At the beginning of the 20th century, Europe is living in peace and prosperity. The “Belle Époque” is an outgrowth of previous important historical events and developments. The networks that are created and which evolve funnel both people and their products, tangible and intangible. It is within this multi-layered world that sound recording and sound reproduction is invented. Early record labels send mobile crews literally all over the world to record local musicians. The range of the repertoire is endless. Cosmopolitanism in large urban centers favors polystylisms and polymorphisms. Colonialism, revolutions, conflicts, refugee flows; the theater, cinema, radio, photography, orchestras’ tours, but also circulations in all kinds of commercial channels in a world that evolves dynamically and anisotropically, form a complex network of “centers” and “peripheries” in alternating roles setting musical idioms in motion, both literally and figuratively. The networks in which the Greek-speaking musics participate, constantly conversing with their co-tenants, are magnificent. Discography has already provided important tools in understanding the relationships that developed between “national” repertoires. The result of this ongoing research is “Cosmopolitanism in Greek Historical Discography”.

Naturally, in the large urban centers of the Ottoman Empire around the Mediterranean Sea, the “conversations” of the Greek-speakers with their Turkish-speaking Muslim “co-tenants”, the Catholic Greek-speakers, the Armenians, the Sepharadi and Ashkenazi Jews, the Levantine Protestants, and the Europeans and the Americans, were more than intense. Very often, the scope of this network extends to the Balkans, to Eastern and even to a part of Central Europe. Especially regarding relations between Orthodox and Muslims, the relevant evidence demonstrates the musical exchanges between them and elucidate an ecumene where everyone contributed to the great musical “melting-pot”, and where everyone may draw from it, as well as redeposit it, in a new form, with a reformulated text and its meaning, with sometimes clear and sometimes blurred references to its pre-text, until someone else pulls it out again, through the “melting-pot”, so that it becomes clear that there is no end in this recreational and dynamic process where fluidity prevails. A case that comes from such repertoires is this recording.

In Greek historical discography one can find the tune under the following titles:

– “Zeimpekiko - Aivaliotiko”, Giorgos Makrigiannis or Nisyrios (violin), V. Katsetos (lute), G. Klosteridis (santour), New York, January 9, 1918 (Victor Β 21349-2  – V-72702-B)
– “Zeimpekiko Aivaliotikos”, I. Ntallas (violin), Th. Kappas (lute), ca August 1919 (Panhellenion 4421 – 7030 & 4009)
– “Zeimpekiko Aivali”, Kostas Papagkikas (santur), Athanasios Makedonas (violin), Markos Sifnios (cello), New York, July 1920 (Columbia 85333-1 – E-4526 and reissue Columbia UK 85333 – 7735)
– “Zempekiko Aivaliotiko”, Kyriakatis Duo [Giannis Kyriakatis (clarinet), unknown (santur)], New York, August 7, 1923 (Victor C-28349 – 68637-B)
– “Choros zeimpekikos”, violin, santur, lute, Athens, 1925 (Odeon Go 82 – GA-1048/A 154080), this recording
– “Zeimpekiko”, Dimitris Semsis or Salonikios (violin), Dimitris Arapakis (santur), Kyriakidis (oud), Athens, 1927 (Columbia UK W 20026 – 8002)
– “Aivaliotiko”, Manolis Karapiperis, New York, April 29, 1929 (Victor CVE 51267 – V-58028-A)
– “Aivali”, Kostas Gkantinis orchestra, New York, October 22, 1940 (Columbia CO 28951 – 7209-F)
– “Aivaliotiko”, Giorgos Mitsakis, Athens, April 25, 1961, (Columbia 7XCG 1072 – SCDG 2964)

Moreover, one could argue that this tune is in touch with the song "Isouna xypoliti", recorded by A. Kostis, aka Kostas Bezos, in Athens, which in turn is in touch with the one recorded on the other side of the same record, entitled "Stin ypoga".

The tune, however, can also be found in the Turkish repertoire. Specifically, in the 1930s, Merhum Ramazan recorded in Istanbul the instrumental song “İzmir Zeybeği” (Sahibinin Sesi 1174). During the same decade, around 1936, Columbia saz heyeti under the direction of Necati Tokyay recorded in Istanbul the instrumental song "Yeni zeybek havasi" (Columbia CTZ 5441 - RT 17301). Also, it seems that the tune is also found under the title “Ayvalık Zeybeği”.

Research and text: Leonardos Kounadis and Nikos Ordoulidis