Israeli musician Guy Mintus performed at two Jazz festivals in Greece in May.
An Israeli-born and New York-based awarded pianist, composer and educator Mintus is very active in the Jazz contemporary scene with his Trio that also features Oren Harari and Yonatan Rosen.
The Trio opened their time in Greece with a concert at the Athens Jazz festival, attended by thousands of people. The show took place in the central "Technopolis" hostel in the city.
Mintus greeted the audience in Greek and thanked the Embassy of Israel in Greece for the support - the event was also tied to the celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the State of Israel.
In his music, Mintos brings together elements from different traditions from Stride piano to Turkish Makams, from Indian rhythms to Bach-styled counterpoint, Jewish melodies and American jazz standards, all weaved together in his own signature style.
During the concert, the Trio performed a classic Greek piece and a song by Naomi Shemer.
Mintos and his fellow musicians also participated in the jazz festival of the city of Praveza (western country), a sort of satellite event to the festival in Athens.
In addition, the artists conducted a workshop at the Philippos Nakas Conservatory, the largest private conservatory in Greece..
"Mintos' invitation to Greece came as a result of the visit that the artistic director of the Athens Jazz Festival, Antonis Zouganelis, paid to Israel recently,” said Tsach Saar, Deputy Head Of Mission at the Embassy of Israel in Athens. “Zouganelis was invited to attend the music festival devoted to give Israeli artists international exposure organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Yellow Submarine in Jerusalem.”