| Article excerpt |
For those who follow the Greek jazz scene, the news of the release of the first personal album of the jazz singer/performer Nassia Gofa is more than a reason for joy and excitement. It is something that has been awaited for years by all those who have been following for 15 years this strong, absolutely emotional, totally “pure” jazz voice within the Athenian jazz community, a singer about whom we have often wondered – until now- why she only had individual recordings and participations in her portfolio.
Vocal jazz recording is a problem for the local jazz community in general, as the number of performers who have albums of their own, can be counted on the fingers of one hand, at a time when instrumental recordings are booming. With “HERKYNA”, Nassia Gofa, one of the most important figures and voices of vocal jazz in our country, joins this select list.
Nassia Gofa’s first personal album takes its name from the ancient nymph Herkyna, the friend of Persephone (the two of them are illustrated on the wonderful CD cover), from whom the river in Livadeia, one of the few rivers in our country that bears a female name, also took its name. The area is the place of origin of the performer’s mother. Having not visited Livadeia for many years, when she did, she essentially closed one circle of life while opening a new one. |
