Banda Magda is a world music and contemporary jazz and pop band founded by Greek-born singer, film scorer, and composer Magda Giannikou. Giannikou began film scoring while studying at the Berklee College of Music and won the George Delerue Award for achievement in film scoring and the BMI Film Scholarship while still attending school. Her virtuosity caught the attention of the Kronos Quartet and landed her a collaboration with Louis CK (she sang a duet on his show). Enchanted by the New York jazz and world music scene, she moved there after her studies and quickly formed Banda Magda with her closest musical friends. Their instrumental palette range includes accordion, piano, upright bass, ukelele, charango, guitars, and guitaleles.
Banda Magda is a blend of Latin-American rhythms, French lyrics, and Greek folk tunes. Their critically acclaimed first album, Amour t’es là? was number 9 on the Billboard World Music Charts and was on NPR’s 10 Favorite World Music Albums of 2013 along with being featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered. The album was released through Banda Magda’s own label and co-produced by Magda Giannikou and Michael League at Odeon Studios in Athens, Atlantic Sound Studios in Brooklyn, Flux Studios in the East Village, Audio Bunker in New York City, Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, NJ, The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, and Magda’s walk-in closet in NYC.
Their sophomore effort, Yerakina, was released on Sept. 23, 2014 through Ropeadope/groundUP. The album was co-produced by Grammy award-winner Michael League (Snarky Puppy) and Grammy award-nominee Fab Dupont (Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Bebel Gilberto). The album is a compilation of re-imagined folk songs and mid-century classics in five different languages (Greek, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Italian) and includes 36 different musicians.
Yerakina features traditional Greek rockers “Trata” and “Yerakina” along with driving ballads “El Pescador” and “Petite Fleur.” Rich horn arrangements seamlessly weave over the spectrum of South American grooves. Instead of focusing on Giannikou’s French romantic original songs like on their first album, the band was allotted more creative freedom, which found them turning to traditional and classic tunes. Afro-Peruvian rhythms blend with Northeastern Brazilian beats to produce a fresh sound creating a microcosm of ethnic grooves. The album is exotic, emotive, and eclectic with a splash of improvisational jazz to instill a sense of chaos among the order. Ultimately, Banda Magda creates a playful and livelier style of world music with a heavy tropical influence.
Banda Magda performed at the Carnegie Hall Musical Explorer Series, and showcased their brand of international pop at festivals such as Webster Hall, Irving Plaza, The Kennedy Center, The Jefferson Center, Celebrate Brooklyn, Jazz al Parque, St. Moritz Festival Da Jazz, and the Chicago World Music Festival.
Eschewing most modern day pop sensibilities, Banda Magda harkens back to traditional tunes. Giannikou’s vocals are sweet and vulnerable. Whether you speak the romance languages or not, the emotion is audible throughout every track.