Berklee Alums Banda Magda Make A Triumphant Return To The Red Room

“I was a classical pianist when I went to Berklee," said Magda Giannikou. "If you want to play with all the jazz cats, it’s very hard. I was the only person who had an accordion – not knew how to play one – had one. Everyone wanted me to play on their project. That’s the story. I hope it was good enough.”

By Bradley Fargo

February 18, 2017

Updated August 09, 2023

I last saw Magda Giannikou, the front-woman of Banda Magda, as the opener of a Snarky Puppy show in St. Louis. Since then, I’ve been looking out for more. A more extensive bio of the woman can be found here.

Banda Magda, an international band formed out of friendships at the Berklee College of Music, dances between musical styles and languages, featuring members from Greece, Argentina, Colombia and Japan as well as the United States. They play global tunes, switching between South African rhythms and French lyrics — playing cinematic Greek folk tunes as well as borderline jazz.

Michael League, the band-leader of Snarky Puppy, briefly filled in as a bassist for a live show a couple years ago, and the bands have worked together a couple times since then. Giannikou also appeared as a guest artist on Snarky Puppy’s collaborative album "Family Dinner Volume One."

The band's third album will be released sometime in the next two months. Their website can be found here.

This Wednesday the band returned to their alma mater to play a show. It was extremely hype, and extremely polished, and extremely free.

Some of the show can be streamed through this link.

This photo story was produced as part of WGBH News contributor Dan Kennedy's class in Digital Storytelling and Social Media at Northeastern University.