The Charis Ioannou Jazz Quartet

The Pharos Arts Foundation continues its Jazz Series with a concert by four highly-talented Cypriot musicians who will deliver an exciting jazz programme on 18 March 2011 at The Shoe Factory, Nicosia at 8.30pm

Charis Ioannou (saxophone)
Saxophonist Charis Ioannou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1976. In 2001, during his studies at Berklee College of Music, Charis won the Woodwind Achievement Award. After graduation, he moved to New York where he stayed for three years. While in New York, Charis earned his Masters degree in performance form NYU and in the meantime performed and taught around the state. The collaboration with Rick Parker lead to the CD release of Rick Parker Collective – New York Gravity on the Fresh Sound Label. Charis left from the United States in 2005 and moved back to Cyprus. The return to his home country found Charis collaborating with various musicians including his own Group, The Jazz Futures Quintet, The Petsteppers (cd release 2008), The Cyprus Big Band (musical director) with whom he has performed around the island and also in various venues around the world including performances in Greece, Kuwait, Poland, Serbia, Spain, England, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland and the USA. Charis is teaching jazz music at The University of Nicosia, and also around the island through workshops and jam sessions that are being sponsored by the the Bicommunal Support program of the US Embassy in Cyprus.

Michael Messios (double-bass)
Michael Messios was born in Limassol. In 1995, he received a scholarship to study jazz performance, jazz composition and orchestration at Berklee College of Music. While in Boston, Michael took private lessons with Charlie Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi, Oscar Stagnaro, Bruce Gertz and performed with a number of bands. Michael is a member of the bands Petsteppers, Symmetry, The Cyprus Bigband and many more. In the studio he works as an orchestrator, composer and producer. Some of his projects include the album releases of well known Cypriot artists. Michael is also composing, arranging and performing with the jazz-fusion band Petsteppers, which appeared, amongst others in the Dogstock and the Cracow jazz festivals, the Kuwait Jazz Festival and the Mitrovica Jazz Festival in 2009 , and at Vortex Jazz Club in London with Gilad Atzmon. Michael is an endorsed artist from ‘’Ashdown amps’’.

Marios Toumbas (piano)
Pianist Marios Toumbas holds a Bachelor of Music, cum laude, in Music Synthesis (Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA) and a Master of Music with Honors in Jazz Studies (New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, MA). While at the US, he was a student of well known jazz educator Charlie Banacos. He also took jazz improvisation lessons from Danilo Perez (former pianist with D. Gillespie) and Grammy award winning bassist Cecil McBee (formerly with Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter). Marios has performed all over the world with famous jazz musicians such as, electric bassist Anthony Jackson (creator of the 6-string el. Bass), tenor saxophonist Tony Lakatos and guitarists Jeff Richman and Brett Garsed. He has also performed at international jazz festivals such as, the Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada, the Krakow Jazz Festival in Poland and the North City Jazz and Blues Festival in Serbia. He has played concerts at the Royal Festival Hall in London and Sun City Music Hall in Johannesburg South Africa.

Ioannis Vafeas (drums)
Ioannis Vafeas was born in Limassol, Cyprus in 1970. In 1994 he graduated from Berklee College and in 1998 from the Boston Conservatory. Ever since he has been an active musician performing and teaching music in Cyprus and abroad. Ioannis is endorsing Zildjian Cymbals.