Meltemi – Wind of Mykonos

EM31 / 2011

Oluf Dimitri Røe er født i Namsos 1962, vokste opp i Hellas og Norge. Han har gresk mor og norsk far og bor nå i Trondheim. Han har nå laget en CD – sitt debut album – med gresk folkemusikk med vekt på folkemusikk fra øya der hans røtter er – Mykonos. Gresk tradisjonsmusikk er Oluf Dimitri sitt hjertebarn. Han evner å forene den rytmiske og melodiske magien i tradisjonen med eget personlig fingeravtrykk, gammel musikk i tradisjonelle og nye i fremtoninger. Låtene spenner fra solistiske nummer til flere instrumenter og stemmer. Oluf Dimitri er norsk/greske komponist, musiker, folkemusiker og har det særtrekket at han synger og spiller samtidig. Han er en multi-instrumentalist, noe vi får høre eksempler av på plata, som likevel er en spissing mot tradisjonell gresk folkemusikk og Mykonos spesielt. Fire smektende melodier av Mykonos-sekkepipen Sabouna, uten droner , er med på plata. Oluf er en av de få yngre utøvere på dette instrumentet i dag. Gjestemusikerne er håndplukket ut ifra en dyp forankring i tradisjon og samtidig fremragende instrumentalister som kan improvisere. Tom Steinar Lund (Norge), Ingor Ante Ailu Gaup (Sapmi), Idd Aziz (Kenya), Jovan Pavlovic (Serbia), Hans Hulbekkmo (Norge) men også noen fremragende greske musikere, Manolis Pappos, Nikos Kalantzakos, Manos Vassilopoulos, Nikos Medoudakis og Nikos Klapakis.

ENG
Oluf Dimitri Røe was born in Namsos, Norway, in 1962. His mother is Greek and his father is Norwe- gian, and he grew up in both Greece and Norway. He is now living in Trondheim. This CD – his debut album – presents folk music primarily from Mykonos, the Greek island where he has his roots. This is mu- sic that is closest to Oluf Dimitri’s heart. He gives traditional rhythmic and melodic magic his own fin- gerprint, presenting old music in new manifestations. The CD includes solo performance as well as ar- rangements involving several instrumentalists. Nor- wegian/Greek Oluf Dimitri is a composer, musician and folk musician – and he specializes in singing to his own playing. It would be tempting to present him in full, as the multi-instrumentalist he is, but for this album we have chosen a sharpened Greek focus. Three enchanting melodies played on the Mykonos bagpipes, Sabouna, are included along with music from other genres within the highly diverse Greek tra- dition. Guest musicians are hand picked for their roots in tradition, their outstanding musicianship and ability to improvise. Most of them live in Norway: Tom Steinar Lund (Norway), Ingor Ante Ailu Gaup (Sapmi), Idd Aziz (Kenya), Jovan Pavlovic (Serbia), Hans Hulbekkmo (Norway). Several excellent Greek musicians also participate: Manolis Pappos, Nikos Kalantzakos, Manos Vassilopoulos, Nikos Menoudakis and Nikos Klapakis.

Oluf Dimitri has his training as an active musician and has studied classical violin in Trondheim and at the Odeon Athinon music conservatory in Athens. He has broad expe- rience as a Greek/Norwegian fiddler, having collaborated across musical borders for many years. His repertoire in- cludes traditional folk music from the Trøndelag-region in Norway and bagpipe music from Greek islands. He sings and has composed music for theater. From 1991–1994, while living in Kautokeino, he collaborated with musicians performing traditional Sàmi joik and started the Sàmi choir called Dimitri Joavku. He collaborated here with Ingor Ante Ailu Gaup and Ante Mihkal Gaup. While living on Mykonos with his family, 1994–2001, he documented the ancient Sabouna (bagpipe) tradition that was about to disappear and produced a CD-book, “The Sabouna of Mykonos”. He has been part of the band “Fri Flyt” [Free Flow] along with Gabriel Fliflet and Peter Bastian, he plays in the Romani orchestra Bengalo in Trondheim, and he accompanies tra- ditional Norwegian Romani/Traveler singer Laila Yrvum. He has also collaborated with rock musicians such as Dum Dum Boys and Åge Alexandersen.

Oluf Dimitri is a musician with curiosity, enthusiasm and passion. This, combined with high artistic standards and a generous nature, has led him across cultural and traditional boundaries to musical contacts and collaboration with, for example, Sàmi, Indian, Persian and Latin American musi- cians. He has also been initiated in the Romanian Rom/Gypsy fiddling tradition, a result of repeated and prolonged visits to Romania and direct contact with master players.

Arne Fredriksen