Blogtrotters

Showing posts with label improvisation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label improvisation. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Kazanchis + 1 - [2014] - Live @ Taktlos festival, Zurich 05-25




Trio Kazanchis - Nanu Nanu Neye


       Trio Kazanchis got together by coincidence in 2009 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's musical hotspot while playing jam sessions in Melaku Belay's Club Fendika and Mulatu Astatke's own African-Jazz Club before touring Europe in underground venues and related festivals.

  




      Kazanchis +1 plays songs with an Ethiopian origin, either modern or traditional, and a European '80s touch, combined with free energetic improvisation using highly-developed Ethiopian pentatonic scales, from slow and trance-like to up-tempo, energetic moods. The band's choice of instruments presented itself on European stages as very elastic, nicely melting together, and also as a challenging combination -- all-in-all successful. 

     Mesele Asmamaw, described as the Jimi Hendrix of the electric krar (the 6-string Ethiopian lyre), has become known as an innovator & virtuoso of his instrument in Ethiopia. Fabien Duscombs, the quicksilver drummer from Toulouse lays down the perfect grid for Mesele to play his syncopating accents. Jeroen Visser glues the two tightly together, providing bass and chords with his Farfisa organ/synth, or challenges their sounds with his baritone sax. Since the summer of 2013, the amazing masinqo-player (a one-stringed violin) Endris Hassen has become a full member of the group, completing the sound and surprisingly even reinforcing the trio-feel.





     Trio Kazanchis’ Mèssèlè Asmamaw has been selected as 2013 Best Miscellaneous Instrumentalist at www.africanjazz.info.



01 - Kazanchis + 1 - Sadulay (6:19)
02 - Kazanchis + 1 - announcement (0:53)
03 - Kazanchis + 1 - Agerva Wasa Megena (6:04)
04 - Kazanchis + 1 - announcement (0:12)
05 - Kazanchis + 1 - Astawesalehu (7:23)
06 - Kazanchis + 1 - Ayne Hulgize Yesasaleshal [fadeout] (4:36)




Monday, October 6, 2014

Le Tigre [des Platanes] & Eténèsh Wassié - Zeraf ! [2008] [france+ethiopia]



              
                    R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

     

             Ever since its creation, the band Le Tigre des Platanes (the ‘Sycamore Tiger’) has been into travelling, in the image of the insect it draws its name from —the Corythucha ciliata, better known as  the sycamore lace bug, which accidentally arrived in Europe in the early 1970s.

       Hailing from Toulouse in Southern France, this acoustic quartet has always proudly proclaimed its disorderly musical borrowings, blendings and appropriation of influences from other cultures.





       In 2001, Le Tigre des Platanes discovered the Ethiopiques series, and they soon included some chosen Ethiopian pieces in their eclectic repertoire, interpreting them in their own personal fashion. During a trip to Addis Abeba, they met Etenesh Wassie, a singer with a husky voice, a kind of Abyssinian sister of Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday . They undertook the challenge of playing together with beautiful Ethiopian standards, really exploring in a reciprocal way the new musical territories open to the five musicians and  a world made of the true sum of their personalities.






          This wonderful collaboration of the French jazz group Le Tigre and Ethiopian singer Etenesh Wassie results in music that is visceral, infectious, and culminates with some of the most progressive world music in recent memory.

        "The group is named after the sycamore lace bug (Corythucha ciliata), the nasty little tree-killing insect that was imported to Europe by accident from North America in the early 1970s. In the spirit of its namesake, the Toulouse quartet is all about crossing borders, import, export, invasion, retreat..."

       And that's a fitting description of what's in store; an authentic multi-colored quilt with the sounds of Ethiopia and other locales, free jazz, hard pounding rock, all spiced and enticed by the voice and lyrics of Wassie's earthy ethnic tongue.

       A guttural incantation of growling baritone sax and evocative Ethiopian dialect commences the recording with "Medinanna Zelessegna" yet the mood quickly shifts into the jumping "Muziqawi Silt" where the two-horn affront of Marc Demereau's sax and Piero Pepin's trumpet is ignited by the pulsating heartbeat of bassist Mathieu Sourisseau and drummer Fabien Duscombs.

      A truly eclectic mix of sounds is experienced: the koto-like banjo on "Ambassel Fantay," the feverish ancestral dance on "Tche Belew" (one of many highlights), where Sourisseau's bass is strummed like a chorded guitar (or vice versa) and the horns interact in agreement and discord—totally and hypnotic.

      These excellent musicians play with abandon that at times has the intensity of a Nirvana performance of "Smells Like Teen like Spirit." Distorted strings and cyclonic horns carry "Yezemed Yebaed" and a throbbing drum and bass on "Ney-Ney Weleba" as Demereau's baritone and voice both scream. Oliver Cussac's toy-like organ intonations color the tempered "Awash" a piece where the group finds respite.

      Wassie's haunting voice (which has also been heard in Buda's Ethiopiques series) adds mystery and non-translated meaning on tunes such as "Man Yehon Telleq Sew" where her interaction with the music is perfect. With gentleness and a coarse vibrato she exudes a timeless quality on "Ambassel" that is undeniable and when combined with Le Tigre,Ethiosonic is a journey like no other.





   Eténèsh Wassié : vocals
   Marc Deméreau :  baryton sax,  alto sax, screams
   Fabien Duscombs : drums, percussion
   Piero Pépin : trumpet, bugle, mélodica
   Mathieu Sourisseau : acoustic bass guitar, guitar, banjo,                                                             soubassophone


Friday, October 3, 2014

Mohammed 'Jimmy' Mohammed - Takkabel ! [2006] [ethiopia]



   R    E   U   P   L   O   A   D   


 


   Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed (1958) is a phenomenal blind singer from the bar-circuit in Addis Abeba, born in Mersa, Wollo. Jimmy specializes in the songs of Tlahoun Gessesse, the greatest singer of Ethiopia. Still Jimmy always remains true to himself and sings with both depth and passion, but his style is also improvised and swinging. The songs are about love, politics, and the social life of the poor. 






       But there is also wit and charm and plenty of ‘Wax & Gold’, the typical Ethiopian double meaning. He knows hundreds and hundreds of songs by heart and it is hard to guess which one will come next. Jimmy appears on the Ethiopiques 2 CD, but this is his first full-length CD: ‘Takkabel!’. Recorded last year while in Europe for the Moers Jazz Festival. He is accompanied by Mesele Asmamaw on the krar, a 5 string harp and Asnake Gebreyes on the traditional drums. 

       They are often accompanied by Dutch jazz drummer Han Bennink, who also plays a star-role on the CD.


1.  - Aykedashem lebe  (8:55)
2.  - Sethed Seketelat (6:25)
3.  - Sewetchi Men Yilalu / Tezalegn Yilalu Tezalegn  (11:13)
4.  - Selaseb/Gubel  (10:50)
5.  - Mela Mela (7:15)
6.  - Uuta Ayaskefam / Semat Endateres  (8:54)
7.  - Lantchi Biye / Salamlantchi (9:28)
8.  - Altchalkoum * (8:01)


Personnel:

Mohammed ‘Jimmy’ Mohammed - vocals
Mesele Asmamaw - krar, backing vocals
Asnake Gebreyes - drums, backing vocals
Han Bennink - drums (1, 3, 4, 6, 8)
Getatchew Mekuria - saxophone (2, 3, 5)
Massimo Zu - bass (1)

Friday, May 9, 2014

Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Ale Gena - Ethiopia [2011]







       It is an almost vehement strong voice that shakes the listener from the outset, Korahu ( Proud ), one also entered the international scene of the young Selamnesh Zemene with this second album of Breton septet. Fascinated by the sound of horns and electric guitars Addis Ababa 1960s and mid -70 , with its international tours with the two biggest stars of swing Abyssinian , Mahmoud Ahmed and Alèmayèhu Eshèté, the Badume 's Band puts his sax , clarinet , guitar, bass, drums and Hammond organ service resounding song Selamnesh, new revelation of the Ethiopian capital.





       Selamnesh descended from a line of azmaris, griots, nomads of the region of Gondar, the former capital of Ethiopia, known for its cultural and artistic influence. A past that inspired the singer to his choice of themes, often its ancestral musical modes to the example of this rhythm Wedding Dance fever makes the first track. A festive fervor found in Ketew Abew (where it is beautiful) , an ode to the origins of ululating, a copper piece to perfection with a guitar that turns. Sometimes the dance groove of Ethio - jazz Badume 's Band,  supports voice that pierces surprisingly that such divas du Sahel , as evidenced by this blues rock dominated by brass Sentun Ayehu Banjte meaning with you I have seen all the colors ( sic) .


       Much of the ten tracks ( ncluding two instrumentals, Antchi Bizu , way cool jazz, and Alemnesh, a gently catchy ballad ), are also blues, exhilarating as lamentos Ale Gena (there is) a song morello seasoned, music with jazz accents, a little funky . While Tezeta Duga Aggayú (memory), despite its rock guitar remains a sorrow song marked by ululating, like nagging complaint Sabiyé a composition of the famous singer and actress Asnaqètch Worqu , disappeared in September 2011, seventy-six years , inspiring Mahmoud Ahmed. 

      Moreover, Selamnesh takes another standard Abyssinian Heritage Mela Mela solution , the tube that was made known to the world Mahmoud Ahmed in the 1980s , traditional inspiration, such a sweet haunting trance, a collective prayer.




01. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Korahu (5:58)
02. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Ale Gena (5:45)
03. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Tezeta Duga Aggayu (7:45)
04. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Ketew Abew (5:47)
05. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Mela mela (6:53)
06. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Antchi Bizu (3:30)
07. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Minjar (6:39)
08. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Sabiyé (6:16)
09. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Sentun Ayehli Bante (3:50)
10. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Alemnesh (2:54)


Getatchew Mekuria - 4 video clips [ethiopia]


   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   







1. Getatchew Mekuria - intro the convoy tour dvd (4:13)
2. Getatchew Mekuria - the ex & getatchew mekuria (7:06)
3. Getatchew Mekuria - the ex & han bennink in ziway, ethiopia (5:47)
4. Getatchew Mekuria - the ex at lincoln center, part 1 (3:55)





Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Eténèsh Wassié & Mathieu Sourisseau - [2010] - Belo Belo [ethiopia-france]


originally posted on AfroCubanLatin jazz blog >



       Ethiopian singer Eténèsh Wassié previously appeared with the French jazz group Le Tigre des Plantanes on the album "Ethiosonic”. Here she is only accompanied by le Tigre’s acoustic bass player Mathieu Sourisseau, with very occasional contributions from guest instrumentalists, and the result is a stark contrast in sound.

     The complicity between Etenesh’s untamed voice and Mathieu’s shifting chords create an intimate musical experience with plenty of open spaces for improvisation while the Ethiopian repertoire is subtly coloured by Western musical influences




Eténèsh Wassié - vocals

       
Eténèsh is an adventurer. With an outstanding personality, she is ready to embark on the wildest projects. She was born in Gonder in 1971 and discovered very early she had a voice. Although she has established herself with her three-piece suits, her humor and her sharp sense of the joke , Etenesh has always had a special place in the azmari area. In Ethiopia, azmari tradition, these "griots" of East Africa, is very strong and is part of daily life. She began her career in the early 90s in "azmaribèts", these kind of cabarets, accompanied by messenqo players (one string violin) and kebero (percussion), she keeps the tradition alive in vocal improvisations rich in double meaning "sem-enna-wèrq" (the famous national intellectual sport!). Quickly invited by several Ethiopian musicians with  whom she collaborated on stage or on disc, Etenesh gradually frees herself and  joins the network of artists outside the mainstream.


Francis Falceto, big fan of those azmaribèts and editor of the series "Ethiopiques", discovered Etenesh and felt in love with her unique voice and her charisma. He invited her to several European tours between 2000 and 2005 with musicians, singers and dancers for  "Cabaret Ethiopian" tours (Banlieues Bleues, Tribu Festival, Châteauvallon ...). 
Then in 2007, he suggested her to join le Tigre des Platanes. Since she is touring internationally several times a year.

“Eyes half shut, Eténèsh lets her voice guide her where it takes her (takes us), thrilling, digging, colossal little sister of such a Piaf and a Billie Holiday. But the register of tears wouldn’t be enough for her, and she might as well, without warning, hasten the tempo after a ballade we would have wished endless.” 



Mathieu Sourisseau – acoustic bass

       
Mathieu is first of all guitarist, sousaphonist autodidact, Mathieu is currently exploring the possibilities of the bass because ... it's like a condensed version of both. Mathieu Sourisseau is a longtime companion of saxophonist Marc Démereau, with who he is associated for several projects : sousaphone in La Friture Moderne, fanfare de luxe.  It's with le Tigre des Platanes - cheeky quartet in which he plays the acoustic bass  - he felt in love with the voice of Etenesh Wassie. Mathieu also works with Didier Kovarsky in les Oiseaux. He worked also with  Benoit-Bonnemaison Fitte for an acoustic guitar solo  accompanied by  super eight films: la Maison, Souris, created at the request of Jean-Pierre Layrac for the opening of the season 2004/2005 of Un Pavé dans le Jazz.



01. Burtukan 
02. Ende Matew Style
03. Ambassel
04. Gonder c’est Bon
05. Belo Belo Belo
06. Ayluga
07. Zelessenia
08. Zeraf
09. Tezeta
10. Kassa Tezeta

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Nathan Daems - Black Flower [2012] [Live at Radio Urgent]








... Eccentric Ethiogroove ...


            With Black Flower, composer Nathan Daems created a remakable project. The compositions surprise in many ways, creating a true exotic sound with sensual melodies and melancholic feel. The result is an ecstatic party like you have never experienced before.

          Influenced by artists as Mulatu Astatke, Getatchew Mekurya and Fela Kuti, Black Flower floats in between the borders of ethiopique, jazz, afro, oriental and blues. 

             Soulful music with an eccentric and psychedelic identity.



1. Black Flower - Fly High, Oh My ! (5:19)
2. Black Flower - Mon Ange Diabolique (7:41)
3. Black Flower - Winter (5:39)
4. Black Flower - I Threw a lemon at that Girl (5:12)
5. Black Flower - Almaz (Mahmoud Ahmed) (4:58)




Black Flower is :


Nathan Daems - composition, saxophone
Jon Birdsong - cornet
Simon Segers - drums
Filip Vandebril - bass 
Wouter Haest - organ, clavinet


Wednesday, December 25, 2013

v.a. - New Ethio Jazz [dbl cd] [2013]


Merry Christmas to all my friends and blog readers. 

Consider this double compilation cd as Christmas present!
I made it in an effort to introduce recent ethiopian jazz & grooves to wider public.

Enjoy music and send some comments.



   cd 1   

01. Arat Kilo - Aykedashem Lebe (3:57)
02. Tezeta Band - Tey Geryeleshem (Forget It, Don't Worry) (2:55)
03. The Budos Band - Aynotchesh Yererfu (3:50)
04. Imperial Tiger Orchestra - Le Le Le (6:26)
05. Le Tigre (des Platanes) & Etenesh Wassie - Ney-Ney Weleba (4:27)
06. Samuel Yirga - Tiwista (Tinish Mix) (5:57)
07. JAzmaris - Far From Ambasel (6:11)
08. Yared Tefera - Uuta Ayaskefam ° (6:05)
09. Akale Wube - Ragale (5:09)
10. Arat Kilo - Get a Chew (4:48)
11. Imperial Tiger Orchestra - Selam Temagwet (5:36)
12. Ethioda - En plein dans le Nil (4:56)
13. Wudasse - Aba Gerima [Morning Song] (8:20)



   cd 2   


01. Skeletons - Mulatu (2:55)
02. The Shaolin Afronauts - Amhara (5:17)
03. Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra - Ethio (3:41)
04. Tezeta Band - Hametegnaw (5:18)
05. Ukandanz - Belomi Benna (3:09)
06. Arat Kilo - Lonmewo Lalie feat. Mimi (3:23)
07. Badume's Band & Selamnesh Zemene - Korahu (5:54)
08. Debo Band - Mignoten Man Yawkal (4:06)
09. uKanDanz & Asnake Guebreyes - Aykedeshem Lebe (6:34)
10. Jungle by Night - Ethiopeno (3:28)
11. JAzmaris - Aha Gedawo (6:06)
12. Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex & Friends - Aha Gedawo (5:03)
13. Trio Kazanchis - Ende eyerusalem (5:10)




Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Ras Deshen - From Ethiopian Music to Contemporary Jazz [2006]


                        R  E  U  P  L  O  A  D  


       Given the considerable number of African Jews living in Ethiopia, it makes perfect cultural sense for Israeli pianist Yitzhak Yedid to team up with Ethiopian sax man and vocalist Abatte Barihun to explore the music of Ethiopia on Ras Deshen, a work which mines the common musical ground shared by their countries. Yedid and Abatte performed selections from the disc recently at a reception at Alice Tully Hall and didn’t let the crowd’s lack of attentiveness diminish the passion of their playing.





                  'Ras Dashen Duo' Abate Berihun & Yitzhak Yedid in concert


       The opening “Anchi Hoye,” written by Abatte, is named for one of the four modes of Ethiopian music. Abatte plays the tenor with a measured tension and clear tenderness that manages to reference both Pres and Trane. Yedid’s brooding timbre, interior dialogue and chord progressions are so reminiscent of Keith Jarrett that his solo could be dropped seamlessly into the grooves of The Köln Concert.



       On “Batti,” Abatte enhances his soprano saxophone with soaring vocals in Amharic. When he performed this song at the reception, his voice cut through the conversation and, at least momentarily, demanded everyone’s attention. Abatte’s tenor on “Yehar Shererit” has a palpable R&B/gospel tinge, with an occasional gutbucket growl added for good measure, working in tandem with Yedid’s playful boogie-woogie chaos. “Fikir” is a beautifully ruminative discourse that sounds quite Middle Eastern in its execution, with Abatte’s serpentine tenor weaving around Yedid’s lush, symphonic piano riffs.





       Yedid lays out on “Birtukane,” giving the floor to Fentahon Malessa on krar, an Ethiopian lyre that sounds close to a guitar and gives the music another rich dimension. On “Ambassel,” another modal tune, Abatte solos powerfully over Malessa’s repeated figure. Yedid lays out again and one can only wonder how all three instruments would have sounded together.



       Perhaps the disc’s most arresting tune, however, is “Behatito Kadus Kadus.” With Yedid vamping in a Fats Waller vein, Abatte lifts his voice again and could be singing about a hellhound on his trail, instead of invoking a prayer. Abatte’s tenor grooves between Ethiopia and the Mississippi Delta, ending this excellent disc on a high note.




Personnel: 

Yitzhak Yedid: piano; 

Abatte Barihun: saxophone and voice; 
Fentahon Malessa: krar.





RAS JAZZ
Barry Davis Aug. 1, 2002

Ethiopian jazz band Ras Deshen hopes to take their music to new heights in the Holy Land. Barry Davis gets a lift

The terms "Ethiopia" and "jazz" may not, initially, appear to be the most comfortable of bedfellows. Most people naturally associate music from anywhere in Africa with driving tribal rhythms. Then again, jazz is essentially a form of black music introduced to the Western world by artists who originated from Africa.

Addis Ababa-born saxophonist Abate Berimun, the first and, to date, only Ethiopian jazz musician in Israel, will demonstrate the accuracy of that juxtaposition when he leads a performance by the Ras Deshen band this Tuesday at the Jerusalem Cultures Center as part of the Israel Jazz Showcase series dedicated to promoting Israeli jazz. Abate will be supported by pianist Yitzhak Yedid and Maleseh Fantahon, who will play the krar - a sort of small African harp.

In fact, Abate has several strings to his musical bow. "He can play numerous types of music from Ethiopia," explains Moshe Bar-Yudai, former chairman of the National Arts Council (Omanut La'am) and the driving force behind an ongoing project to establish an Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center in Rehovot.

"Each region of Ethiopia has its own musical traditions. There is also the Christian liturgical style, which is similar to the Jewish liturgical form. Abate plays both and many more."

Apparently, the catchphrase-oriented world of the latter part of the 20th century was able to accommodate improvised music from Abate's homeland too, and the term "Ethiojazz" came into being in the late Sixties when musicians like Addis Ababa resident Mulatu Astatqe and Cameroon jazz superstar Manu Dibango were putting out a captivating mix of indigenous African music seasoned with soul, salsa and other black rhythms.

When Abate arrived in Israel in late 1999 he was already an established star in the Ethiopian jazz firmament. He had toured Europe many times over a period of 10 years and was a regular feature of the jazz shows put on by the Hilton and Sheraton hotels in Addis Ababa.

He first picked up a saxophone at the age of 17. He says he does not come from a particularly musical family, although he has fond memories of his father's closet vocal prowess. He was initially inspired to take up an active interest in music by his neighbors.

"There was a military brass band that used to practice just down the road from my house," Abate recalls. "I could hear them from my room. I loved the sound of the wind instruments and the saxophones." Suitably bitten by the musical bug, Abate got his hands on a saxophone and found his way to the music school in Addis Ababa. It was there that he began to take his new love seriously. "I did it all myself," he says.

"I told my mother I was going to the music school but my father used to spend a long time away from home and he didn't know about it at the beginning."

Abate's father first discovered his son was a budding musician when Abate invited him to one of his first gigs. "I remember that so well," says Abate. "As soon as my father heard me play he began jumping up and down with glee. He was so happy and proud of me."

The music school not only provided Abate with formal training in jazz, it also allowed him to listen to records of some of the legendary masters, like Charlie Parker. "We had some records at home when I was growing up, but they weren't jazz. My father worked with the Italians before World War II and he got hold of albums by Frank Sinatra and some Italian singers. That was all. But I could get hold of jazz records when I was at the school."

BEFORE LONG Abate had become proficient and confident enough to be able to strut his stuff in public, and he soon secured regular work at the Hilton and Sheraton hotels in the Ethiopian capital. "I played there every day for eight years," Abate says.

Those gigs also provided him with an opportunity to meet tourists from abroad who sometimes brought jazz records with them. There were also occasional visits by foreign jazz artists, such as Manu Dibango, and Abate was able to hone his skills in the company of far more experienced fellow professionals.

When he was 21, Abate began touring Europe with his own band and, until he moved here eight years later, he went on the road for several weeks three times a year visiting Sweden, Holland, Germany, England and France. He says it was quite an experience, for all concerned.

"It was wonderful to see places outside Africa, and the Europeans were excited to hear the music we played. But we worked hard. We generally played five days a week every week for three months." Abate's last European tour ended just three weeks before he came on aliya.

However, since arriving in the Promised Land, his professional fortunes have changed dramatically - for the worse. Initially lacking local language skills - he now speaks Hebrew reasonably well - and unable to find regular work as a jazz musician, he resorted to almost all manner of menial work to keep body and soul together. For a long time he worked a daily shift as a restaurant dishwasher in the morning followed by an all-night shift as a security guard.

"The dishwashing was ruining his hands," says Bar-Yudai, "so we decided to do something." That help came in the form of a small stipend, organized through the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage organization, to enable Abate to get by just on his nocturnal work. "When I was doing both jobs I couldn't practice or perform. I didn't have the time or the strength," says Abate.

Not that things are exactly rosy now. "It's still hard for me to practice." And Abate's compositional efforts are not helped by not having ready access to a piano.

However, one leading member of the local music community, veteran rocker Ariel Zilber, has given Abate some much needed stage time and occasional public exposure. "Ariel has helped me a lot," says Abate. "I've played with him all over the country." The Zilber-Abate synergy also produced a number called "Ethiopian Song," which has been performed on television, in Hebrew and Amharic.

Despite his daily hardships, and drastic drop in professional standing, compared with his life in Ethiopia, Abate remains hopeful that things will work out in the end and that he will be able to make a living here as a full-time musician. His current project with pianist Yedid promises to bear fruit. Besides the forthcoming show, the two are working on a CD based on a mix of Yedid's classically based avant-garde material and Abate's blend of jazz and African strains. The latter include various Ethiopian modes or scales, with names such as Ambasel, Amchihoya, Batti and Tezita, all of which are used for ballads.


Yedid, who spends some of his working hours running Jerusalem's Swedish Chef venue for original jazz music and Third Stream music, is delighted to have the chance to work with the Ethiopian. Yedid and Abate were originally brought together by radio presenter and ethnic-music expert Shlomo Yisraeli.

"Shlomo suggested I do something with Abate," Yedid says. "We got together and we hit it off musically right from the start. I felt he was an amazing musician. He is a jazz artist but he adds African scales. He plays in an Ethiopian style on an instrument which isn't at all Ethiopian."

The Yedid-Abate chemistry worked so well that they were in a recording studio after just two rehearsals. Thus far, they have recorded five tracks as part of the album they hope to complete in the not too distant future. Yedid does have some experience of working with Ethiopian musicians, but he says playing with Abate is a different kettle of fish.

"I played with a couple of singers a few years ago, but this is a much more serious proposition. Abate is an improviser. He has a very special sense of musical structure - a very long structure. He can play for a long time, it's almost like Indian music."

Yedid feels that Abate has something he has never encountered with any other jazz musician he has worked with. "You can feel his African roots. He is almost meditative in his way of playing." By all accounts, it looks like next week's show should provide Jerusalem music lovers with a remarkable experience. Let's hope there will be plenty more from Abate before too long. 


Wednesday, October 9, 2013

The Ex - Ethiopia Tour 2004 [with Han Bennink]







         Formed in 1979, The Ex has developed over the years into a melting-pot of diverse musical styles: noise, rock, jazz, improvisation, and ethnic musics have been interweaved under one unique umbrella: “Ex-music”. Discordant, highly rhythmic guitars, the rolling, almost African drumming style, and the intense delivery of the often ironic lyrics give the music of The Ex its special character.






       So far, in almost 30 years, The Ex has played 1371 concerts all over Europe, North America and Africa, and released over 20 albums. Never pigeon-holed into one of pop music’s corny corners, The Ex is continuously in development, and always open for new ideas and collaborations with people of all kinds, people whose spirit inspires and appeals to the group. 

       The main principle remains; to make music with heart and soul, out of reach of commercial trends or expectations. The consequent independent approach of the group and the manner in which they organize their concerts and release and distribute their records themselves, has set a significant example for the alternative music circuit.



1. The Ex - Mesak Esekalhu [Tilahun Gessesse] (5:19)
2. The Ex - Eayu Leyu (6:07)
3. The Ex - Tezeta (6:50)
4. The Ex - Belomi Benna (4:25)
5. The Ex - Goben (7:08)
6. The Ex - Dink Naw (3:28)
7. The Ex - Laley Guma [Aha Begena] (7:41)