Mikis Theodorakis (1925-2021) was a Greek composer, musician, vocalist, activist and politician. The right-wing military junta that overthrew the Greek government in 1967 banned his songs. He was arrested and spent time in prison, where he was tortured. After returning from exile, he rejoined the Hellenic government as member of parliament, and as Minister of State, simultaneously writing and composing all the while. He is one of the most beloved figures of modern Greece.
It’s a white Virco cassette, dubbed by my grandfather. The handwriting, in pencil, is almost certainly my father’s.
.The recording is a Mikis Theodorakis concert broadcast either on the local Los Angeles NPR affiliate or Pacifica’s KPFK in the mid-1980s. I can’t find it listed in the Pacifica archives, and a google search related to NPR turns up nothing. Interspersed on side one are interview snippets with singer and politician Maria Farantouri, Theodorakis’ muse and frequent collaborator.
Charlie collected the work of international political musicians and composers. He used these recordings as research for his Liberation Music Orchestra, and sometimes created versions of their songs for LMO albums. I’ll post side two next week.
In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.
All words and images © 2024 Josh Haden, the Estate of Charlie Haden, except by respective copyright holders.
Theodorakis Side One