) will love this as it's mesmerising, hypnotic and essential all at the same time. 

Artist: Kolida Babo 

Title:  Spirits Of Mauronoros

Release date: 27th September, 2024 

Label : Veego Records

Catalog Number : VR037

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Kolida Babo - Kolida Balkanesque / Free For All (Veego Records)

It is what it says on the cover, Kolida are Balkanesque!

With some We Jazz exprimentation (lets say 'Sonnet To Silence' - see review HERE) and some influences from the Middle East (lets say Batov Records compilation to give us a wide range (see review HERE) and there you wll find almost musically and geographically, Kolida's new album.

That's pretty good going for a woodwind duo from Greece (with synths) but we've seen before what Veego Records can do with their other duo, Lefteris Volanis, Dimitris Pagidas on 'Outside The Long Walls' (see review HERE) so i expect the forthcoming album, 'Spirits Of Mauronoros' to be just as intriguing.

Artist: Kolida Babo 

Title:  Kolida Balkanesque / Free For All 

Release date: 10th July, 2024 

Label : Veego Records

Catalog Number :  -

Format:  Digital / Bandcamp  

Review: Lefteris Volanis, Dimitris Pagidas - Outside The Long Walls (Veego Records)

Having worked together in an experimental pop group, multi-instrumentalists Lefteris Volanis and  Dimitris Pagidas cleared their minds to take a look 'Outside The Long Walls'.

YATM have their own musical views outside of the walls of conformity and we do like a post-rock, psych OST approach.  And that's what we've got with these 11 tracks.

'Leaving London' (on a personal note, be warned, once you've left, there's no going back) is the most folky-pop of the set with it's Sunday morning soothing vibe.  In fact, the whole album is like a laid-back Project Gemini ('Colours & Light' see review HERE) merged with the quieter less jazzy elements of 'Valia Calda ('Homeland' see review HERE).

That said, the combinationof the guitar, synths, xylophone, electronics with some vocals (Greek & English) are perfect in setting the post-ENO-Fripp ambient Balearics - particularly like the 'eastern' title track and the longest tracks, 'Goodbye To Purity' and 'Crystals'.

Following on from last month's Record Store Day 7", 'Melodia / Melancolia', these two are on it like an out-there on a 60/70s space prog-folk Parthenon mission centre take off OST.

PS. This months' Colour & Pitch Sessions starts with their track 'August' - see below.

Colour and Pitch · Colour and Pitch Sessions with Sumsuch - May 2024

Artist: Lefteris Volanis, Dimitris Pagidas 

Title:  Outside The Long Walls

Release date: 10th May, 2024 

Label : Veego Records

Catalog Number :  -

Format: Deluxe edition 12" vinyl (limited to 500 copies) / Digital / Bandcamp  

Recorded in Epidaurus between March 2020 until September 2023
Mastered by Richard König
Vinyl Master by Ekelon
Cover photo by Eftichia Vlachou
Artwork by Giorgos Maraziotis