DIMITRIOS VASSILAKIS

Dimitrios Vassilakis is an internationally acclaimed Greek saxophonist, vocalist, composer, educator, and academic researcher with 5 award-winning albums for historic jazz label Candid Records.

He appeared all around the globe, notably in New York at Dizzy’ s Club - Jazz at The Lincoln Center, Birdland, Smalls, Nublu, Zinc, Yale, Natural History Museum DC Smithsonian Institute, Jazz Showcase, Onassis Cultural Center, London Jazz Festival Ronnie Scott’s and major festivals.

He has taught at Yale, Queens, Skidmore College, Columbia, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Paris Conservatoire, Queen Mary University London, San Diego State University, Singularity, Aristotle, and Macedonia Universities Thessaloniki. Since 2017 he has been an adjunct lecturer/researcher at the Laboratory of Music Acoustics and Technology Department of Music Studies National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Has played/recorded with jazz greats such as David Liebman, Jeff «Tain» Watts, Abdullah Ibrahim, Ralph Peterson, Marc Johnson, Essiet Essiet, Dave Kikoski, Dan Wall, Andy Sheppard, Adam Nussbaum, Benito Gonzalez, Jamie Cullum, Espen Berg.

He has presented his concept of “Jazz Democracy” for TEDx Athens, TEDx Tokyo, and notably at the United Nations New York for International Jazz Day 2018.

He is presenting conferences, educational programs, and performances based on his research on jazz, artificial intelligence and robotics in collaboration with Georgia Tech Atlanta, Athens University, and the Democritus Research Center.

Founder/director of Rhodes & South Aegean International Jazz Festival in sisterhood with Bodrum & Ankara Jazz Festivals.

press:

“Infinite grace poetry and passion”
“Greek saxophone prodigy Dimitri Vassilakis is revered as the Hellenic god of post-modern expression. A rhapsodic stylist of immense power and authority.”
BBC Music Magazine (album of the month, voted 2nd jazz album of the year for his 2nd Candid album Labyrinth - Daedalus Project)

“Leader Vassilakis’ compositions offer a perfect platform for post-modern expression…whiz-kid tenor player from Greece…his style is the post-Coltrane, post-Rollins style…high-energy and immensely fluid.’’
New York Press (Labyrinth Live at Birdland).
 

As a teacher, I aim to encourage students to realize and expand their potential and creativity. I usually work with advanced students in jazz improvisation while I often accept exceptionally talented students with a basic foundation in harmony and saxophone technique. 

My style is relaxed and has a narrative quality including storytelling drawn from 30 full years of touring and teaching internationally.
Apart from saxophone teaching, I offer instructions in vocal scat improvisation, insights into jazz harmony, history, and jazz mapping, an analytical method as in my latest research on jazz improvisation and artificial intelligence. 

Through my Jazz Democracy concept presented at the United Nations, and the jazz festival in Rhodes that I direct I also offer insights for the aspiring artist as a concept maker and festival organizer.