Rebetiko: The Music and Culture of Greek Bohemians Amidst a City in Ruins

Imagine if you will, a man in a dark tight fitting suit, a black fedora atop his head, a knife tucked into his belt, and a purple sash on his neck while a cigarette limply hangs from the corner of his mouth. His face has a vague but ominous quality as he strolls through a cobblestone alleyway in Greece in the 1920′s with a bouzouki (small guitar) in hand. He proceeds to sit in a cafe and begins his dirge, the sounds that come from his guitar and his voice navigate the vagaries of lost memories; lyrics that detail his time spent in jails, whorehouses and amidst hashish dens; it is the evocation of broken dreams and the reconnaissance of a crumbling gray soul. He hands his instrument to a fellow musician who begins to play as he dances wildly, gyrating in step to a thick zeibekiko rhythm that recalls a Dionysian rite within rings of fire.

The Destruction of a City

Rebetiko is a style of urban folk music that originated in Thessaloniki and Piraeus, Greece in the early 20th century. It is often referred to as the “Greek Blues” by Western ethno-musicologists; while this is an interesting description of a music that has some aesthetic correlates to the folk music of the United States it is a historical oversimplification of sorts. What is indisputable about rembetika (plural for rebetiko) is that it originated in the underground hashish caves and brothels of Greece (like jazz did in New Orleans) and was played and listened to by anti-establishment types who scorned the government and mainstream society in favor of a bohemian existence that exalted love and aesthetic experience.

As a musical form it mirrors that of a Grecian poem-lament that reaches back into the mouth of history to chronicle lost loves, the brutal realities of war and the searing flame of poverty. In a more precise sense it expresses the cold echo of exile; exile from life, love, joy and human sympathy. Its aural qualities evoke the torpid despair of the human spirit as it drowns in the swell of chemical intoxication and sleeps in the bed of vague forgetfulness. This is not music that was created for the faint of heart. The song by Huseini Manes is a good example of such black sentiments, however, even in the midst of lyrics that detail the harsh landscapes of the human heart there is a lightness of touch and ethereal beauty that marks some of the other songs in this canon, as evinced by Anonymous- “His Master’s Voice”.

Huseini Manes- Andonios Dhiamandidhis

[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/04-HUSEINI-MANES.mp3]

Anonymous- His Masters Voice

[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/02-his-masters-voice-2103.mp3]

The symbolic origins of Rebetiko can be traced back to the Great Fire of Smyrna, a tragic event that involved the destruction of the Port of Smyrna during the Greco-Turkish war. Whether the Greeks or Turks caused the fire that claimed scores of lives and homes is an object of debate to this day. Regardless of who caused this ill fated calamity, it has left an indelible scar upon the Greek soul that has never completely healed. Many Rebetiko songs are about the displacement of the Greeks from their homes during this time and underpins many of the motifs that are expressed. The song “Kaigomai” is one of the most moving pieces written on this subject, and the version below is one of the best ; it features a rough hewn voice that cuts through to the heart with a meticulously slow and insistent drum pattern that mimics the feet of Greeks as they are driven from their homes with fires ablaze.

Rebetes

Manges or “rembetes”, were quasi-criminal bohemian characters who were associated with the rebetiko scene, either as musicians, artists or dancers, or a mixture of all of these. They dressed  and comported themselves in such a way that was unmistakable to all other Greeks, often wearing closely fitted suits, pointy shoes, and woolen hats while they twirled their long mustaches with one hand and swung their komboloi (beads) in another.

They walked with a limp and were viewed with cold disdain by many of the lower classes who saw their lifestyle as being diametrically opposed to traditional values. After so much pain, oppression and suffering: why would you want to spend the rest of your days playing music, making art, smoking hash, having sex and cavorting amongst the underworld dens of Greece ?

The daily life of the manges serve as the backdrop for many of the lyrical themes that are often present in rembetika songs, and as such one can view the music as a way of life itself. Since many of the rebetes were fiercely prosecuted by the police, an innumerable amount of famous compositions were written while in jail. It is not an accident that there is a claustrophobic sense of alienation in the rhythms, cadence and intonations that the music emanates, it is a reflection of the living breathing realities of the rebetes; their daily bread and wine.

In cultural terms, one can view them as having a correspondence with the Belle Epoque era of the early 20th century where many artists, writers and musicians lived in cafes, bars, brothels and late night jazz dens eschewing the prosaic aspects of bourgeois life. The criminal features of the rebetiko existence also underlines a correlation with many other underground sub-cultures, the early Beatniks are a notable example, Neal Cassady the famous protagonist in Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” was known for stealing cars and had a place as a hustler in the drug underworld, the same with William Burroughs. And littered all over Beatnik literature and life there are characters who lived on the crooked edges of criminal society to survive and continue their artistic aspirations.

The Music

Historically speaking the rhythms are Anatolian and Greek in their thrust, however one could make the case that certain hues and shades of regions as far as Egypt and The Middle East can be detected in some of the phonic components. In technical parlance there are over a dozen different keys that are used and these shift and change based upon the “makam“, a deep and ambling succession of notes whose denouement ends in the “road”. The “roads” in rembetika are auditory patterns that usually follow a Western mode of acoustic discourse and can be multi-varied determined upon the improvisatory “road” the artist wishes to takes, much like jazz or any other musical art form that uses improvisation as a tool. The two songs below exhibit the more playful spontaneous side of the genre by rubbing shoulders with the earlier work of Omar Khorshid and Egyptian dance music of the time.

Anonymous group taken from a 78 on Decca
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/03-decca-pl-2.mp3]

Anonymous group taken from a 78 on Columbia DG 6351
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/07-columbia-DG-6351-2.mp3]

Artists and Composers

Markos Vamvakaris is considered the spiritual grandfather of rebetiko which is attributed to the fact that he composed most of the standards that are still played to this day. His vocal style is still associated and imitated by many modern day rebetiko vocalists and he was the first to use the bouzoki in a live context; for these reasons one could call him both the Enrico Caruso and the Les Paul of rebetiko.

His presence was a commanding one, he was known as a “manga” (tough guy) whose rotund frame and deep set piercing eyes were no stranger to the harsher realities of life. Markos worked in every conceivable odd job before becoming a musician; butcher, coal miner, shoe polisher and paperman until one day he heard a bouzoki being played and swore to himself that if he did not learn how to play the instrument in 6 months, he would chop off his own hands with a cleaver at the local slaughterhouse. He did learn and eventually became an innovative virtuoso that left behind a legacy of music that is unmatched in rebetiko’s history; undoubtedly there are echoes of Robert Johnson in such a mythical tale. Although there are other composers of note, it is Vamvakaris style or “keffih” (spirit) which most clearly map out the authentic sound of rebetiko; fiercely individualistic with a focus on raw spontaneity and unpolished emotion.

Vamvakaris, Markos- Taxim Zeimbekiko
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/20-Taxim-Zeimbekiko-Vamvakaris-Markos.mp3]

Vamvakaris, Markos- Prepi Na Xeris Michani
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/09-Prepi-Na-Xeris-Michani-Vamvakaris-Markos.mp3]

Then there is Yiorgos (George) Batis ; the doppelganger of Vamvakaris, a formidable musician and composer in his own right and whose mastery on the “baglama” made him a household name in the scene very quickly. He was part of the “Piraeus Quartet” the now legendary super group that included Vamvakris; it is claimed by scholars that he cut the first rebetiko recording but difficulties ensued in releasing it, meanwhile during this interim Vamvakaris released his first song to the public and is now honored with the title. After Batis performed for many years the rebetes started to become censored by Greek intelligence, he bristled at being censored and vowed never to write another single note. He only left behind 16 compositions which are now treated as holy manuscripts of rebetiko by later musicians, conjuring once more the specter of Robert Johnson.

Batis, Yiorgos- Taxim Athineiko Ke Zeimbekiko
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/15-Taxim-Athineiko-Ke-Zeimbekiko-Batis-Yiorgos.mp3]

Batis, Yiorgos- Thermastis
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/03-Thermastis-Batis-Yiorgos.mp3]

The most notorious rebetisa of all time is Sotiria Bellou, a wild woman by anyone’s estimation; she was openly bi-sexual in Greece in the 1920′s ( unheard of at the time), loved to gamble, fought in the streets for civil rights and ended her first marriage by throwing acid into her husband’s face. Sotiria was feral and savage in her sexual and quotidian interactions, exuded an androgynous beauty and had the forceful impetuosity in her character to match. She played by her own rules and was undoubtedly born to sing; she learned to play the guitar at the tender age of 6 and made a living (albeit barely) by playing for people in the streets until she was discovered by Vassilis Tsitsanis ( a famous composer and producer) . He was fond of her deep and resonant voice and began to cut 78′s with her as fast he could get them out there, she was quickly embraced and her songs are now considered classics of the genre. She is the Nina Simone of rebetiko, iconoclastic and completely in command of her craft, an unforgettable songstress.

Sotiria Bellou – taken from an 78 on Odeon GA 7645-2
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/05-odeon-GA-7645-2.mp3]

Sotiria Bellou- taken from a 78 on Odeon GA 7645-1
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/10-odeon-GA-7645-1.mp3]

Rosa Eskenazy was another rebetiko female vocalist who was just as unconventional in her life as Sotiria, however her movements were more theatrical and calculated, she came from a family of professional musicians and her style is informed by that history. Much of her music was composed with many instruments in mind, oud, violin and classical orchestration in general, hence she receives more credit in academic and sophisticated music circles, unfair as that may be. She was the first woman to sing on the stage in a nightclub, a brave move that was considered blasphemous at the time. Things have surely changed haven’t they ? Her legacy remains in tact through the countless recordings she made and the lasting endurance of her songwriting, she is the apotheosis of Hellenic femininity and in a class of her own; the Edith Piaf of rebetiko.

Eskenazi, Roza- Mas Kynigoun Ton Argile
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/13-Mas-Kynigoun-Ton-Argile-Eskenazi-Roza.mp3]

Eskenazi, Roza- Ime Prezakias
[audio:http://www.thehydramag.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/17-Ime-Prezakias-Eskenazi-Roza.mp3]

Where to begin ?

The sad and daunting task of listening to this beautiful and pneumatic music is that most of the recordings were cut on 78. I was lucky enough to have a couple record collectors send me audio files of the 78′s they own. I have provided a few in this article. Nonetheless, for the layman and tourist of this genre I would recommend the 4 disc set put out by JPS Records which compiles many classics and considering that the sources are old 78′s the audio fidelity is impressive. I would also implore you to buy yourself a bottle of ouzo, pour yourself a glass, light a karelia, put on the box set and enter the underground world of Greek music that arose from the ashes of a city in ruins.