SOKRATIS VOTSKOS QUARTET Vinyl & CDs

Review: The Sokratis Votskos Quartet features Kostas Anastasiadis and Giorgos Klountzos on drums, Leandros Pasias on piano, Vaggelis Vrachnos on contrabass and Sokratis Votskos on soprano sax, bass clarinet and composition and they have a fulsome and electrifying jazz sound that pays homage to greats of the genre such as Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. This album celebrates life with expressionistic solos, sweeping arrangements and plenty of off-grid rhythmic drama, all of which was recorded during the challenging COVID-era and no doubt distils the highs and lows of those times into the music.

Review: "Sketching The Unknown" is a terrific name for an album, particularly for a deep modal jazz set that aims to draw maximum influence from "the folk and modal music of ancient Greece". We're not knowledgeable enough on Greek musical traditions to say whether or not saxophonist Sokratis Votskos and his quartet have successfully accomplished that aim, but we can confirm that "Sketching The Unknown" is superb. Brilliantly arranged, played and produced with surprises around every corner, it's one of the boldest and inventive jazz sets we've heard for some time. There's no fusion antics, sampled hip-hop beats or modern studio trickery, just five high quality jazz cuts that sound like they will last the test of time.