Pandelis Karayorgis

Sentimental, sugary, fluffy, syrupy — these are some words that won't hear in connection with avant-garde/post-bop jazz pianist Pandelis Karayorgis, whose playing has often been described as angular, cerebral, and abstract. Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor are his primary influences, although Paul Bley, Marilyn Crispell, Myra Melford and the underexposed Herbie Nichols are also valid comparisons. Born and raised in Greece, Karayorgis moved to Boston in the 1980s and attended the prestigious New England Conservatory (where he studied with well-known improvisers like pianist Bley and bassist Dave Holland). Karayorgis (who has often favored an inside/outside style of playing) remained in the Boston area, and has been consistently active on the Boston jazz scene (where he played with the Mandela Octet in the 1990s and often worked with violinist Mat Maneri). In the 1990s and early 2000s, the pianist recorded several albums as a leader or co-leader — most of them on Leo.