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Presents
Costas Baltazanis
Costas Baltazanis studied jazz guitar performance and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Usa.
In 1995, Costas formed Iasis along with Petros Kourtis on percussion and Yiotis Kiourtsoglou on bass, a group performing his compositions in the field of world fusion. The band sold thousands of albums and performed in top venues and festivals in Greece, Spain, Germany and Luxemburg. They collaborated on stage and recordings with leading performers like Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Bulgarian Voices,Giorgos Dalaras, Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Giorgos Palamiotis, Vangelis Koliris, George Georgiades, David Lynch, Takis Paterelis, Vangelis Karipis, Andreas Papas, Nikos Ntarilas, Manos Ahalinotopoulos, Socrates Sinopoulos, Zaharias Spiridakis and more . Iasis recorded and produced Iasis (1996), Amalgama (1999), the Cd single Amalgama Mix (2000), under the label of Lyra Records and Duente (2003), under the label of Emarcy, Universal Records.
In 2002, Costas composed the music for the movie “Paradise is a Personal Affair”. Legend Records released the soundtrack.
Costas Baltazanis has performed in Usa, Greece, Spain, Finland, Israel, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Germany. A few people he played or recorded with are Alex Foster, The Mingus Orchestra, Arturo Sandoval, David Friedman, Jeff Tain Watts, James Genus, Mike Wolff, Kenwood Dennard, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, The Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra.
Costas Baltazanis has twenty-five years of teaching experience. He has taught a great number of students in private or group classes. His students are today’s professional players and teachers all over Europe and Usa.
In 1991, Costas started teaching Guitar and Harmony Courses at Ph. Nakas Conservatory in Athens, Greece. Later, he taught Ear Training, Jazz Composition, Ensemble and Improvisation Courses. In 1995, he became Head Director of the Modern and Jazz Music Department. He organized a big number of festivals, contests, workshops, seminars, lectures, guest musicians’ concerts, teachers’ and students’ concerts. He supervised the Berklee College of Music “Study Abroad Program” at Ph. Nakas Conservatory, the Student Exchange Program between the two Institutions and the Four Semester Academic Program (for students who would get their first two years Berklee College credits in Athens ). He also, gave lectures and seminars at conservatories in all the major cities of Greece.
In 1996 and 1997, Costas Baltazanis was invited by Berklee College of Music to teach and give concerts at the Guitar Department. In 1998. He took part along with Berklee Professors in Blagoevrad Jazz Festival, Bulgaria conducting performances, seminars and scholarships. In 1999, the same team of teachers performed and gave seminars in Cyprus. Later that year, Costas traveled to Helsinki, Finland as a member of the Berklee College Scholarship Committee and gave lectures at ‘Pop and Jazz Conservatory’. In 2000, a similar kind of event took place in Barcelona, Spain, where he taught at ‘L’ Aula del Liceu’. In 2002, Costas traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel as a guest teacher at ‘The Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music’.
Costas has been giving lectures on topics like: ‘Jazz Improvisation’, ‘Super imposed Harmony’, ‘Triadic improvisation’,’ Modal Improvisation’, ‘Teaching Jazz’, ‘Psychology while playing and practicing music’, ‘Odd Meters in Greek and Balkan Folk and how to use them in Fusion and Jazz’.
Costas Baltazanis has written three books: ‘Music Theory and Ear Training’, ‘Jazz Harmony’ and ‘Electric Guitar’, published by Ph. Nakas Editions and taught in universities and music schools throughout Greece.
From 2009 -20012, Costas Baltazanis had been the Director of Studies at ‘Momi Music School’ in Athens, Greece.
INDULGING IN THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE FOR A DEEP APPRECIATION OF HUMANITY AND NATURE