Bouzouki instrumentalist Yannis Sahamis will share his Greek heritage with audience members at the Vancouver Greek Summerfest, July 2–12.
At the event, which takes places at 4641 Boundary Road, Sahamis will perform as a member of a 3-piece band that also includes a drummer and a guitarist. They will be performing instrumental Greek music, followed by audience requests.
Bouzouki
Yannis Sahamis with his bouzouki.| Photo courtesy of Yannis Sahamis.
The bouzouki is a traditional instrument that was brought to Greece by ethnic Greek immigrants from Turkey in the early 20th century before quickly becoming a fixture in Greek music. It has 8 strings arranged in 4 pairs, with a tuning scheme similar to that of a guitar, but a whole tone lower.
What differentiates the bouzouki from the guitar is its more metallic sound that is reminiscent of a mandolin, as well as its melodic performance style.
“There’s a significant difference between a bouzouki and a guitar. Bouzouki can make sounds similar to a mandolin, and guitar plays mainly rhythm,” Sahamis says.
As a teenager in Greece, Sahamis immediately became enamoured with the bouzouki, thus marking the beginning of his long performance career.
“When I was young, I played the trumpet and I took guitar lessons when I was 14 years old. But when I got my hands on a bouzouki I knew that’s what I wanted to do. It was so much more interesting, exciting, and challenging [compared to the guitar]. I moved to North America from Greece when I was 16 to 17, and I’ve been performing the bouzouki for more than 20 years – ever since I was 19,” he says.
An ancient legacy of song and dance
Greek music largely revolves around dance traditions, which vary by region.
“There are many different dance rhythms with various time signatures. The Greek highlands dance music has a different flavor. We will perform the tsamiko dance, which has a lot of clarinet, but we will use bouzouki instead,” he says.
The tsamiko dance, originating from the mountainous regions of Northern Greece, is danced in a semi-circle formation and characterized by triumphant leaps. It was a favourite dance among mountain fighters and rebels during the 1821 revolution against the Ottoman Turks, and has since gone on to enjoy widespread popularity throughout Greece.
According to Sahamis, dance music has always been a major pillar of Greek culture. Since ancient times, folk dance has been an important component of Greece’s social fabric, with dancing occurring at festivals, ceremonies, war preparation, and victory ceremonies.
Dance, along with writing, music, and physical exercise, was even a major component of the ancient Greek educational system. This deeply engrained spirit of song and dance is depicted on numerous ancient Greek vases and Byzantine frescoes.
Today, folk dances remain commonplace not only at religious ceremonies and weddings, but also as spontaneous expressions of communal joy in everyday life, says Sahamis. They are passed down from generation to generation as a way of maintaining national identity.
“People danced a lot 100 years ago. There are 60 different dances. In Greece today, you can still see lots of people at the tavernas singing and dancing after their meal. It’s a wonderful thing to see,” says Sahamis.
At the Vancouver Greek Summerfest, Sahamis hopes to see audience members dancing along to his music.
Vancouver Greek Summerfest
July 2–12, open daily at 12 noon
4641 Boundary Rd., Vancouver
See the festival website for the dates and times that Yannis Sahamis is performing.
