01. Karl Hector & The Malcouns - Kingdom of D'mt 3:15 02. The Daktaris - Musicawi Silt 3:04 03. The Sorcerers - Cave of Brahma 3:39 04. Debre Damo Dining Orchestra - Yesega Wat 2:56 05. Jungle By Night - Ethiopino 3:32 06. Onom Agemo And The Disco Jumpers - Cool Runnings 5:16 07. Tezeta Band - The Viper 4:09 08. Akalé Wubé feat. Manu Dibango - Anbessa 3:42 09. The Transgressors - The Biz 3:02 10. Les Frères Smith - Zilzil 7:21 11. The Whitefield Brothers - Safari Strut 3:21 12. Cosmic Analog Ensemble - Stuzzicadenti 2:23 13. Karl Hector & The Malcouns - Followed Path 4:47 14. Anbessa Orchestra - Lions 4:50
The Gurage people are a Semitic-speaking ethnic group inhabiting Ethiopia. According to the 2007 national census, its population is 6,867,377 people, of whom 792,659 are urban dwellers.
This is 5.53% of the total population of Ethiopia, or 9.52% of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR).
Hailu Fereja - Esherrerre
(Guragigna Music)
The Gurage people traditionally inhabit a fertile, semi-mountainous region in southwest Ethiopia, about 125 kilometers southwest of Addis Ababa, bordering the Awash River in the north, the Gibe River (a tributary of the Omo River) to the southwest, and Lake Zway in the east. In addition, according to the 2007 Ethiopian national census the Gurage can also be found in large numbers in Addis Ababa, Oromia Region, Dire Dawa, Harari Region, Somali Region, Amhara Region, Gambela Region, Benishangul-Gumuz Region, and Tigray Region.
The groups that are subsumed under the term Gurage originated in the Tigray region of Ethiopia as the descendants of military conquerors during the Aksumite empire. The Gurage languages, which are not always mutually intelligible, belong to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Some of these have been influenced by neighbouring Cushitic languages. The Gurage are mainly Christian—members largely of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church—and Muslim.
Settled agriculturalists, the Gurage centre their lives on the cultivation of their staple crop, the Ethiopian, or false, banana (Ensete ventricosum), prized not for its “false” (or inedible) fruit but for its roots.
The languages spoken by the Gurage are known as the Gurage languages. The variations among these languages are used to group the Gurage people into three dialectically varied subgroups: Northern, Eastern and Western. However, the largest group within the Eastern subgroup, known as the Silt'e, identify foremost as Muslims.
01 - Aster Aweke - Ebo (8:02)
02 - Mahmoud Ahmed - Gichamue (4:38)
03 - Ashenafi Zeberga - Sriway (5:55)
04 - Behailu Kassahun - Ayo Eshururu (5:38)
05 - Biruk Befekadu - Sebelbelata (3:59)
06 - Ashenafi Zeberga - Segele (4:56)
07 - Mikiyas Negussie - Be3ste (4:51)
08 - Reshad Kedir - Amama (4:46)
09 - Yared Negu - Yemerkato Arada (3:56)
10 - Mykey Shewa - Aegba (ኤግባ) (4:15)
11 - Mewded Kibru - Yawe Way (5:57)
12 - Teddy Yo - Guragaeton (3:55)
13 - Desalegn Mersha - Waywato (5:16)
14 - Jossy Gebre - SebenSema (4:44)
15 - Hailu Fereja - Esherrerre (5:21)
16 - Feleke Maru - Ker (4:51)
17 - Wendi Mak - Yene Mar (5:26)
18 - Temesgen Gebrgziabeher - Yemeskel Let Mata (5:36)
Demere Legesse was born on February 19, 1969 from his father Legesse Tesema Bilhate and his mother Debre Beshah Ayele. He was born in Agarfa, Bale in a small town called Galema Hebeno. He attended grade 1 up to 6 in Galema Hebeno Sefera Mender School, 7 and 8 in Agarfa Melestegna Primery School, 9 and 10 Batu Terara Secondary School, 11 and 12 in Addis Abeba Nifas Silk and Maremiya Betoch School.
In February 8, 1987 he traveled to Addis Ababa and employed as a police officer in Maremiya Betoch. After 6 month military technical course in Aleltu he was introduced as a vocalist in Maremiya Police Orchestra. After working for 14 years from 1987 to 2001 in Maremiya Police Orchestra he formed his own music band named DL Band. He handled numerous music concerts and matrimonial festival for bride and bridegroom in Ethiopia and for those who come from America, Canada, Europe, Australia and different countries.
Demere Legesse - Awdamet
Demere is one of the members of Yellow Page which is Ethiopian musicians community. He has a great roll in Ethiopian musical industry of wedding and culture. As a mater of fact he presented cultural and nuptial music such as Kana Zgelila (Special Church Song), Melkam Kelebet (Reggae Style Nuptial Music), Awddeamet 2001, Awddeamet 2003, Kotu Malo, Sendelewa, Burtukkee, and others.
Back in Maremiya Betoch Orchestra, Demere found his soul mate Etenesh Girma Bogale and married in March 18, 1990. One year later they have their first baby Nathnael in May 1991, the second baby Abel in October 1996 and the third Rodas in August 2008. And now Demere has 3 children and 3 houses plus personal band.
Demere’s discography:
In 1996 his first wedding album – Mirt Yeserg Zefenoch (Best Wedding Music)
In 1997 second modern album - Taxi
In 2000 third Amharic cultural album – Mirt Yebahl Zefenoch (Best Cultural Music)
In 2001 forth album contains nationality and wedding records – Des Yilal
In 2004 fifth Amharic cultural album - Wegen Alegn
Back in the '80s Ethiopian music was extremely hard to come by outside of Ethiopia. Mahmoud Ahmed's brilliant Ere Mela Mela was released on LP by the Belgian label Crammed Discs around 1985, and later in the decade the exile singer Aster Aweke released Aster, recorded in the UK with mainly non-Ethiopian backup musicians. That was just about it, unless you were lucky enough to know Ethiopians who could supply you with scratchy, poorly dubbed cassettes from the motherland.
All that changed in the '90s when political change opened the country up. A fine collection of traditional and modern music, Music From Ethiopia (Caprice CAP 21432) came out in 1992, and within a few years the incredible Ethiopiques series opened the world's ears to the classic sounds of "Swingin' Addis" from the '60s and early '70s
When it became possible for Ethiopian musicians to travel freely it was only natural that they would gravitate to U.S. recording studios, and in the last 15 years there has arisen a robust market in CDs made here. For the most part these are "under the radar" - not available through the usual "World Music™" outlets like Sterns. The main issue I have with these American recordings is the overwhelming use of synthesizers. That said, many of these productions are surprisingly sophisticated, a far cry from the rinky-dink keyboards and drum machines of much contemporary African music.