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Christos Rafalides
Born in Kozani, Greece, Christos Rafalides can't remember a time
when he wasn't surrounded by music. The influence of his older brother led
him to the piano at the age of seven. He began his studies in classical
percussion at the age of fourteen, and by the time he was twenty he was
working with some of the best Orchestras in Greece. Christos believed he
would continue his career as a classical percussionist, until one evening
when he heard pianist George Cables with the group of Billy Cobham, “here
was this guy, playing with his shoes off, conveying so much feeling through
his instrument... I knew I wanted to be able to express myself like that."
From that moment, Christos knew he would be a jazz musician.
Upon receiving a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, he
moved to Boston, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree, studying
with Ed Saindon. His desire to flourish brought him to New York City to
study with acclaimed jazz vibraphonist Joe Locke at the Manhattan School
of Music. Finishing his Masters Degree, Christos began to immerse himself
in the vital NYC jazz scene. In a short while he was playing with such
notable musicians as Ravi Coltrane, Antonio Sanchez, Donny McCaslin,
Mark Ledford and Ron Affif, among others.
Christos found his personal voice as a player and composer when he
established 'Manhattan Vibes', a jazz group with a modern sound, which
revealed his developing affinity for Latin and other world music. The
group's eponymously titled CD featured the talents of Grammy award
winner John Benitez on bass and Steve Hass on drums, two of the most
respected young players on the contemporary music scene. The legendary
trumpeter Randy Brecker also appears as a special guest. In Jazz Times'
magazine's 2002 Year In Review issue, the recording was held as, "...one of
the top-ten jazz recordings of 2002".
Christos' collaboration with his erstwhile mentor, Joe Locke, led to the
recording of ‘Van Gogh by Numbers.’ The duo performed original music
from their recent release to an enthusiastic overflowing audience at the 2005
PASIC convention in Columbus, Ohio - an event that sparked considerable
interest in the percussion world.
In the spring of 2007, Christos performed a series of concerts with the
Charles Mingus ‘Epitaph’ Band featuring bassist Christian McBride and
conductor Gunther Schuller. In the fall of that same year, he also performed
with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln
Center in New York City.
Recent highlights include a performance as featured soloist with the
Orchestra of Colours, performing Thanos Mikroutsikos' ‘Music Stories’ at
the Athens Concert Hall; appearing, along with Mike Stern and Dave Weckl,
on George Fakanas' critically acclaimed ‘Domino’ CD; featured soloist with
Maria Farantouri (Athens Festival) at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus; adding
his vibraphone and marimba textures to the recent recordings of vocalists
Chaka Khan, Christy Baron, Italian pop artist Jovanotti, Greek singersongwriter Alkinoos Ioannidis. He also played on the soundtrack of
Michaels Moore’s latest film ‘Capitalism, a love story’.
His latest collaboration with Greece’s legendary composer Mimis
Plessas led to the release of two projects, both based on Plessas’ music from
the 60s: the album ‘Ηχώ/Echo: the music of Mimis Plessas’ (Emarel Music)
featuring Evi Siamanda on vocals and the soon-to-be released duo recording
‘We Two’ (Emarel Music) featuring Mimis Plessas on piano and Christos on
vibraphone. He also collaborated with pianist Sergio Salvatore in a duo
recording entitled ‘Dark Sand’. Salvatore and Rafalides began playing
together in 2007, and have gone on to travel throughout the United States
with notable performances at New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
Whether in the studio or in concert, Christos continues to maintain a
busy schedule. Recent highlights include the debut of his new band ‘Jazz
Mediterraneo’ and a United States tour with renowned Italian artist
Jovanotti.