Why is it known as the Greek Blues?
In 1923 after the Turkey/Greece conflicts, many Greeks who previously lived in Asia Minor, also known as Turkey, found themselves as refugees in Greece bringing their music with them and playing it in the shanty towns that began to grow.
It’s through the music that they expressed themselves, singing about everything that affected them – poverty, family troubles, drink, love and death.
This style of music eventually spread to the cafes frequented by Greek Cypriots and to Cyprus. Rebetiko has seen many guises and even went out of fashion for a while but it was repatriated by a new wave of intellectuals and artists.
Nowadays it can be enjoyed in a taverna, cafe, or music venue, and if you’re lucky with views to the Mediterranean Sea, too.