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 - Serg
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 Legesse - 01 - Musheraye / Des Yilal (6:43)
Demere Legesse - 02 - Kulun Manqwalesh (7:22)
Demere Legesse - 03 - Shinet / Tewubeshal Alu (5:43)
Demere Legesse - 04 - Enshoshela (5:46)
Demere Legesse - 05 - Yebete Zemedu(5:47)
Demere Legesse - 06 - Musheroch Des Yebelachuh (6:08)
Kirubel Assefa Kebede is an Ethiopian musician who has been residing in the US and performing and perfecting his craft for over 20 years. From the early days of his childhood in Ethiopia, it was apparent that Kirubel had a keen awareness of music and rhythm. Long before his formal education at St. Joseph in Addis Abeba began, Kirubel enjoyed using eating and cooking utensils as drum sticks to create sound, showing an affinity for and love of music early on. His first formal musical training was on a school drum set during his elementary years, and he eventually performed regularly with the St Joseph School Band. Over time, his musical fluidity has expanded beyond drums to include the rhythm of the bass and the bubbling sound of the keyboards.
After immigrating to the United States, Kirubel continued his training and musical education at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, CA and began to hone his skills in arranging and composing music for film and movies. With extensive exposure to the dynamic cultural & musical melting pot of Los Angeles, Kirubel played with bands across numerous musical genres, including Afro-Cuban, Reggae, and Funk bands.
Kirubel Assefa
He acted in the semi-autobiographical independent film entitled “Journey to Lasta” (2004) directed by Wondwossen Dikran in which he portrayed an Ethiopian musician struggling to survive in Los Angeles. He composed most of the songs for the movie which also featured his band “Lasta Sound”. Kirubel also served as sound designer for a number of commercial products and composed the music for the IMAX documentary entitled “Mystery of the Nile” (2005).
As musical director, arranger, and performer, he has worked with the biggest names in Ethiopian music such as, Mahmoud Ahmed, Gigi, Aster Aweke, Tewodros Tadesse and the late Dr. Telahun Gessesse.
Kirubel tours regularly with many internationally known artists.
KIRUBEL AND THE DIMTSEPIA PROJECT - LIVE cover N ARC
Dimtsepia, is the title of Kirubels first solo project. Dimtsepia, as a body of work, is a celebration of Ethiopian culture. The word is a contraction of dimtse (the Amharic word for sound) and Ethiopia. On the recording, Kirubel plays bass, keyboards, guitar (1 song) as well as arranging the horn parts. With strong roots in jazz as a discipline, Kirubel weaves the traditional melodies of his homeland around complex rhythms creating a brand of world fusion for the 21st century.
While the music was written and composed by Kirubel, lyrics on several songs were written by respected lyricist and musician Yonas Mulatu. The first single will be “Ye Ethiopia Lij” meaning “Child of Ethiopia” sung by Fitsum Mahedere. Tsedenia Gebremarkos, known for her works on Real World Records with the band Dub Collusus sings on two tracks: “Kokobe” and “Tesmamye”.
Tsegaye B/ Selassie who is the front man from Lasta sound sung "Maraki". This release will also introduce an up and coming singer, Teklish, who is destined to become the voice of a new generation. The horn section on the recording includes Kumasi Washington on Saxophone, Ryan Porter on trombone and Chris Gray on Trumpet.
Kirubel Assefa - 01 - Tesmameye (4:26)
Kirubel Assefa - 02 - Ye Meskel Wef (5:03)
Kirubel Assefa - 03 - Ye Ethiopia Lij (4:32)
Kirubel Assefa - 04 - Dimtsepia (4:05)
Kirubel Assefa - 05 - Addis Lij (4:52)
Kirubel Assefa - 06 - Kokebe (5:37)
Kirubel Assefa - 07 - Ethio Jazz (5:02)
Kirubel Assefa - 08 - Webit (5:49)
Kirubel Assefa - 09 - Maraki (4:41)
Kirubel Assefa - 10 - Tana (5:48)
Holding true to the layered arrangements of the outstanding Ethiopian bands of the 70’s and 80’s, the sound is infused with contemporary elements. By collaborating with some of the best voices singing in Ethiopian music today, the plan is to fully exploit each single in its own right. A video has been shot in Addis to promote and expose the song “Ye Ethiopia Lij.” The story line follows a young Ethiopian who has been sent to the city to help support the family in the country. It captures a slice of life often overlooked but a reality that should be recognized and ultimately celebrated.
Anbessa Orchestra is a 7 piece band based in Brooklyn NY that draws its inspiration from the diverse musical culture of Ethiopia, combining these unique sounds with the more western sounds of Funk, Jazz, R&B and Rock. The band has been a prominent figure on the NY scene and has played alongside legendary Ethiopian keyboardist and composer Hailu Mergia. The band has also been featured on the "Beyond Addis Vol.2" compilation featuring new music inspired by Ethiopia.
"No one does Ethio-Jazz quite like Anbessa Orchestra" - Popmatters.com
Anbessa Orchestra Live at National Sawdust - LIONS
In the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, during the 1960’s and ‘70s, the sounds of American jazz and James Brown-style funk rocketed through the clubs there, combining with Ethiopia’s own exotic scales to produce the golden age of Ethiopian pop. The New York-based 7-piece band Anbessa Orchestra draws from this era and aims to take the listener on a musical journey from Addis Ababa to Brooklyn, with the loping grooves, buoyant brass lines, moody organ, crisp guitars, and solid percussion. Their new album is called "Negastat", which means “Kings” and it is full of Ethiopian-style, horn-heavy funk.
Anbessa Orchestra - 01 - Negestat (Kings) (5:59)
Anbessa Orchestra - 02 - Gurage (3:42)
Anbessa Orchestra - 03 - Gize Suite (6:16)
Anbessa Orchestra - 04 - Get'err (Village) (4:47)
Anbessa Orchestra - 05 - K'edema (City) (2:35)
Anbessa Orchestra - 06 - Yeleleu Hager Lidl (Son of No Country) (6:00)
Mesele Asmamaw (krar) is a composer and arranger from Ethiopia.
He joined the music industry for the past 20 years, and released many albums and traveled throughout Europe and Africa performing the traditional music of Ethiopia.
In the last eight years, he has been a favorite guest of the influential punk band called The EX, and he has recorded several albums with the experimental Norwegian drummer Paal Nillson-Love. Also, he toured and recorded with his experimental rock group Trio Kazanches and worked extensively with Mulatu Astatke, both in the studio and on stage. Mesele uses several interesting techniques in band Qwanqwa, including a wahpedal, a distortion pedal, a coke bottle and a plastic tube.
From his base in Tel Aviv, Gili Yalo is launching a solo career in a new project that combines Ethiopian roots with soul, funk, psychedelic, and jazz music. Yalo, who has collaborated with top music producers Beno Hendler (Balkan Beat Box) and Uri Brauner Kinrot (Boom Pam), incorporates sounds from traditional Ethiopian music into a contemporary music production.
The result is an exceptional, rich, vivid melody accompanied by Gili's unique voice with lyrics in both English and Amharic. The music embodies his own personal story, which inspired the rhythm and flow of the whole project. And what a story he has to tell: Operation Moses was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan during a famine in 1984. These Ethiopian Jews fled from their native land on foot to refugee camps in Sudan. Together with his family, Gili Yalo made this perilous trip, walked through the desert towards the "Promised Land" and sang to his beloved ones.
Gili Yalo - Selam
Gili Yalo's band is made up of five musicians, including guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, and trumpet. An entrancing rhythmic motion is apparent when listening to Gili's music, from the groove, beat and flow, and up to the lyrics, concept and style of the project. Today, Yalo's music gives a new meaning to traditional Ethiopian music. The expression of his story through an advanced music production represents his own personal triumph. Gili Yalo's album combines Ethiopian roots music with a modern touch of jazz and soul. Yalo began writing the songs for his album in 2015 coming from a strong desire to express himself and to send out a message to the world: in order to guide yourself forward you have to carry your roots with you and remember where you came from. Through this album, Yalo has managed to connect his personal history to his current life alongside renowned music producer Uri Brauner Kinrot (Boom Pam) and many talented local musicians who were brought together for this project.
Yalo reveals a fresh perspective to Ethiopian culture by using his personal musical influences such as James Brown and Mulatu Astatke to blend the sounds of funk and soul with Ethio-jazz music. The album, like Africa itself, is a rich patchwork of color and rhythm. The sound is influenced by '70s blues, soul, and funk music, with Ethiopian music at the core of the project. Also features Keren Dun.
