Dimitris Vassilakis is an internationally acclaimed Greek saxophonist, composer, poet, and academic researcher, featuring award-winning recordings for the historic jazz label Candid Records.
A 1986 Chemical Engineering graduate of the National Technical University of Athens, he went on to study classical and jazz saxophone, as well as composition, at the London College of Music under an Onassis Foundation scholarship. He earned a GLCM (Hons) – BMus equivalent, as well as an ALCM (Hons) diploma in classical saxophone (1987–1990).
With a scholarship from the British Council, he completed his postgraduate studies in jazz at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1990–1991), focusing on jazz saxophone, piano, composition, and conducting, and was awarded the LRAM Postgraduate Diploma in Jazz Teaching.
Currently a PhD candidate at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), he has served as a lecturer in the "Jazz and New Technologies" postgraduate program (2017–2023).
His international performance credits include iconic New York venues such as Dizzy’s Club (Jazz at Lincoln Center), Birdland, Nublu, Zinc, and Smalls, as well as Yale University, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Natural History (DC), Jazz Showcase (Chicago), the Onassis Cultural Center (NY), and Ronnie Scott’s during the London Jazz Festival, among many other major festivals worldwide.
He has taught and conducted workshops at prestigious institutions including Yale, Queens, Skidmore, Columbia, DePaul, Georgia Tech, Queen Mary, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Paris Conservatoire, Singularity University, Aristotle University, and the University of Macedonia. Since 2017, he has been a researcher and lecturer at NKUA, focusing on jazz improvisation and Artificial Intelligence.
Throughout his career, he has performed and recorded with jazz greats such as David Liebman, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Abdullah Ibrahim, Ralph Peterson, Dave Kikoski, Andy Sheppard, Adam Nussbaum, Benito Gonzalez, Jamie Cullum, and Espen Berg.
His "Jazz Democracy" concept has been presented at the United Nations in New York for International Jazz Day. He is also the founder and artistic director of the Rhodes & South Aegean International Jazz Festival, which is twinned with the Bodrum Jazz Festival.
As an author, he has published three poetry collections: 88 in Motion (Aition, 2016), anaCODA (Gavrielides, 2018), and Magic Carpet (Iolkos, 2024). Portions of his poetic work were adapted for the stage in the theatrical production Generator (Cartel Theater, 2013), and he frequently integrates jazz improvisation with poetry and AI.
