Either/Orchestra - Live at Berklee [usa+eth]

Founded in 1985 by saxophonist & composer Russ Gershon, the ten-piece Either/Orchestra, based in Somerville MA, is one of the jazz world's most long-lived and distinguished groups.  Alumni include jazz stars such as John Medeski, Matt Wilson, Miguel Zenon, Jaleel Shaw & Josh Roseman.

The E/O, featuring a six piece horn section, piano, bass, drums and congas, has put its stamp on just about every style of jazz, from big band, swing and bop to Latin jazz, electric and avant-garde.  The last decade or more has found the band absorbing an Afro-Caribbean influence through a succession of Latino members.  

Teshome Mitiku with Either/Orchestra

More unusually, the E/O has become deeply involved with Ethiopian music, touring there and collaborating with many Ethiopian greats of the outstanding 1960's generation.  Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed and Teshome Mitiku are among the band's favorites.  The Ethiopian connection includes the double CD Ethiopíques 20: Live in Addis and the DVD Ethiogroove: Mahmoud Ahmed and Either/Orchestra.

Over the years, the E/O has been recognized with five Boston Music Awards, perennial placement in the Big Band category of the Down Beat International Critics Poll, and leader Gershon was nominated for an arranging Grammy for his composition "Bennie Moten's Weird Nightmare," included in The Calculus of Pleasure.

The E/O began performing original arrangements of Ethiopian songs, inspired by a compilation called Ethiopian Groove: the Golden 70s. In 2000, after three of these songs appeared on the album More Beautiful than Death, Francis Falceto, the producer of Ethiopian Groove, contacted Gershon and eventually arranged an invitation for the E/O to play at the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa in 2004. 

Along with Indo-British singer Susheela Raman the same year, the E/O was the first non-Ethiopian artist to appear in the festival, and was the first US big band to appear in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington's in 1973. Their concert at the festival was recorded and ultimately appeared in Falceto's Ethiopiques series on the French Buda Musique label. Five Ethiopian guests appear on the recording: Mulatu Astatke, Getatchew Mekurya, Tsedenia Markos, Bahta Hewet and Michael Belayneh. This tour and recording have led to an ongoing collaboration with Astatke, the primary founder of Ethiopian jazz, concerts with Ethiopian expatriates singer Hana Shenkute, krar player Minale Dagnew, masinko player Setegn Atanaw, and the great Ethiopian singer Mahmoud Ahmed with whom E/O released a DVD in 2007. 

Mahmoud Ahmed and fellow legendary Ethiopian singer Alemayehu Eshete played Lincoln Center Out of Doors in 2008 backed by E/O. The group debuted a collaboration with vocalist Teshome Mitiku in the summer of 2010, including a headlining appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival.

Either Orchestra - 01 - Introduction (3:03)
Either Orchestra - 02 - Tigrigna,Oromigna,Guragigna (14:06)
Either Orchestra - 03 - Arehibi (9:34)
Either Orchestra - 04 - Ethiopia (5:20)
Either Orchestra - 05 - Yamnaw Bedele (6:55)
Either Orchestra - 06 - Yeqir Beqa (6:07)



guests :

Minnale Danew - krar
Setegn Atanaw - masinko
Hana Shenkute - vocal

Nega Addisu - Ambassel Tewesta Instrumental Vol 6 [2017] [ethiopia]

Ambassel

Nega Addisu - 01 - Guramayle (6:37)

Nega Addisu - 02 - Esele (7:31)

Nega Addisu - 03 - Selamu (4:15)

Nega Addisu - 04 - Gumaye (6:39)

Nega Addisu - 05 - Mejemeriya Fikri (4:58)

Nega Addisu - 06 - Segemeye (5:47)

Nega Addisu - 07 - Leminey (6:38)

Nega Addisu - 08 - Meley (7:31)

Nega Addisu - 09 - Saba Sabina (6:00)

Nega Addisu - 10 - Bekutaki (5:44)

Nega Addisu - 11 - Keren Tse'ada (5:47)

Damakase - Gunfan Yellem! [2016] [ethiopia]

       Endris Hassen (The Ex, Ethiocolor, Imperial Tiger Orchestra, Nile Project, MistO-MistO etc) and Cory Seznec (Groanbox, Seznec Bros, solo, MistO-MistO, etc) joined forces in late 2014 to fuse sounds from east and west Africa. Hungry for a fuller sound, they brought in Misale Legesse (Ethiocolor, Addis Acoustic Project, etc) on kebero and Cass Horsfall on bass (Black Jesus Experience, Jazmaris, etc) to flesh things out and create Damakase, a name which comes from a plant used in traditional medicine in Ethiopia to heal "gunfan" (cold/flu) and other ailments. 

       By late 2015 they had enough songs for an album, and asked Kenny Allen to come in as producer. 

       Gunfan Yellem! (translated roughly as Fever No More!) is an album recorded live in Cory's Glasshouse Studios. 

      Guest artists were invited to add a little spice here and there, and Kenny fine tuned and tweaked the mix to perfection. 

      The music is comprised of 6 originals and two covers (Wuba by the Eritrean composer Tewelde Redda, and Mother's Love by the Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou).

Damakase - Tizita Gourd

Damakase - 01 - Wuba (4:09)

Damakase - 02 - Tizita Gourd (4:20)

Damakase - 03 - Wassorai Asho Mada (4:21)

Damakase - 04 - Mother's Love (4:27)

Damakase - 05 - Batten Down the Hatches (4:01)

Damakase - 06 - Southern Bound (5:18)

Damakase - 07 - Tizu Konjo Wusha (3:16)

Damakase - 08 - Damakase (3:29)

Damakase is: 

Cass Horsfall - bass, vocals 

Cory Seznec - guitars, ngoni, banjos, vocals 

Endris Hassen - masenqo, vocals 

Misale Legesse - kebero, percussion, vocals 

Guests: 

Kaethe Hostetter - violin 

Mesele Asmamaw - krar 

Mesfin "Baby" Shiferaw - vocals 

Ralf Werner - cello 

Yann Seznec - piano, pump organ

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - Negeregn [2017] [ethiopia]

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - Negeregn

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 01 - Negeregn (3:48)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 02 - Hulum Dehna (4:20)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 03 - Zemaye (4:05)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 04 - Abebaye (3:29)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 05 - Tizeta (2:14)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 06 - Alawedaderehem (0:53)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 07 - Adelegne (5:53)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 08 - Geremegne (4:52)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 09 - Amen (4:04)

Fereheiwot Hailemichael - 10 - Awawale (3:28)

Mohammed Awel - Menzuma Nasheed [ethiopia]

             In general, Islamic anasheed do not contain lamellaphone instruments, string instruments, or wind and brass instruments, although digital remastering – either to mimic percussion instruments or create overtones – is permitted. This is because many Muslim scholars state that Islam prohibits the use of musical instruments except for some basic percussion.

         Nasheed are popular throughout the Islamic world. The material and lyrics of a nasheed usually make reference to Islamic beliefs, history, and religion, as well as current events.

Mohammed Awel [Menzuma] - Engurguro

        Nasheed (Arabic: singular نشيد nashīd, plural أناشيد anāshīd, also nashwad (pl.), meaning: "chants"; also nasyid in Malaysia and Indonesia) is a work of vocal music that is either sung acappella or accompanied by percussion instruments such as the daf. 

Mohammed Awel - 01 - Menzuma (14:57)

Mohammed Awel - 02 - Unknown (5:33)

Mohammed Awel - 03 - Ramadan Ramadan (6:04)

Mohammed Awel - 04 - Nasheeda (12:07)

Mohammed Awel - 05 - New Nasheeda (4:53)

v.a. - Ethiopian Hit Parade Volume 1 [1972] [ethiopia]

Abbèbè Tèssèmma - Ashasha bèyèw

Alèmayèhu Eshèté - 01 - Addis Abeba Bete (4:33)

Girma Bèyènè - 02 - Sét alamenem (5:28)

Gèmètchu Itana - 03 - Shemèrmari tiya (4:31)

Sèyfu Yohannès - 04 - Tezeta (5:21)

Abaynèh Dèdjèné - 05 - Yèbèrèha lomi (3:33)

Tèshomè Meteku - 06 - Gara ser nèw bétesh (3:15)

Menelik Wèsnatchèw - 07 - Asha gèdawo (4:26)

Muluqèn Mèllèssè - 08 - Hédètch Alu (5:17)

Mulatu Astatqé - 09 - Yèkèrmo Sèw (4:15)

Essatu Tèssèmma - 10 - Ayamaru Eshèté (4:00)

Abbèbè Tèssèmma - 11 - Ashasha bèyèw (3:35)