Floros Floridis

Since the 1970s, wind instrumentalist Floros Floridis has been a key improviser and band leader in the progressive rock and modern jazz scenes of Greece. He has played saxophones, clarinets and flute with other European musicians including Peter Kowald, Günter Sommer, Han Bennink, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey and Ilias Papadopoulos. Considered a major musician in contemporary European music's "Mediterranean stream," Floridis led the Florina Brass Band, opened for Sonic Youth and formed the ethnic jazz group Wutu Wupatu during the 1990s. His bandmates in Wutu Wupatu are bassist Nektarios Karantzis and accordionist Kostas Vomvolos, and the group released its self-titled debut late in the decade on the Greek label, Ano Kato. ~ Joslyn Layne, Rovi