Biography of Mutsumi Abe

Mutsumi was born in Japan and started playing violin at the age of three, being trained in the Suzuki method. In 1992 she moved to London and started teaching violin to children while also performing as a classical violinist (solo, chamber and orchestral music). Soon her interest moved from classical to world music, especially Balkan. Through this she joined various other groups and extended her repertoire to Greek, Gypsy, Bossa Nova, Spanish, Turkish, and Arabic music, gaining in this way a great range of violin styles. More recently, through playing rembetika she became more and more interested in Greek music, exploring the earlier traditions from which rembetika emerged: island songs and Ottoman Caf Aman or Smyrneika. This has now come to dominate her professional life. She has played at christenings, weddings, festivals, chiristmas parties, live music bars, and concert halls. She continues to broaden her understanding of this music, travelling often to Greece to learn with the great players, attending workshops and playing informally with many musicians in tavernas in Athens or the islands. It is an ongoing adventure. Currently she is working with the all-girls band Pakaw and the Balkan band, Delicatessen.

Bands Mutsumi has played with in recent years: London Gypsy Orchestra, Luna Kalamata, Ethnola, , SOAS Rembetiko Band, Trans Siberian March band, London International Rebetiko Orchestra, Flamenco project, Bossa Nova band Liberdade, Plastikes Karekles, Delicatessen and Pakaw

References
Delicatessen : www.delicatessenmusic.com Pakaw: www.reverbnation.com/pakaw Myspace: www.myspace.com/muzmee

Contact to Mutsumi 00447979735139 pastorale623@hotmail.com