In the mid 80's Mizarolli spent 1 1/2 years in Greece gigging, studying and jamming with many cool greek and gypsy musicians. John guested at a gypsy festival of 3000 with the late Manolis Angelopoulos, a famous gypsy singer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John learned from many bouzouki players, gypsies and rembetika masters. He studied byzantine music from the street level and now uses greek, gypsy and byzantine influences in his blues and rock, a unique flavour of millenium fusion! John introduced Ginger Baker to Greece for the first time in 1986 with a string of gigs in the ghetto area of Athens, Exharhia.

 

 

 

The band comprised of Ginger Baker, Mizarolli, Nicos Varthis on bass and Maliq Yaqub on sax. A week later in the same area John was caught up in a full scale riot and was beaten up, among 60 other victims, by 10 policemen with guns and battons receiving blows to the kydneys and head.

 

 

 

 

After being nearly killed due to brutal injuries to the head and back with police battons, he was jailed without treatment for 2 days with 60 people for no reason! The authorities were not pleased at having rock gigs in a ghetto - can't let the people have fun can we! So that ended a year and half in Greece obviously. John got help with live gigs and concerts from a famous greek rock singer Sitheropoulos who has since died from a heroin overdose.

 

 

Apart from the police John found the greeks very friendly and good hearted. Whilst in Athens Mizarolli studied free form jazz deeply with Malik Yaqub, an amazing US saxophonist who played with Charlie Parker. He was a friend of Jesse Jackson and phenomenal jazz teacher and improviser.

 

 

 

 

John spent at least 1 year jamming, gigging and studying with Malik who imparted a great deal of deep musical knowledge.

John was also introduced by the greek musicians to many recording sessions, gigs and jams. All in all the greek police were confused as immediately before John was beaten up, he was asked where he was from.

 

 

 

Fastrack Guitar Lesson Enquiries First Name * Last Name * Email Address * Telephone Number Comments *

 

 

 

After stating he was British, they didn't believe him, he then stated he was Greek-Cypriot, they didn't believe that either, then he gave up trying to racially identify himself, as without a passport on him, the racist cop assumed he was gypsy, arab or north african and proceeded with his batton! Have things changed in 2015? No!

 

In 2009, a kid was shot in the heart at point blank range in Athens, which sparked mass riots resulting in a worldwide riot wildfire in solidarity for the dead kid who was under 20 years old. In Greece now, there are many heavy metal gigs and numerous rock concerts.

 

 

 

Metallica headed a 20000 seater in 2007 and the Rolling Stones did a gig that the prime minister attended and apparently enjoyed. Greece has some amazing rock musicians, but it's a pity the industry there also has its head up its butt like everywhere else in the world! When rock is suppressed worldwide, it is usually followed by extreme unrest!

 

 

The G20 countries and richer european countries borrow money from the european bank at 1% and then lend it to europes poorer countries at between 4% and 7%. Why? Because it's the way it works we are told.

 

 

When Greece was turned into a target modelling zone for a financial experiment, it had NOT defaulted on any payments. Moodies, Fitch and Stone and Standard and Poor are practising fascist economic policies because these policies are hardwired into the system.

Will Europe ever learn how to be democratic? Time will tell? At the present time (2015), it's obvious that a Standard Economic Hit has been dealt by the Rich of the G20. The Rich of G20 went to the Rich of Greece and between them fucked the Poor of Greece! Business as usual then!