Aristides Seisanas () was born in
Kalamata,
Greece. At the age of 17, he sailed from Athens to Israel, shortening his name to "Aris San" on board. San began playing at the Arianna nightclub in
Yafo, a bastion of Israelis from
Thessaloniki. His unique approach to playing the electric guitar like a
bouzouki and creative melding of different styles of music opened Israeli society to Greek and Mizrahi music. The club proved popular with senior officers and members of
Mapai (forerunner of Labor and, at the time, the ruling party), including
Moshe Dayan. Lucy Maloul, a singer known professionally as Aliza Azikri, visited the club with her manager and husband Nissim Azikri. A romantic relationship developed between Aris San and Azikri that became grist for the gossip columns. They had a daughter, Sani. In Israel, San gained prominence for songs like "Sigal" and "Boom Pam". His band played at the double wedding of the children of Moshe Dayan, which was attended by
David Ben-Gurion. The speed with which he obtained his Israeli passport and his close relationship with army officers encouraged gossip columnists to accuse him of being a spy, a charge he denied out of hand. San left
Israel a few months after the birth of his daughter on the eve of
Yom Kippur. He settled in
New York City and opened a successful nightclub, Sirocco. Some of the club's most notable guests were
Anthony Quinn,
Louis Armstrong,
Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin and
Sammy Davis Jr. Eventually, however, as San developed a cocaine habit and Sirocco gained the interest of the underworld, the club was raided by the
FBI, which discovered drugs on the premises. San did not cooperate with the investigation, was convicted, and served a two-year sentence. Upon his release he opened a poultry business in
Harlem and another nightclub, which was unsuccessful. He later moved to Budapest. He borrowed money from local organized crime loan sharks to purchase cocaine, but did not repay it. In 1992, he was hospitalized following a heart attack and mafia hitmen strangled him with a pillow at the hospital. His remains were cremated. ==Film==