Avram Pengas & The Noga Group

Avram Pengas' Noga Group has been a staple of New York's downtown music scene for nearly twenty years. The CD, "Santorini," is the group's latest effort (its first being 1983's self-titled "Noga") and lakes its name from the beautiful Greek island and the Greenwich Village cabaret that was filled, each week, with the exotic music of the Noga Group. But while Santorini, the cabaret, prided itself on its Greek heritage, "Santorini," the CD, ffers more diverse pleasures. Pengas' breathtaking Bouzouki and expressive guitar, Nick Mandoukos' exquisite guitar, Dick Barsamian's velvety oud, Lefteri Bournias' sultry clarinet, Zohar Fresco's dazzling percussion, and the melodic support of Emmanuel Mann's fretless bass combine to create a rich musical palette of the entire Mediterranean region and beyond