By Sotiris Bekas
Napoleon Damos‘ “goodbye” is a great artistic loss both for Epirotic and generally for Greek folk music. The renowned clarinet virtuoso from Kourenta, Ioannina, passed away having approached his 8th decade (76 years-old) and certainly full of great musical experiences and a significant personal body of work and legacy. Napoleon Damos rightfully earned a place in the pantheon of our folk music instrumentalists, standing out particularly for his very high technical skill, which he honed alongside many great colleagues, musicians, and singers.
Until he was 14, he stayed in his birthplace, the village of Kourenta, located in the prefecture of Ioannina, in the area towards the provincial road that used to lead to Thesprotia. From a young age, he engaged with music, first playing the tambourine and later the clarinet, listening to his father, George, play the violin, and his uncle, Kostas, the tambourine, who were local musicians. However, the person who truly inspired him was the iconic Kitsos Charisiadis, who used to come to Kourenta to play at local festivals. Young Napoleon would go to the edge of the village to greet the great Epirote musician and carry his clarinet case and coat until they reached the cafes where Charisiadis had been invited to play.
Damos observed the way Charisiadis played and always considered him his only teacher. Even when, later, he moved to Athens to work, Napoleon Damos used to go to Monastiraki to find records with recordings of Charisiadis and continue his apprenticeship. In Monastiraki, he also bought his first clarinet, while he was taking the train from Piraeus to the center of Athens and the area around Vathis Square, where entertainment venues with folk music operated. There, Napoleon Damos would stand outside the entrance and try to listen to what and how the great musicians, uch as George Koros, played. A few years later, thanks to his hard work, development, and perseverance, Damos himself found himself playing on the stages of these entertainment venues alongside George Koros, Sophia Kollitiri, Alekos Kitsakis, Kostas Tzimas, Savvas Siatras, Dimitris Vagias, and others. Indeed, at “Velouhi,” where he collaborated with Kitsakis, he had the fortune to play next to the great Epirote clarinet virtuoso, Vasilis Batzis, an experience that also influenced him.
Napoleon Damos stood out for his particularly skillful playing, his knowledge of musical modes, and his distinctive sound. He recorded dozens of albums with all the great Epirote singers, participated in Yiannis Markopoulos’ special event “The Song of the Greeks,” where the great composer wanted to gather the elite of Greek folk music for a special two-day event. It is also no coincidence that Napoleon Damos recorded albums showcasing his clarinet virtuosity without the presence of a singer.
Recommended Discography
- Napoleon Damos / In the Paths of the Clarinet
- Napoleon Damos / Apeiros Gaia
- Petros Chalkias, Napoleon Damos / Miroloi (Music from Epirus)
