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)

Jazzmaris - Jazzmaris live at Guy's Bar [2016] [eth+ger]

Jazzmaris is a quartet from Ethiopia and Germany, playing since 2007 in Addis Ababa and elsewhere. The composition of the group is: drums, bass, electric guitar and alto saxophone.

Their music’s are Ethiopian melodies played as own arrangements with various influences like Jazz, Rock and improvised music.

The group’s name is a creation of the words Jazz and Asmaris. Asmaris are the traditional musicians of Ethiopia.They play and sing since centuries, expressing the feelings and opinions of the people.

Jazzmaris is giving Ethiopian music a new expression and sound

Jazzmaris - Ye Faransay Djelba (live at Guy's Bar)

The repertoire of Jazzmaris is mostly modern Ethiopian songs of singers like Mahmoud Ahmed, Girma Beyene, Muluken Melesse, Telahoun Gessesse and others. The aim of the group is to play Ethiopian music in a fresh way, giving the music a new expression and sound.

Jazzmaris - 01 - Ene Negn Bai Manesh (10:55)

Jazzmaris - 02 - Ye Fikir Wodmet (Bemin Sebeb Litlash) (12:13)

Jazzmaris - 03 - Mado Hanee (7:56)

Jazzmaris - 04 - Musicawi Silt (10:06)

Jazzmaris - 05 - Ye Faransay Djelba (6:28)

Jazzmaris - 06 - Yekatit (4:35)

Jazzmaris - 07 - Meche New (12:24)

Jazzmaris - 08 - Almaz Ye Hararwa (9:59)

Jazzmaris - 09 - Fikir Ende Kirar (7:33)

Jazzmaris - 10 - Aynotche Terabu (13:09)

musicians: 

Henock Temesgen - bass

Nathannael Tessema - drums 

Jörg Pfeil - guitar 

Olaf Boelsen - alto saxophone

Samson Berhanu - Ambassel Tewesta Instrumental, Vol. 3 [2017] [ethiopia]

Samson Berhanu - 01 - Awaash (6:11)
Samson Berhanu - 02 - Dafiidafii (6:40)
Samson Berhanu - 03 - Hedd Na Darartee (5:11)
Samson Berhanu - 04 - Hiiq-As (5:38)
Samson Berhanu - 05 - Abbichuu (5:28)
Samson Berhanu - 06 - Ayyaana La Latu (5:28)
Samson Berhanu - 07 - Loobola (5:42)
Samson Berhanu - 08 - Galaanni Gibee (7:06)
Samson Berhanu - 09 - Tessoon (6:35)
Samson Berhanu - 10 - Aadaakeenya (4:29)
Samson Berhanu - 11 - Dumbushee (7:11)

AddisAbabaBand - AddisAbabaBand [2015] [den]

       AddisAbabaBand is Danish 13 member ethio fusion jazz band from Aarhus, Denmark playing music inspired from afrobeat, funk and jazz.

The band was formed in 2010.

AddisAbabaBand - Zion

             AddisAbabaBand is as exotic as afrobeat from Aarhus, where the 12-13 man band (they are obviously even in doubt) mixes everything from African rhythms of free jazz and psychedelic rock to funk. It might be a half-pale game, but the Aaroans will happily kick a lot of life and variation into the 10 tracks of the album.

      Just the variation is the key to some of the success here, because one must be uncommonly demanding if you get bored or dozens under the 10 tracks AddisAbabaBand delivers on this debut album. 9 of the numbers are their own compositions, and then there has been room for a single cover number in the form of Girma Bèyènès afrobeat classic "Musiqawi".

        And if you think hm hmmm, oh well, yes, yes. I do not know that. Do not worry, I'm in as unexplored territory as you like! My knowledge, and also interest in, afrobeat and the like, confines myself to random meetings at the Roskilde Festival (where I have always been well entertained) and so I know there is someone called "Kuti". And "Ebo Taylor". Fortunately, they mention AddisAbabaBand as inspirational sources in the press so I do not have to feel like the whiteest ignorant man on the musical savannah.

        What is the result of that? Certainly a kind of cultural disability, where I'm only available to hear more "western" music. So besides, I also hear some old school hip hop. Hmm ... okay, my defense is a little thin. Perhaps I just did not find or take the time to put myself in the afrobe, partly because of a massive jazz scare that has plagued me for decades, but now under control.

       In short, I'm on a small bar bottom, just like the rest of the editors, and do not have the big comparison or reference points that can be pulled out of the toolbox to judge what AddisAbabaBand has captured on the record here. But then we have to go a little differently to work and cautiously feel a little bit - at risk of judging the cases a bit wrong. Itcould be both an advantage and a relief for the band.

      Now, with these reservations, I think I really like AddisAbabaBand's deal with the debut. It fluctuates, it is quite sharp, without the feeling of spontaneity and improvisation that I imagine is a fairly large part of the "genre", lost and, in particular, it is well-played. At no time do I think that it's 12-13 Aaronians who take me on an afrobeat excursion, not that music should be thought of in the suit of the practitioner's skin, but there's hardly any worse than an unfunky white man, who thinks he has rhythmic sense.

    The numbers are mostly instrumental, which would normally also be a challenge to me, but as mentioned, the plate slides very smoothly and unproblematically, or should you say dances? So the absence of a vowel does not become a brake pad for me. When it finally appears on the album's 6th song, "Skyrim" feat. MhukayesangTarharka J., it gives just a nice spit and extra spice to the already tasty musical dish.

   In court you will find everything from songs with a dance-friendly smearing spy movie's feel like "White Man", the more fast-paced, frugal sounding and exciting "Pizzaro", smoked night stamp on 

"Piakågerenout" with a deep blow to the mess that you can hear spit freaks. On a song like "Illuminati", the dance-friendly rhythms become more sweaty and warm, while "Jojpe" has some 70's ghetto swag blacksploitation soundtrack over.Most "African" will probably be on "Zion" where, due to the lack of better words, jungle rhythms are almost in it, while "Musiqawi" delivers the most hypnotic moment of the record with insistent rhythms and, eventually, humming cows.

    The common denominator of the 10 numbers is that everything is pretty trimmed and greasy fried away. The playing time never feels blown up, despite the fact that the music is never overloaded or too complicated, the soundtrack is in spite of being unlucky or unstructured.

     I'm still struggling emotionally to relate to the tones and thus get completely absorbed by them, but if you feel like me, I think that AddisAbabaBand could work like a really nice, fairly easily accessible, but still not for the easy leg, introduction to the afrobeate.

Say goodbye to a dozen Aarhusians!

   Ken Damgaard Thomsen   

AddisAbabaBand - 01 - Jojpe (4:47)

AddisAbabaBand - 02 - White Man (3:43)

AddisAbabaBand - 03 - Illuminati (3:10)

AddisAbabaBand - 04 - Musiqawi (5:49)

AddisAbabaBand - 05 - Zion (4:04)

AddisAbabaBand - 06 - Skyrim feat. Mhukayesango Tarharka J. (4:26)

AddisAbabaBand - 07 - Pizzaro (5:13)

AddisAbabaBand - 08 - Piakagerenout (4:38)

AddisAbabaBand - 09 - Meter (2:25)

AddisAbabaBand - 10 - Pangea (4:13)

Alto Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Lasse Enøe

Bass, Percussion – Jens Peter Møller

Drums – Martin Aagaard Jensen

Guitar – Jesper Rasmussen, Mikkel Govertz

Keyboards – Simon Gorm Eskildsen

Percussion – Feike Van Der Woude, Martin "Muskel" Madsen

Tenor Saxophone – Olaf Brinch

Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Marco Dania

Trombone – Christian Tscherning Larsen

Trumpet – Jakob Sørensen

Violin, Vocals, Percussion – Preben Kaels

Vocals, Mbira – Jimmy Mhukayesango Tarharka