Music that inspired "Sunsets in Oia"

Music that inspired Sunsets in Oia

The power of music is one of the most important themes in Sunsets in Oia, and I listened to a great deal of music as inspiration for this book. In tribute to this theme and my love of music, I'm sharing these videos of some of the songs and artists who were central to this book's creation.

Pavlo isn't just a brilliant performer of Mediterranean tunes; he also served as my musical consultant while I was doing research. Watch this great live performance of "Seleni":

My favourite artist, Sarah McLachlan, enriches my life with her poetic tunes. Selene plays her song "Hold On" while sitting out on the cliffside (page 116):

The incomparable Jesse Cook, whose music I've loved for more than 15 years (watch for Rosendo "Chendy" León on drums -- he is hired by Selene on page 246):

Fabulous fiddler Liz Carroll is another real-life musician written into the book. Check out this video of her playing, while Nic Gareiss wows the crowd with his Celtic dancing:

The third real musician hired by Selene is Jesse Brock. Check him out on mandolin and vocals while accompanying Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper:

Before I met Pavlo, I was first introduced to Greek-style music while attending Ottawa GreekFest, where I enjoyed many live performances by Yiannis Kapoulas. This video features his song "Sun In Your Eyes":

This beautiful song, "Ise Ipefthini Gia Mena," is by Giorgos Mazonakis:

Another track by Giorgos Mazonakis, "Tha Sou Dagosoun Tin Psihi Ta Dyo Mou Hili" is a popular choice among Zorba dancers:

This beautiful ballad, "To Lathos," is performed by Melina Aslanidou:

This track is a live performance by Gerasimos Andreatos and Pantelis Thalassinos of the song "Karavia Sti Steria":

The great George Dalaras (page 175), one of Greece's most beloved performers:

And, of course, who could deny the influence of Mikis Theodorakis' "Zorbas," the titular song to which Anthony Quinn danced in the classic film: