Giorgos Tsolis Jazz Trio
Giorgos Tsolis Jazz Trio
Giorgos Tsolis Trio was created by Greek jazz pianist Giorgos Tsolis. The Netherlands is the meeting point of the American drummer Owen Hart, Jr., the Polish bassist Maciej Domaradzki and the Greek pianist Giorgos Tsolis. They became equitant with each other’s music in 2004 and cooperate since2008. The last two years they work intensively together for the creation of a new project.
The Main repertoire of the trio consists of original compositions by Giorgos Tsolis. The music and the interpretations of the trio reflect ideas and music influences of Giorgos as well as the two other members of the trio. As a modern jazz trio the sound and the “colour” of their compositions reflect the jazz idiom with the sound of nowadays jazz. Arrangements of well-known jazz standards have been added to the repertoire of the trio and presented with the point of view of Owen, Maciej and Giorgos.
Personal influences of those three musicians, music experiences and ideas come together in this trio with the aim of a distinctive modern jazz sound. The unique musicality and creativity of drummer Owen Hart, Jr., the excellent technical and musical skills of bassist Maciej Domaradzki fit in the best way the music of Giorgos Tsolis and give the feeling of a “real“ band.
Giorgos Tsolis, piano
Jazz pianist and composer Giorgos Tsolis was born and raised in the island of Kefalonia in West Greece. He is living and working as a musician in the Hague, the Netherlands for the last ten years. He is an established member of the Greek jazz scene as well as the Dutch jazz scene with participations in festivals such as North Sea Jazz Festival (2010).
He had his first music lessons at the age of 14. Later, at the age of 18, Giorgos studied classical piano, classical harmony and counterpoint at the Municipal Conservatory of Patras, Greece. His first introduction in jazz was that period by pianist Giorgos Metaxas. He continued his studies at the Jazz Academy of the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, where he studied -among others- with Jasper Soffers and Juraj Stanic. He holds a Bachelor & Master Diploma in Jazz Piano Performance from this Institute.
During the last years he had the luck to cooperate, follow master classes and perform with musicians such as: Barry Harris, David Liebman, Brandfrod Marsalis, Heijn van der Geyn, John Ruoco, Enrico Pieranunnzi and many others.
He has participated to festivals in the Netherlands, such as the North Sea Jazz Festival (2010), the Cutting Edge Jazz Festival (2013) and the Jazz on 5 Festival (2013). Some of his participations to festivals in Greece are: Kalomoiris Festival (2007), Samos Jazz Festival (2008), Kalamata Jazz Festival (2011), Agrinio Jazz Festival (2012), Tinos Jazz Festival (2012).
He released his first personal album, “On the way”, with his own original compositions in January 2012 in the Netherlands. He is exploring the world of arranging and orchestrating with his first orchestral work for Chamber Orchestra & Big Band “Odyssey“performed in June 2012 in the Hague.
They wrote for him:
“It is a matter of time before the Giorgos Tsolis trio will conquer the big jazz festivals“ (AD Algemeen Dagblad, June 2013)
“A pianist with drive and explosiveness, who has made his presence strongly noticeable in the jazz scene of Greece“ (Jazz&τζαζ magazine, October 2012)
“It is a matter of time before the Giorgos Tsolis trio will conquer the big jazz festivals“ (AD Algemeen Dagblad, June 2013)
“A pianist with drive and explosiveness, who has made his presence strongly noticeable in the jazz scene of Greece“ (Jazz&τζαζ magazine, October 2012)
Owen Hart, Jr., drums
Owen Hart, Jr. was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He received his first set of drums at 5 years of age. His formal education in the academics of music started at about the age of 10 with piano lessons. At the age of 12 was the start of his formal studies on drums in the Duval County public school system. Owen continued with this until finishing high school in 1989 at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville. While combining playing gigs with an assortment of musicians and musical situations, he attended Jacksonville University as a Music Performance major.
Owen moved to New York in April of 1997 as a result of an extended collaboration as percussionist with the Urban Bush Women (UBW) Dance Company. This experience launched his career further into an international exposure with a tour in Switzerland in addition to other performances in the US. Settled in his Brooklyn residence Owen’s a schedule was occupied with periodic rehearsals with U.B.W. Dance co., accompanist for dance classes at Lehman College in the Bronx and ‘practice sessions’ with great musicians. Having the evenings free to explore what was happening on the music scene gave him the opportunity to do gigs all over NYC including a steady gig on Monday and Tuesday nights at the “Village Lantern”, a popular hang in the west village. Meeting and playing with the musicians who would pass by and sit in resulted in more valuable playing experience. Among these musicians are some of the people who Owen credits as his most influential collaborators; Rob Dixon, Abram Wilson, Ronald Westray, Gregory Tardy, Benny Green, Vanessa Rubin, Wycliffe Gordon and Ravi Coltrane.
In September of 2001, Owen began teaching in Holland at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen. As a professor in the Jazz Drum department, Owen designed the 4 year curriculum for the “First Phase” jazz drums course. Owen has also given workshops and master classes in other Conservatoriums in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Portugal, Italy and Holland.
While residing in the Netherlands, Owen balanced his busy teaching schedule at ‘Prins Claus’ with a much busier tour and recording schedule with artist such as; Timucin Sahin, Ramon Valle, Michael Moore, Ernst Reijseger, Ernst Glerum and Juraji Stanik. Also including US based artist in affiliation with the conservatorium; Craig Handy, Don Braden, Seamus Blake, David Berkman, Conrad Herwig, Dena DeRose, Ralph Peterson, Brian Lynch and many others.
Owen continues to break new ground in his on-going development as an artist. While residing in Bologna, Italy from the Fall of 2006 until the winter of 2007, he collaborated with some of the finest musicians on the scene. In addition to some of his prior collaborations, he is currently working with Steve Grossman’s “Two Tenor” Quintet and the Piero Odorici Quintet, both of whom are among the top jazz artist in Italy.
With a variety of musical influences which include; traditional and contemporary gospel, soul, rock, fusion, Caribbean, Brazilian, Cuban and hip‐hop, Owen has developed a unique style. His many influences allow him to access just the right tembre, touch and attitude to compliment a vast array of musical situations. You can hear this for your self upon a listen to “Osiris”, from saxophonist Michael Moore or the much different displays of musical diversity on guitarist Timucin Sahin’s “Window for My Breath”.
Keep watching for the latest developments of this rising musician.
Maciej Domaradzki, double bass
The double bassist Maciej Domaradzki was born in 1973 in Poland. In the age of 12 he began his music education as classical trompet player and later as double bassist. He studied double bass at the Musik Hochschule in Graz, Austria with Wayne Darling and Ewald Zimmermann. He then continued his studies -from 1996 to 2002- at the Rotterdam’s Conservatorium with Marius Beets, Stefan Lievestro and Hans Krul.
Tours, radio, TV and studio recordings followed in Austria, Germany, Hungary, USA, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece.
He has collaborated with musicians like Gruppe Horsturz, Mark Murphy, Eric Vloeimans, Steve Altenberg, MartinDrew, Lee Harper, John Engels, Asaf Sirkis, Kruno Laevaecic, Thorsten Grau, Hub Hildenbrand,Max Vax, Ray Smith, Ed Verhoef, Ken Ard, Alberto Marsico, Mark Gratama, Kazimierz Jonkisz, Rotterdams Fabrikaat Big Band, Antilogos, Ratko Divjak, Matja Dedic, Emil Spanyi, Fernando Correa.
Since 2002 he is a member of the Symphonic Orchestra “ Het Zeeuws Orkest”. He currently lives in Rotterdam and he is an active member of the Dutch music scene.
