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Born in Athens, Greece in 1962. Prior to moving to the U.S. in 1985, performed in small jazz groups while pursuing a degree in Economics. Earned BM and MM degrees in music from Boston's New England Conservatory while studying with Paul Bley, Jimmy Giuffre, George Russell, Dave Holland and Joe Maneri (composition) among others. Studied and performed extensively the music of Thelonious Monk and Lennie Tristano and in 1991 compiled a collection of all of Monk's compositions.
In the last twenty years mostly led or co-led groups whose recordings have often been voted into reviewers' top-10 lists in magazines such as Coda, Cadence, Jazz Times and Jazziz. Performed and recorded with Mat Maneri, Joe Maneri, Ken Vandermark, Tony Malaby, Michael Formanek, John Lockwood, Randy Peterson and Guillermo Gregorio among many others. Numerous performances at festivals and clubs in Europe and the United States. Recordings appear on labels such as Leo Records, Hat Art, Clean Feed, Nuscope, Boxholder, Okkadisk, Cadence, Accurate, Leo Lab, Ayler and HatOLOGY among others.
In the nineties worked closely with violinist Mat Maneri producing several recordings on Leo Records mostly in duo format, but also featuring Tony Malaby, Michael Formanek, Joe Maneri, John Lockwood and Randy Peterson. During the same time also co-led a group featuring much of the Tristano repertoire and originals with which, two CDs were made and a trip to Europe in 1997 as well. Also, in 1998 released first trio CD "Heart And Sack" to wide critical acclaim (among others it was featured on National Public Radio's program Fresh Air).
In the past few years toured and recorded in duo format with Ken Vandermark (there is also a 2001 trio CD with Vandermark and McBride) and also with Guillermo Gregorio (with whom there are two previous HatArt collaborations). Performed also with Dave Rempis, Josh Abrams, Jeff Parker, Jeb Bishop, Tim Daisy, Jason Stein, Mike Reed, Josh Berman, Keefe Jackson, Nori Tanaka, Daniel Levin, Frank Rosaly, Charlie Kohlase, Luther Gray, Jef Charland, Forbes Graham, Matt Langley, Jeff Galindo, Chad Taylor, Jason Adasciewicz, Charles Waters and the TILT Brass band, Chris Lopes, Okay Temiz, Hans Koch, Michael Griener, Jan Roder, Floros Floridis , Jorrit Dijkstra, Jacob William, Laurence Cook, Eric Hofbauer, James Falzone, Steve Swell.
A new quintet album, System of 5, featuring all original compositions and arrangements,has just been released by hatology. Also in the spring of 2011, a quartet album featuring Dave Rempis, Forbes Graham and Luther Gray will be released on not two records.
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photo by
Iztok Zupan
Quotes:
"Over the course of nearly 20 years and approximately that many recordings, Karayorgis has established himself as one of the singular, and significant, pianists of his generation."
Art Lange
" ... by this stage, Karayorgis has developed a powerful piano language of his own and this is its definitive statement to date."
The Penguin Guide To Jazz Recordings, (8th Edition) in reference to solo piano CD "Seventeen Pieces" (2004).
Dec 2005 Boston Globe article
Point Of Departure roundtable moderated by Bill Shoemaker |
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Foreground Music, Pandelis Karayorgis/Ken Vandermark,
Okka Disk, OD12065, 2007
Chicago Approach, Guillermo Gregorio/Pandelis Karayorgis/Nate McBride, Nuscope 1019, 2007
We
Will Make A Home For You, the mi3 (Karayorgis/McBride/Newton), Clean Feed CF039CD, 2005
Seventeen
Pieces, Pandelis Karayorgis, solo piano, Leo Records CD LR 417, 2004
Disambiguation,
Pandelis Karayorgis/ Mat Maneri Quintet (with Tony Malaby, Michael Formanek
and Randy Peterson), Leo Lab CD334, 2002
Blood Ballad,
Pandelis Karayorgis Trio (with Nate McBride and Randy Peterson), Leo Records
CD325, 2001
No Such Thing,
Ken Vandermark, Pandelis Karayorgis and Nate McBride, Boxholder BXH 018,
2001
Let It, Pandelis
Karayorgis and Nate McBride, Cadence CJR 1115, 2001
Red Cubed,
Guillermo Gregorio (with Mat Maneri), hatOLOGY 531, 1999
Heart And Sack,
Pandelis Karayorgis Trio (with Nate McBride and Randy Peterson), Leo Lab
CD048, 1998
Lift & Poise,
Pandelis Karayorgis/Mat Maneri (with Joe Maneri and John Lockwood), Leo
Lab CD041, 1998
Approximately,
Guillermo Gregorio (with John Lockwood, Mat Maneri and Eric Pakula), Hat
Art 6184, 1996
Lines, Pakula/Karayorgis
Quartet, Accurate AC-5014, 1995
In Time, Mat
Maneri/Pandelis Karayorgis, Leo Lab CD002, 1994
Between
Speech And Song, Pakula/Karayorgis/Rosenthal Quartet, Cadence CJR 1055,
1994
The Other Name,
Pandelis Karayorgis, Motive MP001, 1992
Hand Made,
Pandelis Karayorgis, Lyra/OM 053, 1989
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New
England Conservatory of Music, Master of Music in Jazz Performance,
Academic Honors, 1993
New England Conservatory of Music, Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance,
1989
TEACHERS
Jazz: Paul
Bley, Geri Allen, Dave Holland, Stanley Cowell, John McNeil, Cecil McBee
Composition:
Joe Maneri, William Thomas McKinley
Jazz Ensembles:
George Russell, Jimmy Giuffre, George Garzone
Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge Mass., director
of jazz ensembles, 1996 to present
Shady Hill School, Cambridge Mass., director
of jazz ensembles, 2009 to present
New England Conservatory of Music, Boston Mass., director of the
Thelonious Monk Repertory Ensemble, 1992-93
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