Michalis Tzanetakis is a unique musical chapter for Greek rock abroad.
He started in 1968 playing modern rock songs with the band Spartans, but he soon learned Greek repertoire to meet the needs of the Greek diaspora concerts. In 1972 he wrote music and lyrics and recorded the songs “Sweet morning/Καινουργια μέρα” and “I don’t know what I’m going to find/Κοριτσι μου”, which he dressed with psychedelic rock music and recorded in a small studio in Brooklyn, playing guitars and vocals on successive channels, in a direct reel to reel recording. These two songs were released in 1972 by Peters International and are an excellent example of Greek-language rock.
In 1974, after the Spartans disbanded, with the addition of MAD drummer George Michaelides, bassist Takis Spitambalous and jazz pianist Bob McHugh, they founded Medoosa. Medoosa's repertoire at the famous New York jazz night club "Ali Baba East" where they performed, included a mix of Greek rhythms with rock and jazz improvisations as well as classic jazz repertoire, causing a sensation in jazz circles and musicians, as a result of which they were asked to open for Chet Baker and Art Blakey's concerts at the same club. Having gained confidence in their abilities, on 18/08/1975 they crossed the threshold of the legendary Electric Lady Studios (Greenwich Village, N.Y.), which had been built by Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and under the guidance of sound engineer Dave Wittman they would record 6 tracks for the album that would be called “Ali Baba night”, attracting the interest of the record label Perception Records, which would sign a contract with the group, but would never release the recording. Medoosa would continue their live performances for the next 14 months while after their dissolution, Michalis Tzanetakis would found Spartans 2 and would then continue to appear in various bands and as a music teacher.
B-otherSide records is pleased to present the entire recordings of Michalis Tzanetakis either as a solo artist or with Medoosa in a compilation LP entitled “Free”, numbered in 300 copies with a 2-page insert containing photos and the artist’s history.
