CONCERTS
- October 26th 7pm. KEISTUOLIAI Theatre, Vilnius
- October 27th 7pm. Renginiu OAZE, Kaunas
“Banda Magda” is a band that can’t be tamed in one genre. It is a world music band that has qualities of samba, French chanson, Greek folk song motives, Columbian cumbia, afro-Peruvian and north south Brazilian rhythms. This group is known for it’s free musicality. This group has perfectly captured vintage pop elements from the last century. They do free them in their free and cinematographical creative work.
“Banda Magda” was formed by Greek singer, composer and music writer for movies Magda Giannikou. At this moment she is living in New York. Magda Giannikou learned the secrets how to write music for movies in Berkley College. She has won many awards and she is acknowledged because of her creative work. She got attention from American string quartet “Kronos Quartet” and from actor and a comedian Louis C.K.. They did a duo on his show.
“Banda Magda” is full of humor, tricks, sensitivity and energy through her live performances. “Bagda Magda’s” creative work is best described as bright, lots of brave musical strokes, different rhythms, bright and dreamy melodies that have come from all over the world. The bands musical world on stage is created by wild, insanely romantic Magdos Giannikou nature, winks from musicians, smiles, performing with tiger masks and subtle artistry.
In the band “Banda Magda” musicians do play almost all instruments – marimba, cymbals, Japanese shamisen, Chinese guzheng, pots and pans. And it is all used to get the wanted sound. The core of this band is also unusually various: 2 Argentinians, 2 Japanese, 2 Greeks. But in albums and performances we can hear and many other musicians. “Banda Magda” dose perform in 7 different languages. The main themes of this bands creative work are love, friendship, dedication, connection between members of the band.
Magda Giannikou and a band rallied from close friends makes her songs in a involving spree. This quality concurred “Carnegie Hall Musical Explorers Series” and they did received many invitations to perform in exceptional places and festivals: “Webster Hall”, “Irving Plaza”, “The Kennedy Center”, “The Jefferson Centre”, “Celebrate Brooklyn”, “Jazz al Parque”, “St. Moritz festivalis Da Jazz”, “Chicago World Music Festival”, “Burlington Discovery Jazz Festival”, “Minneapolis World Festival” and many others.
The debut album of the band “Amour, t‘es là?“ (2013) was widely appreciated – it made into top ten of “Billboard” of world music, NPR radio programs “All Songs Considered”, “First Listen” and also it made to top ten favorite music tracks of the world in 2013. The band released the second album “Yerakina” in 2014. This album was produced by Grammy award winner Michael League from “Snarky Puppy” and Fab Dupont who have worked with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bebel Gilberto and many others. At the nearest time the band has a plan to record their third album “Tigre”.
The charismatic leader of the band Magda Giannikou is a pianist, accordionist, singer, and composer, music writer for the movie, song writer, producer, inspiring dancer and a good cook. She was born and raised in Athens and she realized pretty early that music is the best thing for her in a whole world. That why she studied classical and jazz music there and later on she left to study in legendary Berkley College.
Magda Giannikou has some very prestigious awards among them there is “Georges Delerue Award” for achievments in creating music for movies and BMI cinema scholarship. After her studies she moved to New York and she became fascinated by live performed jazz and world music world. That was one of the reasons for the band “Banda Magda”. This band connects French songs, Latin American rhythms and jazz improvisation. The band has a lot of fans due to concerts in USA, France, Luxembourg, Greece, and Columbia, Canada.
Magda Giannikou was obsessed by love for the movie music. She participated in “Sundance Composer’s Lab” (2009) together with composer Zeltia Montes wrote music for Spanish 3D animation film “La Tropa del Trapo”. She did assist for composer iZLER and Curt Schneider in a picture “Natural selection”, Edet Belzberg “Watchers of the Sky” and Louis C.K. in “Louie”. She wrote a piece for “Kronos Quartet” dedicated to celebration of 40th anniversary of New Yorks “Lincoln Center”. Also she participated in recording the bands “Snarky Puppy” album “Family Dinner Vol. 1” that won a Grammy.
Magda Giannikou is synesthesiac and that provides her with a very good imagination. She sees music as colors and forms in a big movie screen when she does write music. This quality and sensitivity helps her to understand if she is going the right way and is she showing emotions in the manner she wants.
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