Akalé Wubé - Ethiopian Groove Greatest Hits [CDR, 2009 / self-released] [FLAC]

                          R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

                       Akalé Wubé is an Ethio-groove band from Paris

       It is an improbable story: one that reunites, a group of young Parisians with the Swingin' Addis sounds of the seventies. In October 2008, five musicians got together on a wild project: to delve into the repertoire of the Ethiopian golden age, as defined by the producer Francis Falceto, to whom we owe the series of reissues “Ethiopiques”. “The idea was to transcribe songs from this period and rearrange them to the sound of our times. First off, it eliminated the need to write songs that risked falling into ethio-jazz clichés. 

       The aim was not to bring about some artistic revolution through our work but simply to give and take pleasure by performing this music!” Through this retro-futuristic alchemy, the Akalé Wubé quintet was born: a curious name borrowed from a song by the great saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya, a bit of an old-fashioned expression which can by translated as “my beautiful” in Amharic, a poetic metaphor which also means “beauty of the soul”.

  “Since our very first concert in December 2008 we were surprised by the audience’s enthusiasm.” Since then, Akalé Wubé have played more than forty concerts, including a residency at the Lavoir Moderne Parisien and a tour around Morocco. A year later, they were finally ready to record their debut album. It took them four live sessions in the famous “Cold Rooms” on the bank of the river Seine, in order to capture the warmth and fervor of an acoustic and organic sound. 

      The result is a retro sound which resounds perfectly with the contemporary aesthetic of a generation of musicians that juggle genres around. Funk, reggae, jazz, tango... “All of this is found in the vocabulary and aesthetic of the ethiopian productions of the sixties and seventies. It is a cross-bred style of music - so much so, that even by sticking to the repertoire, it can be taken in different directions...” A mix of stripped-down funk soul and smart pop, of garage rock and vintage jazz, this spatiotemporal collision offers them the ideal platform to establish a solid base in 2010. The objective: transcend all genres and swing the future in the most quirky of ways. This is the attracting force of their record: a UFO which targets above all to deliver good vibes at any tempo, and move you from head to toe.

Akalé Wubé - Ayalqem tedengo (remixed version)

Akalé Wubé - 01 - Yèkatit (5:13)

Akalé Wubé - 02 - Ayalqem tedengo (5:59)

Akalé Wubé - 03 - Muziqawi silt (3:22)

Akalé Wubé - 04 - Ragalé (5:09)

Akalé Wubé - 05 - Kulunmanqueleshi (3:36)

Akalé Wubé - 06 - Yèkermè sew (3:17)

Akalé Wubé - 07 - Tezatayé antchi lidj (5:07)

Akalé Wubé are :

Paul Bouclier : trumpet, percussions 

Etienne de la Sayette : saxs, flutes, organ 

Loïc Réchard : guitar 

Oliver James Degabriele : bass 

David Georgelet : drums 

Pierre Dachery : sound

Kirubel Assefa - Dimtsepia [2017] [ethiopia]

 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.

Credits:

Kirubel Assefa  - Bass, Keyboards (All tracks) Guitar (Track 4)

Teferi Assefa - Drums, (Track 2, 3, & 5) Percussion (all tracks)

Johnny Blackman - Drums (Track 9)

Reginald Spivey - Drums (Tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 8 & 10)

Yoseph Ermias - Guitar (Track 2, 5 & 8)

Zakki Jawad - Guitar (Track 3)

Huit Kilos - Guitar (Tracks 1, 5, 6 & 8)

Michael McTagger - Guitar (Tracks 3, 7, 9 & 10)

Kamasi Washington - Saxophone ( All Tracks except Track 1)

Ryan Porter - Trombone (All Tracks except Track 1)

Cris Gray - Trumpet (All Tracks except Track 1)

Vocals:

Teklish Sisay (Track 2 & 8)

Tsedenia Gebremarkos (Tracks 1 & 6)

Fitsum Mahadere (Tracks 3 & 5)

Tsegaye Berhanu Selassie (Track 9)

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

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

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

Feedel Band - Ethiopian Ocean [2016] [usa+eth]

       The Feedel Band’s sound can best be described as an east African jazz, a merging of 1960s R&B and funk with traditional Ethiopian songs and instruments, the band features artists and music from the hugely popular Éthiopiques series on the Buda CD label that has helped turn Ethiopian music from the 60s and 70s into a hipster obsession.

    The band consists of many of Ethiopia's greatest artists who create original songs inspired by the Golden Age of Ethiopian popular music in the late 1960s and 70s— a time that had Addis Ababa littered with groups playing brass-heavy concoctions influenced by American soul and jazz. The band’s pentatonic melodies are repurposed with mutated instrumentation like 60s and 70s-era Ethiopian grooves played on congas, electric guitar, bass, saxophone, krar, mesenko, piano, organ, trombone and drums.

Feedel Band - Araya's Mood

       The members of Feedel Band are all acclaimed 

musicians in their own right Feedel’s sax player Moges Habte 

can be heard performing the funky James Brown Bandinfluenced 

cut “Muziqawi Silt” on Éthiopiques’ Volume 

13 with his ’70s group the Walias Band. Their bass 

player Alemseged Kebede's groovy bass lines could be 

found in many of Aster Aweke and Tilahune Gessesse's 

music. Also in the band is Araya Woldemichael who is 

the founder of the band, composer, Keyboardist and a 

producer. They will be joined by Mikias Abebayehu on 

drums/congas, Kaleb Temesgen on electric guitar, Kenneth 

Joseph on drums, Omar Little on trumpet, Minale Bezu 

on krar (stringed lyre)/vocal, Setegn Atenaw on 

mesenko/vocal, Feleke Hailu on alto sax, Thomas 

Young, Fasil Bezabeh and Almaz Getahun on traditional 

dance.

Feedel Band - 01 - Amest Bet Gurage (7:12)

Feedel Band - 02 - Meskerem (5:04)

Feedel Band - 03 - Ethiopian Ocean (10:06)

Feedel Band - 04 - The Lost Prince (6:25)

Feedel Band - 05 - Shole Ya Neche Tela (5:58)

Feedel Band - 06 - Adey (6:43)

Feedel Band - 07 - Behelme (6:12)

Feedel Band - 08 - Araya's Mood (7:34)

Ompa Bompa - [2016] - Ethio Jazz Project [fra+eth]

       No more significant than the term "jazz" but funny and percussive, "Ompa Bompa" becomes the name of the formation after being the title of a piece. Inaugurated around the compositions of the pianist, Ompa Bompa was born in June 2001 with five musicians who, through this training, will exploit their taste for exploration and creation. This repertoire gives rise to a first disc: "Clap Mental" (2003).

    In 2004, Ompa Bompa revisits the music of Duke Ellington and creates the "Duke, Jungle" repertoire, on the occasion of "Jazz en scène" (federation of jazz scenes and improvised music). ". Two new instruments (trumpet and alto saxophone) add to the copper section. This repertoire marked an important shift in the style and play of the group.

    "To Our Dearly Beloved" was created in 2009. The compositions of this repertoire offer the listener a personal and original reading of the famous novel by Toni Morrison "Beloved". This project gave rise to many performances and a record (2011) which you can purchase on this site (cf homepage).

    The band has performed in several festivals (Rhino Jazz Festival, Charlie Jazz Festival, Les Jazzeries d'Hiver in Saint Etienne, Alphonse in Madness in Prissé, Festival du Haut Livradois, Jazz au Sommet, Jazz in Vienna, Jazz en Scène ...), theater productions (The Peristyle of Lyon Opera, Cavajazz in Viviers, Presles Inns, Médiathèque de Firminy, Jazz Club de Savoie, Le Périscope in Lyon, Moulin à Jazz in Vitrolles, Pax in Saint Etienne, Le Puy de la Lune in Clermont-Ferrand, the Hot Club of Lyon) or cultural seasons (Miramas, Saint-Victor on the Loire, Horme, Saint Quentin Fallavier ...)

Ompa Bompa - Zethions

The musicians: 

Julien Bertrand: trumpet, bugle
Ludovic Murat: alto saxophone, flute
Vincent Périer: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Franck Boyron: trombone
Emmanuel Déplaude: piano, keyboard
Julien Sarazin: bass
Olivier Génin: drums

Ethioda - Tezet Reset [2016] [fra+eth]

            Ethioda is an amazing music band from Montpellier in the south of France. 

        This crew will rock your body and soul with ethiopian scales inspired vibrations wittyly mixed up with Afrobeat, Funk, Jazz, and good mood

Ethioda (feat. Macsinge) - Azmari

Ethioda - 01 - Ambassel Groove (4:14)

Ethioda - 02 - (Satie a dit ça) Beba (6:04)

Ethioda - 03 - Pentatiopik (4:59)

Ethioda - 04 - Azmari (4:23)

Ethioda - 05 - Echi (2:46)

Ethioda - 06 - Taaba (7:26)

Ethioda - 07 - Respecto (5:03)

Ethioda - 08 - Reset Tezet (1:47)

Ethioda - 09 - Tezet Reset (6:29)

Ethioda - 10 - Ethiodawa (6:25)

Ethioda - 11 - Opale (6:54)

Daniel Moreau (keyboards & composition) 

Baptiste Clerc (guitar & composition) 

Armel Courrée (saxophones & composition) 

Pascal Bouvier (trombone) 

Romain Delorme (bass, ms20) 

Julien Grégoire (drums) 

Eric Durand (percussions) 

+ 

Muyiwa Kunudji (trumpet) 

Maore (voice) 

Macsinge (voice)