Mniestris | Polymeneas-Liontiris | Pavlopoulos

“Music always works – mostly and not occasionally – to confirm that human society can exist.”
Jacques Attali

The members of this band agree, adding an “unfortunately”.

Andreas Mniestris (saxophone), Thanos Polymenas Liontiris (contrabass), and Iakovos Pavlopoulos (drums), improvise live at KET on Monday, January 13th.

Andreas Minestris has been a member of the ΑΝΕΡΓΗ&Π (Anonymous Workers of the Earth & Cities) collective and the ΠΚΩΔ band for years. He has appeared as a saxophonist since ’84 (including: “Fatme” 1985 [session], Dimitris Poulikakos and “ta adespota skylia” 1986, etc.). Developing an interest in improvised music, he studied composition and improvisation with Anthony Braxton from Mills College (Oakland, CA) from 1988 to 1990. From 1991 to 1993, he worked as a saxophonist in Thessaloniki. Since then he has worked with many improvisers such as: N. Touliatos – A. Simvoulopoulos (“Tilethroon”), F. Floridis, Th. Rellos, S. Giannatou, S. Papadimitriou, D. Dimitriadis, J. Tornabene (trio “saxo viva!”) etc. In recent years he has performed with the band ZHMENS (ENSemble of Live Electroacoustic Music). He is also a founding member of the ΓουΤουΧουΠουΣου team with F. Theocharidis and G. Stavridis, who occasionally appeared at ΠΟΛΥΤΕΧΝΟ in Corfu, but also performs in various other bands that do not have names. He lives and works in Corfu.

Thanos Polymeneas Lioniris plays contrabass, and is interested in electronic sound and the creation of situational events. After about 20 years of study and work at various universities abroad (Holland, Spain, England), he recently returned to Athens. He is a founding member of the Dutch contemporary art collective Apes Conatiner, a tutor at the University of Sussex, England, and he is also engaged in academic research and education as well as in artistic creation.
www.thanospl.net

Born in Athens in 1976, Iakovos Pavlopoulos holds a degree in music technology, theory and harmony from the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, an affiliate of the Berklee Music College, and the National Conservatory (1997-1998, 2009-2011). He attended drum lessons with Yiannis Kalkanis and jazz drum lessons with Christos Kotzinas (2002-2004). He studied at the KOOREN HUIS music school (Hague, Netherlands), where he took drum lessons with Erik Ineke, Hans van Oosterhont, and rhythm session class with Alex Milo. He was a member of the Koorenhuis Big Band under the direction of Victor Borkrt (2006-2008). In 2017 he attended the Dutch Impro Academy. He was co-founder of the cultural production company “I Trelli Rodia”. In recent years he has been working as a percussionist and has curated music for theatrical performances.

Photo by Iakovos Pavlopoulos.