PKmusik presents Deepest Load Line, the new album by pianist and composer Thanasis Valsamis.
 
The title refers to the load line painted on a ship’s hull — the mark that defines how deep a vessel can sink while remaining stable. For Valsamis, it becomes a metaphor for balance, weight, and emotional density: the point where structure meets vulnerability.
 
Across seven original compositions, Valsamis develops a language of restraint and quiet intensity. His piano writing moves fluidly between composition and improvisation, allowing space, rhythm, and melodic clarity to shape the music. The album unfolds patiently, with a sense of direction that never feels forced.
 
He is joined by a closely connected ensemble:

Leonidas Sarantopoulos – flute
Grigoris Asimakopoulos – tenor saxophone
Grigoris Theodoridis – double bass
Vagelis Karipis – percussion
Vagelis Kotzampasis – drums
 
Together, the group creates a sound that balances motion and stillness, drawing from modern jazz while remaining open to Mediterranean color and atmosphere.
 
Among the album’s defining moments is “The Stoker” (Ο Θερμαστής), a reimagining of a 1934 rebetiko song by Giorgos Mpatis, translated into a contemporary jazz context without losing its maritime grit. “Way Out,” the album’s second single, reveals a more buoyant, groove-driven side of the project, offering contrast within the album’s broader arc.
 
Recorded at Studio Sierra in Athens in May 2024, Deepest Load Line was co-produced by George Kariotis, Christos Zorbas, and Petros Klampanis. The album belongs to a growing body of contemporary Greek music that transcends stylistic borders, speaking both the language of jazz and that of place.
 
Rather than aiming for virtuosity or excess, Deepest Load Line focuses on equilibrium — the sound of an artist finding balance between inner movement and outer calm.