My Apollonio Bouzouki

I've had my new bouzouki for a couple of months now, have played it and passed it around at a few sessions, and the general consensus is, "Wow, great instrument; a beauty." And indeed, I'm quite happy with it. It's very well made (and I was in on choosing the woods as well as being on hand for the beginning stages of its construction, as seen in this post from last March), is a gorgeous instrument, and has a rich, full sound (though, to my ear anyway, it doesn't sound exactly like a bouzouki; its voice being more like an eight-string guitar, but it's a very subtle difference), and has very comfortable action (though I've had to adjust to the neck width, which is a bit wider than my old bouzouki). All in all, I love it, and look forward to spending more time with this instrument, sussing out melodies, counter-melodies, and chords; using it for backing as well as accompanying myself (all of which the bouzouki lends itself to very well, and are the qualities that attracted me to it in the first place), preferring it more than my guitar these days. Lovely. Oh yeah, and as anticipated, it's very comfortable to hold and nestles into my lap perfectly.

The only problem is what to call the thing - all of its possible nicknames (guizouki? boutar?) - to me, anyway - sounding a bit gimmicky and less than dignified. I'll probably just keep calling it a bouzouki, though bouzouki doesn't seem quite adequate or accurate.









This is the model of the Galway hooker that was given to me by my friends Lee and Barbara Smith when I was in Maine last March, the traditional Irish fishing boat model that inspired the pearl inlay in the headstock of my (and many subsequent, so I am to hear) bouzouki.











Back in July, we had a total of seven of Nick's instruments on the premises. Seen here are five of them (from L-R): my bouzouki, Susie Bowman's six-string (with catboat inlay), Nick's bell cittern, Nick's 12-string, Bob Denton's bouzouki.

Here's Nick, playing a tune he composed on my bouzouki, with Yours Truly accompanying him on my then-brand-spanking-new zouk:

Gad-zouks!

It was wonderful having Nikos Appolonio visiting from Rockport, Maine for a few days. Nik is an amazing luthier, musician, and all-around great guy, and had made a special trip down to the island to deliver my bouzouki. While he was here there was the usual amount of eating, drinking, swimming, and biking; and tunes galore, of course, including a special Thursday night session, as well as our regular Saturday night session. Thursday night's was the treat, with a couple of mystery guests on hand, including a bowed psaltery player, along with a steady stream of random folks dropping in, including Professor Skip Gates who popped in for a few minutes between the Batman movie and dinner at nearby Atria - an honor, indeed. I've said this many times before, but I love living on the Vineyard in the summer - eventually everyone shows up here - and I love living on Main Street.




When my 200 year-old sea captain's home was moved to its present location, in 1848, a feast was prepared, a party was called, along with a fiddler. I'm glad to be carrying on the tradition.



My new bouzouki. Gui-zouki? Bou-tar? Nik calls it Gad-zouks! And gad-zouks, yes, it is an amazing instrument. Sweet and smooth as honey, and nestles into my lap like a baby.

Nik and I made a lot of friends while sitting and playing together on the porch. One of the joys of my Main Street house is that it is in the center of lots of activity, yet far enough from the street to provide a boundary, but also close enough that there can be a wonderful interface between the musicians and the passersby.





On Thursday night we realized that among us, there were seven Nikos Appolonio instruments on the premises: two 12-strings; a six string; a 5-string fiddle; a bouzouki, a cittern, and a gui-zouki.

Music and Fun

Last night on Piazza's Piazza was exquisite - a minimum of humidity, with a maximum of music and fun. I edit these photos on a clear and dry Sunday morning with Rosanne's lovely whistle music wafting up the stairs. I keep asking: "Does it get any better?" And it just does.