From classical and jazz, to oriental music and, primarily, Arabic, Alekos Vretos collects from the music he has served, and reconstructs it with his own stamp and personal feeling. In the early stages of his career, as a jazz pianist, he was trying to find his "voice". His musical journey brought him to the instrument he fell in love with, the oud. For the next few years, his pursuit was to unite the oud with jazz. In 2004 he released his first album, Yunan, which "stepped" mainly on traditional music. On his second album, Mergin', in 2008, jazz alternated with Latin and Arabic idioms. The balance of his "materials", as he had imagined it, came with the third album, K. on top, in 2014. Alekos Vretos' new project, Mediterranean Echoes, does not include percussion or drums. Here rhythm is implied, leaving space for the musicians to use the melodies to say what they want. The oud with Yannis Diskos' traditional clarinet, and Dinos Manos' bass with Dimitris Verdinoglou's piano converse effortlessly. Top virtuosos - each on their own instrument - weave their own elements onto the melodies they are called upon to interpret and make them their own, without depriving them of their original colour and meaning. The compositions to be heard are those of all four, as the project has a collective musical character. Interspersed among them are, of course, favourite compositions by Ara Dinkjian, Simon Shaheen, Anouar Brahem and others. The final result is shaped by one more factor of particular importance: the audience. For the on-stage musicians, animation and interaction with the audience is the ultimate goal, for a different, Mediterranean jazz.