The debut album by the 29-year-old Greek saxophonist and composer features 12 tracks and explores an unusually wide stylistic spectrum.
Young thoughts and dreams, seemingly disparate types of music, a love of jazz, trips between Greece and London, and a band that carries the tunes of the Balkans and the East: These are the elements that comprise “Reflections,” Sofia Roubati’s first full album, released just a few weeks ago.
The 29-year-old Greek saxophonist and composer’s debut is a 12-track album that covers a broad and unlikely range of genres, spanning from jazz, chamber music and rock, all the way to traditional Greek music.
“After graduating from music school, I started asking myself: What is my music? What genre does it belong to? I like so many different kinds and when they all come together, they defy definition,” says Roubati, who has already made a name for herself with her film music composition, including for the short film “Beyond the Plaques,” which was awarded.
‘The way I’ve worked the bass and the drums, in combination with the dialogue between the guitar, the strings and the two saxophones, forms a musical conversation’
Finding her distinctive musical style, was a journey, and “Reflections” is, basically, the embodiment of this love of different genres. Starting from the first track, “Mesmerizing Vortex,” and all the way through to the last, “Peaks and Valleys,” the music makes listeners feel like someone is whispering stories in their ear, stories of journeys and goodbyes, but also of a person emotional rollercoaster.
“‘Undocumented Hopes’ is written in a ⅝ beat, a tempo that creates a sense of motion and persistence. The way I’ve worked the bass and the drums, in combination with the dialogue between the guitar, the strings and the two saxophones, forms a musical conversation. The instruments seem to be answering each other, weaving a motif that recurs again and again,” she tells Kathimerini.
The image the music in this specific piece conjures speaks of something deeper, she says, “of people’s relentless efforts to leave their countries and seek a better future. The recurring motif is not just part of the music structure but the sonic rendering of hope and continuous effort.”
Greek listeners are sure to feel an immediate sense of kinship with “An Afternoon in Late August,” a piece evoking nostalgia, with a form of lute called a lafta leading the narrative.
“We are on an island in the Aegean, at a taverna or a bar, or any open setting. A group of friends is gathered there one last time before the summer ends. They sing, laugh and share stories and memories of their adventures, just before returning to their usual world and the awaiting winter. There is something profoundly Greek in that moment, which has been translated into music; a sense of community and joyfulness,” says Roubati.
The composer’s work is mostly instrumental, but for one track of the album, “Thalassa,” she enlists the soulful vocals of Aggeliki Toumbanaki. “I’ve admired her for years. The piece was written for her voice,” says Roubati.
