Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Gigi [2001] [ethiopia]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

        Ejigayehu Shibabaw, known by her stage name Gigi, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. She has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider recognition and developed it in combination with a wide variety of other genres often in collaboration with her husband Bill Laswell, a bassist and producer.

       Gigi was born and raised in Chagni in northwestern Ethiopia. She has described learning traditional songs from an Ethiopian Orthodox priest in the family home. She lived in Kenya for a few years before moving to San Francisco in about 1998.

       Gigi recorded two albums for the expatriate Ethiopian community, but it was her 2001 album, titled simply Gigi, that brought her widespread attention. She had been noticed by Palm Pictures owner Chris Blackwell, who had years earlier introduced reggae to the mainstream through his former label, Island Records. Blackwell and Gigi's producer (and later, husband) Bill Laswell, decided to use American jazz musicians (including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders, and others) to accompany Gigi on the album.

      The result was a fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds. The album was a critical success internationally and generated controversy in her home country for such a radical break with Ethiopian popular music. This release was soon followed by Illuminated Audio, an ambient dub style remix of the album by Laswell.

      2003 saw the release of Zion Roots, under the band name Abyssinia Infinite. Bill Laswell played guitar and keyboard (instead of his usual bass), and several of Gigi's family members contributed vocals. The album was a return to a mainly acoustic sound for Gigi, incorporating instruments such as the krar and the tabla. The track "Gole" is in Agaw, the language of Gigi's father's village.

    Gigi is married to her producer Bill Laswell, and they have a son, Aman, who has accompanied his parents with vocals. Her younger sister, singer Tigist Shibabaw, died under unknown circumstances in 2008.

Gigi - Gud Fella

Gigi - Vocals
Bill Laswell - Producer, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards
Abonesh Adenew, Dawit Melesse, Hebest Tirunehe, Imani Uzuri, Mizanekristos Yohannes, Tigist Shibabaw - Backing Vocals
Thomas Gobena - Bass
Hamid Drake, Mikias Abebayehu - Drums, Percussion
Karsh Kale - Drums, Tabla, Keyboards
Mark Taylor - French Horn
David Gilmore, Nicky Skopelitis, Zakki Jewad - Guitar
Abegasu Shiota, Amina Claudine Myers, Dereje Mekonnen, Herbie Hancock - Keyboards
Abdou M'Boup, Aiyb Dieng, Melaku Gelaw, Setegne Satenaw - Percussion
Henry Threadgill, Pharoah Sanders, Wayne Shorter - Saxophone
Art Baron - Trombone- Accordion






01. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Gud Fella (5:35)
02. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Mengeoegna (5:33)
03. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Tew Ante Sew (4:20)
04. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Abay (5:18)
05. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Bale Washintu (5:35)
06. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Guramayle (4:27)
07. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Sew Argen (5:16)
08. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Aynama (5:05)
09. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Kahn (3:47)
10. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Zomaye (4:00)
11. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Abet Wubet (4:07)
12. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Nafeken (5:23)
13. Ejigayehu 'Gigi' Shibabaw - Adwa (5:02)