Joel Lyssarides and Georgios Prokopiou: ‘Arcs and Rivers’

I had the pleasure of interviewing pianist Joel Lyssarides for a future episode of Harmonious World (watch this space) and hearing the story of his new album with bouzouki player Georgios Prokopiou - ‘Arcs and Rivers’. In the process of our conversation, it became clear that Joel is good friends with sax player Bjorn Arko, who I interviewed back in the summer.  It should not have been a surprise - all of these musicians are creative, innovative and open to inspiration from all around.

Indeed, Arcs and Rivers is a really, really interesting album that brings delight in every track. It’s no surprise that it’s released on ACT Music, given the label’s record for discovering and promoting artists who bring something new and exciting to the jazz world,

Combining Lyssarides' Swedish style with his Greek Cypriot heritage alongside Prokopiou's inherent Greek culture shouldn't work in jazz. Yet it does.

Prokopiou talks about the history of the bouzouki and how it is - perhaps surprisingly - linked to jazz and improvisation: "Back in the early days there was a lot of improvisation, much more than in recent times, because from the fifties onwards, the bouzouki was taught. And that's when so many more things about it became tied down and standardised."

For pianist Lyssarides, the links and connections aren’t obvious: "They stem from my grandfather, a Greek Cypriot, who came to Sweden in the 1940s. I always liked Greek music, but didn't really know it very well. In any case, I have always found the bouzouki fascinating. During the pandemic I bought myself an instrument and started learning it a bit. While browsing the internet I discovered Georgios from a concert on TV in tribute to Theodorakis. So I asked around in Stockholm if anyone knew him, only to discover that he would be playing a concert in a nearby hotel bar just a few days later."

Once the two met and began working together, Lyssarides began composing for this most unusual duo, and immediately received support from ACT and the concept of Arcs and Rivers was born.

It is a tribute to the way Lyssarides and Prokopiou came together intellectually as well as musically that the whole album was recorded at one session, within four hours, mostly with first takes. Every track comes across as the distillation of that relationship, with the piano and bouzouki combination just ... working. Like the Rivers of the title, the music flows beautifully and sounds, in places, almost classical, paying tribute to the heritage that swamps these musicians and their music.

A beautiful album.