magnanimus trio

Magnanimus Trio is formed by three friends, Christos Barbas (Piano, Kaval, Voice), Dimitris Tasoudis (Drums, Piano, Voice) and Pavlos Spyropoulos (Contrabass, Voice) on September 2010. They met back in the 90s when they where co-students in the Music Studies Department in the Aristotle University of their city, Thessaloniki/Greece. Each of them has followed his own road, mixing musicalities and jobs both diverse and interesting. Christos has taught Ney and Ottoman music in universities around Greece, and teaches also abroad, and apart from traditional woodwind player he is equally involved in composition for contemporary dance projects, theatrical plays and contemporary modal music groups. Dimitris is teaching in the Department of Film Studies in Aristotle University, and is busy as a drummer and a classical percussionist both in post-rock and alternative bands, as in contemporary, jazz and classical music concerts. Pavlos also is teaching contrabass and music theory in various music schools in Greece, and he is envolved in many bands, ranging from flamenco, to traditional musics from Greece, ska-punk etc. After a period of completing their studies (Christos studied Ethomusicology in London, and Dimitris Composition & Percussion in York) they met again in Thessaloniki.

Creating Magnanimus Trio arose from the need to combine all these influences into a project, without having the need to name their music, but just to be committed in the sound the trio produced, free -as possible- from external "stylish" and music-market restrictions. Having said that it is important to add that a very important part in the process of their music-making is improvisation, as a medium to connect all their musical ideas and influences in the point of the present ti.
Modality (modal musics use the tool of the mode, the scale, as opposed to classical music which uses harmony) is a strong asset in their music, as is the tendency to investigate the minute details sound, and the emergence of melodies through the act of careful listening. In their performances elements from modal jazz can be interweaved with contemporary, classical ideas, always giving space for improvisation and letting the instruments themselves to speak...