Athens
is undoubtedly the center of his life. It is where he grew up,
found his professional career and was eventually appointed
Saxophone Professor by the Ministry of Culture. Saxophonist
Nikos Koulouris has, despite his numerous activities, found the
time and muse to pursue his solo career and to release the
albums Dare To Dream (2011), Bregovic (2016),
Whisper Not (2017), As erxosoun gia ligo
(2018) and this year One Moment In Time.
Although he has an affection for the smooth jazz genre, his creative freedom urges him to go beyond stylistic boundaries and develop his own musical style. This attitude also benefits his new album, which is good for some surprises.
Koulouris plays alto sax on most tracks, but occasionally also takes up soprano, baritone and tenor sax. He is accompanied on selected tunes by Leonidas Ioannidis (trumpet), Kyriakos Kaiktsis (trombone), and Deppy Marina Cheila, Tika Miqava, Irene Delaporta (vocals).
The opening Miles Ahead is from title and style a deeply felt tribute to the 20th century jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. Leonidas Ioannidis' muted trumpet adapts Miles Davis' presentation and the funky synth bass might be an epigone of Marcus Miller's slap bass.
The song Roxanne was written by Sting and was released in 1978 as a single from their debut album Outlandos d'Amour. The song is a love child of the smooth jazz genre covered by David Bach, Norm Stockton, Warren Hill, and many more. Nikos' version avoids musical accents and emphasizes the painful and plaintive aspect which also plays a role in Stings song.
When you choose a title like One Moment In Time, you expect an extraordinary and outstanding spark of life. Nikos' play unquestionably has a certain dramatic quality, but it is more internalized. He makes up for that with Funky Sax Machine which gives a retrospective of the funky highlights of the 70's.
Stars is a major hit by Simply Red in 1991. Nikos covers the song with passionate fervor. Every Breath You Take is the second song by Sting, interpreted by Nikos. Obviously he has an affectionate interest in his songs. You Call Me? is John Barry's movie score from the movie The Specialist (1994). This film score is recommended for saxophonists because of its stunning saxophone performance in the original. Nikos gratefully accepts this recommendation.
Samurai is a song by Michael Cretu, released as a
single in 1985 from the Synth-Pop album Die Chinesische
Mauer. Also on this song the saxophone plays an important
role, the right template for Nikos.
That's the Way Love
Goes is a song by American singer Janet Jackson from her fifth
album Janet (1993). It is interesting to compare
Nikos' interpretation with that of Kirk Whalum on his album
For You. Both approach this topic differently, without the
variations in quality being noticeable.
Rod Temperton's
The Lady In My Life is an outstanding ballad performed
by Michael Jackson on his groundbreaking album Thriller
(1982). A challenge for every artist to measure himself
against. Final tune is a rough and sexy variation of Miles Ahead
that could cause a furor in the techno scene.
To play the musical favorites of his life is not a new idea.
With his skills on the saxophone Nikos Koulouris gives the
album One Moment In Time however an individual
character, which makes him stand out from the crowd.
Buy the album
in all stores
Album Information
Title: One Moment In Time
Artist: Nikos Koulouris
Year: 2020
Genre: Smooth Jazz
Label:
FM Records
1) Miles Ahead (Blue Delight Version) feat. Leonidas Ioannides
(3:54)
2) Roxanne (4:06)
3) One Moment In Time (4:38)
4)
Funky Sax Machine (4:16)
5) Stars (4:12)
6) Every Breath You
Take (5:17)
7) Did You Call Me (5:14)
8) Samurai (5:15)
9) That’s The Way Love Goes (4:32)
10) The Lady In My Life
(4:20)
11) Miles Ahead (Rough & Sexy Version) (3:54)