Loxandra Ensemble was formed in 1997 in Thessaloniki, Greece.
The band’s name comes from the name of the main character of the eponymous novel
written by Greek author Maria Iordanidou in 1962.

Loxandra Ensemble’s musical roots spring from the urban music tradition of the
Greeks (Romiai) of Istanbul and Smyrna, the highly diverse traditional Greek
folklore and contemporary urban Greek music. These are mixed with stylistic references to classic Ottoman music, sounds of the Arabian world, the Balkans and the Sephardi Jews.

The first album of Loxandra Ensemble came out in 2006 and was entitled
"Shedon Opos Palia..." ("Almost like in the past..."), being released on the Music
Mirror label in Greece and the Eterna Production label in Turkey. The band
mainly concerns itself on that album with the music of the Greeks living in
Smyrna (today’s Izmir) and Istanbul in the 20th century.

That was followed in 2011 by another album called "Meyhane - Kafe Aman", which came out on the Polyphonon label, reaching #8 in the World Music Charts Europe in September
2012 and # 41 in the Annual World Music Charts Europe.
Following a number of changes, the band has had a permanent line-up since
2014.

With new members and fresh ideas, Loxandra Ensemble’s third album has
now come into being. "In Transition" is the name, marking a creative change in
the band. In addition to the traditional Greek, Turkish and oriental sounds the
group is known for elements of swing, jazz, reggae, Latin. Featuring own compositions for the first time, Loxandra Ensemble has delivered its most conclusive & coherent work to date.

Foibos Apostolidis - Percussion
Giannis Poulios - violin
Loukas Metaxas - Bass / Vocals
Ria Ellinidou - Vocals
Thanasis Koulentianos - Kanun
Thanos Gkraikos - Oud

http://www.loxandra.gr
https://www.facebook.com/Loxandra.Ensemble
https://www.youtube.com/channel/loxandra
http://www.dalit-music.com

Samples and videos