Rebetiko Music at Bacchus' Taverna

"Bacchus' Traditional Taverna"
 

 Rebetiko Music

or

 "Greek Oldies" night at Bacchus' Tavern

 

by Alec Newell

 

 

 

The group called Tekeros - photos by Newell and Skaggs

Last night we received a word of mouth invitation to join some neighbors for dinner at a taverna in the upper end of the village that specializes in traditional Greek food and hot baked bread, all prepared on site from meat and vegetables produced by the family on a local plot of their own land.  In addition to the amazing food and local wine, the family had arranged for a quintet of young musicians who specialize in playing a style of Greek music called Rebetiko.




photo from the net

Rebetiko Music it turns out, is a form of urban folk music with complicated roots and traditions that officially dates from the 1920s to the 1950s.  There was a revival of the style beginning in about 1960 that continues today.  There were perhaps only thirty guests in the restaurant, which was a shame because the food and music should have rated a packed house anywhere on Planet Earth.



authentic Greek menu

The up side for us as Americans, was that we had had the incredible good luck to have been invited to such a small and intimate gathering.  As the evening progressed and younger guests trickled in, dishes were emptied and glasses were filled; wine flowed and the guests got mellow, the musicians loosened up and the music only got better.  A few members of the audience, their eyes glistening with wine and nostalgia, joined in the singing. Kathy and I of course, were unfamiliar with the lyrics, but music evokes universal emotions; laughter from the musicians and smiles from other guests drew us in and made us feel right at home.  Except for the Christmas holidays, it's something we rarely experience in our own culture these days.



 



Applause

It was already a very late night when Kathy and I left, but the musicians and younger guests seemed to still be gathering momentum as we started down the steps of the taverna to head home.  The owner followed us out and in very limited English, took our hands and let us know that he had been pleased to have had us as his guests, and hoped that we had enjoyed ourselves.  We stumbled back down the stone paved foot path toward the house in an almost giddy glow as the music trailed off behind us.  Nice party.

The table carnage left in our wake.