Prominently released just in time for the Athenian Olympic Games,
The Road to Olympia makes use of ARC label star
Michalis Terzis for a round of basic Greek music. While
Terzis is actually a pianist at heart, there is surprisingly little piano to be heard here, opting instead largely for
Terzis compositions for the bouzouki and baglama. As such, the album is a huge run of light plucked strings, and tends to flow as a single sort of sound, perfect for ambient music in the background. The music itself is performed quite ably by a trio of primary players, backed up by a rhythm section of
Terzis, Polys Pelelis, and Vazilis Potiris. It's a coherent whole, quite respective of tradition, but rather relaxed throughout the proceedings. Much more mood than dance music, but still worth a listen or two. ~ Adam Greenberg