Billy Pod
Vassilis Podaras (aka Billy Pod) was born in Athens,Greece in 1988.
He started playing drums at the age of 11. His musical studies include 6 years of classical piano and violin lessons. At the age of 18 he was accepted at the jazz department of the Ionian university of Corfu and 5 years later he got his Bachelor degree and later his Masters degree in jazz performance.
From 2009 he is one of the most active musicians in the Greek jazz scene collaborating and performing internationally at festivals and venues in Europe,USA and Asia. Tivon Pennicott, Jd Walter , Emmet Cohen ,Rufus Reid ,Bobby Sanabria ,Manfred Schoof ,Olivier Temime ,Timo Lassy ,Dean Bowman ,George Kontrafouris ,Takis Paterelis ,Vasilis Rakopoulos ,Dimos Dimitriadis ,Dimitri Vasilakis ,Vasilis Xenopoulos ,Nikolas Anadolis among others are some of his latest collaborations.
He is member of the band the Next Step Quintet (latest release feat.Tivon Pennicott).
His debut album as a leader 'Drums to heal society' is out in February 2019 by Puzzlemusik label.
Performance highlights:
-Pori Jazz Festival 2010
-IASJ International Meeting 2012 in Austria
-London Jazz Festival 2015
-Taichung Jazz Festival 2016
-Odessa Jazz Festival 2016
-Made in NY Jazz Gala 2016 (New York)
Awards:
1st place in the small band category at the International Made in NY jazz competition 2016.
Related Selected Discography:
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Album Review
- Rainbow Over Kolonaki by Glenn Astarita
- Drums To Heal Society by Friedrich Kunzmann
“This new artist to us at UK Vibe features a high calibre roster {...} As per any respectable bandleader, Vassilis Podaras is as comfortable in the background as he is in the foreground... There’s a community spirit here.” Damien Wilkes ,UK vibe
”... finds his own balance through uncomplicated structures and persuasive aesthetics that facilitate the listening.” Filipe Frietas , Jazz Trail
''a versatile composer and a subtle drummer with an ear for melody.{...} Billy Pod's sense for melodic immediacy combined with a musical vision that is mindful of every voice makes for a promising debut album.'' Friedrich Kunzmann , All about Jazz
