Reviews
BIO :
Floros Floridis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied Physics and got his diploma in Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki. He then studied classical clarinet with the Romanian professor Konstantin Ugureanou and started being a professional musician in the 70s. From the beggining his main interest in music was improvisation, and that continues up to now. Since this is a tough task, he performed in a range that goes from a Symphony Orchestra to a wedding band. In the early 90s he taught saxophon and theory in music and theater schools in Greece for five years; 2005 he did a 6 months-course for improvisation in the Music Department of Aristoteleion University of Thessaloniki. He became the artistic director of different musical events in festivals. And then,1983, he founded the Jazz and Improvised Music Festival of Thessaloniki, and directed it for nine years. He has composed music for short films, documentaries, feature films, theater (mainly for director Roula Pateraki) and dance performances. Furthermore he has been painting and doing grafical work (covers for records, books, posters, etc.) since the 70s. From 1981 on Floridis started his label j.n.d.records and after a break of 15 years restarted it as j.n.d. re-records.
BIOgrafical notes :
Floros Floridis currently splits his time between Thessaloniki and Berlin.
Along with Sakis Papadimitriou, he recorded the first modern jazz album in Greece in 1979, the double LP Improvising at Barakos. Since then he has played concerts and in festivals in Greece, Europe, and the USA, with a great number of European and American musicians, including Peter Kowald, Conny Bauer, Evan Parker, Peter Brotzman, Guenter Sommer, Carlos Zingano, Barry Guy, Fred Van Hove, Nicky Skopelitis, Andrew Cyrille, Barre Philips, among others, and he participated in the Euro-American Orchestra of Cecil Taylor in Berlin.
As a leader/co-leader he has collaborated with Peter Kowald, Paul Lytton, Paul Lovens, Phil Wachsman, Hans Schneider, Louis Moholo, Vincent Chancey, Jean Marc Montera, Pinguin Moschner, Mark Charig, Milos Petrovic, Okay Temiz, Ivo Papazov as well as with Greek musicians such as Michalis Siganidis, Kostas Vomvolos, Dimitris Polizoidis, Argyris Bakirtzis, Yannis Mourtzopoulos, Ilias Papadopoulos, Savina Giannatou, Nikos Psofogiorgos, Nektarios Karatzis, Vagelis Tsotridis and Babis Papadopoulos among others, resulting in the release of more than 25 CDs. Most of these CDs are in the j.n.d. re-records site but some of them belong to different labels, which are mentioned. There are further CDs in other labels, like F.M.P., LYRA (Greece), etc. There is also a DVD ,,Fictional Lies On Right Occasions,,by Malena Films, Berlin.
He can be seen in the films,,Chicago Improvisations,, and ,,off the road,, by Laurence Petit-Jouvet.
Floros Floridis was a member of the Greek group "Himerinoi Kolimvites" (Winter Swimmers) from 1986 to 2006.
Throughout the years, he has participated in various CD-productions of other artists in Greece as well as abroad. He founded the Festival of Jazz and Improvised Music of the Municipality of Thessaloniki in 1984 and was both the artistic director and co-coordinator of eight of the nine festivals that have taken place. In March 1997 he was the artistic director and coordinator of the 9 Days of Jazz for the organization "Cultural Capital of Europe, Thessaloniki 1997".
From 1995 and during two years he was a producer for the national greek radio ERT 2.
Floridis has written and selected music for films, theater plays and dance performances. In 1997 he selected the music for the plays Splendid's by Jean Genet and Chomata by George Veltsos, both directed by Roula Pateraki.
In the years between 1997 and 2002 he was strongly involved with traditional Macedonian music of North West Greece.The result was the creation of the Florina Brass Band (FBB) .With this band he produced 3CD's as co-leader, musician and arranger.This band toured in different countries in Europe and Australia.His FF Ethno sextet was playing music inspired from that tradition.
From 1997 to 1999 he collaborated with the LYRA label as a producer, including the production of the Black Sea Orchestra and Florina Brass Band II CDs.
In 2000 played the "Empty Bottle Festival" in Chicago with Peter Kowald and 'Baby' Sommer and also perform w.Ken Vandermark and Andre Jeaume in an ad-hoc clarinettes trio.
2001 he composed the music for the german-greek-spanish feature film Anna's Summer directed by Jeanine Meerapfel.
Since then, he has re-established his j.n.d. re-records label.The CD Fly Low Oder Roll Over comes out.
In 2003 he taught courses in improvisation at The Music Department of Aristotelion University in Thessaloniki, Greece. The CD Fictional Lies On Right Occasions comes out.
In October 2003 his FF Ethno Sextet played in Nurnberg, Cologne, Berlin, etc. In the same year Floridis had performances, among others, with Carl Ludwig Huebsch tuba, Antonis Anisego piano in Germany.
In December 2003 he was performing in Marseille and Nancy with Jean-Marc Montera el. guitar, Ahmed Campaore pc, Mathieu Chamagne live elctr., the improvised music of the theatrical piece La Mer Interieure Voix Algerie a creation of Frederique Wolf-Michaux.
In 2004 he composed the music for the film Faruk's Cafe , a production of the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne.
2005 Floridis spent a week playing in the actual improvised music scene of Lisboa, thanks to Miguel Martines.The CD Further Lines Over Rough Options comes out.
Since 2007 he is part of the GRiX trio, that he co-founded in Berlin. http://www.myspace.com/triogrix
In summer 2007 he performed in the Patras International Festival w. Nicky Skopelitis, Guenter Baby Sommer, Spilios Kastanis, in the Synch International Festival of Athens w. Spyweirdos and Yannis Mourtzopoulos and in Cape Verde, at the Sal Festival, where he played w. Ken Filiano, Wade Matthiews,Rodrigo Amado,Acacio Cardoso et others. Also in 2007 Floridis composed and played the music of the long documentary film "Mosconi- or to whom the world belongs".
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