Album Notes

“Portaki” is the new album of lutist and singer Martha Mavroidi. It features her trio with Giorgos Ventouris on doublebass, Giannis Aggelopoulos on drums and herself on electric lafta, saz and voice. The music combines elements of Balkan music with contemporary harmony and improvisation.

‘Portaki’ means ‘little door’. The idea behind the title is a flight to freedom. When trying to escape the boundaries that confine us we often search for a big gate; sometimes the exit can be through a tiny little door.

Martha launched her music career as a recording artist in 2010 with the release of her critically acclaimed debut album “The Garden of Rila”. The album received enthusiastic reviews in world music magazines and it has been aired on radio stations in the UK (BBC, froots radio), the USA (KDVS-FM, WOMM-LP) and Australia (PBS-FM). With her new trio she takes her music a step forward, drawing from her experience in folk music those elements that can be reworked in a contemporary music project. This unconventional trio (bass, drums, folk lutes and voice) brings together the subtleties of folk modes and the creative impulse for improvisation.