Ethiopian groove and roots with a European improv/punk touch. This powerful trio features Mèssèlè Asmamaw and his suave voice and funky, Hendrix-style krar (traditional Ethiopian lyre), the acknowledged drummer Fabien Duscombs of Le Tigre (des Platanes) fame, and the multi-instrumentalist Jeroen Visser, who hails from the Dutch punk scene of the 1980s.
The Trio Kazanchis manages to produce a hi-energy mix which finds it's roots in ethiopian groove, having traditional melodies and songs as a starting point. However they can as easily follow a melodic line and traditional rhythm as drop it and letting the dynamics of the moment decide. Improvisation, a hardly known angle in traditional Ethiopian music, plays a substantial part. The sometimes Hendrix like krar mixes great with the pure farfisa sound, Wyatt resonant, and Fabien's forward drumming style.
After the compilation of the album Ethiopiques by Frances Falceto which helped bind Ethiopian music of the 50’s and 60’s together, bands comprising a mix of Ethiopian and foreigner musicians have become common, over the last ten years. These bands have one or two foreigners as band members, and do their music by fusing Ethiopian songs and beats. Akale Wube, a French band, for instance, plays Ethiopian music by fusing it with different sounds. Jazzmaries (a blend of Jazz and Azmaries), and Ukandanz play songs with only the vocal being Ethiopian. Kazanchis band which also fuses Ethiopian music with different sounds and foreign instruments falls in that category.
Fusing old Ethiopian music with funk and rock, they label their music as ‘Ethiopian traditional Impro punk’ giving alternative style for Ethiopian songs such as Muluken Melesse’s famous song ‘Nanu Nanu Ney’ and songs like ‘Etutu Beredegn.
Touring Ethiopia between January 6 and 25 2011., the trio presented their performance at various venues such as Guramyle, Fendika, and Alliance Ethio-Franciase, in Addis Ababa, including in Nazareth and Awassa. They are also scheduled to perform in different cities of the country.
The band was established in 2009. by Mesele and Jeroen. They were joined later by Fabien to form the band Kazanchis with their first gig as a band in Kazanchis.
The band, based in Switzerland, has performed on international stages, including France, Holland, Belgium, Prague, and the Check Republic. They also took part in different festivals.
When they first started, three of them came up with their individual collection and did their own recordings. They also researched on how they should play, according to Mesele.
“Even if they knew the music it was a bit difficult to internalize. But playing Ethiopian music before establishing this band wasn’t difficult to catch up,”explains Messele.
Messele says the kirar, the traditional music instrument gave their music a unique sound and says proudly that the feedback so far has been a blessing in a short period of time.
On the band’s performance outside Addis, Messele had his own reservations when it comes to the response they received from the audience, especially Awassa and Nazareth, where the band received acclamation.
He said he found the response unexpected. “Sometimes, there is an assumption on the understanding of the music. Addis has exposure for these kinds of fusions but I had my doubts when it comes to the other cities but it was unexpected for us,” Messele said.
Whenever they play on the stage, Mesele and his partners improvise the music, experiment with different songs and, create new sounds and give flavor to the old Ethiopian music.
“Improvising on the stage is not easy. There should be a clear understanding on what’s going on, and I think we have that understanding. So it’s easy to do what we want and we were able to not to repeat what we played yesterday,”comments Mesele.
Mesele says the band is promoting Ethiopian music internationally and also reviving the lost sounds of Ethiopian music to the younger generation.
With encouraging feedback from music lovers so far, Messele sees a good prospect for the band in the future.
“The feedback has been really great and we are asked to play in different countries like Turkey, Spain and Portugal. So we will see how it goes,”Messele said.
"...The Brass unit from Germany's Poets of Rhythm bring the Ethio-funk on this recent release entitled, Tezeta. Clearly inspired by Mulatu Astatke, the band takes its cue from the golden age of Ethiopian music. Spacey organ, reeds o' plenty, snapping drums, low end bass all create some seriously snaking grooves..."
Woima Collective - Marz
"...Infectious album of Ethiopian and Afro-jazz inspired grooves from members of lauded German funk unit Poets Of Rhythm. 'Tezeta' came about after group leader and tenor sax player Johannes Schleiermacher was smitten with the sounds he soaked up on trips to Morocco and the feelings of celebration and healing in Gnawan trance performances. Further meetings with the legendary Ethio-jazz master, Mulatu Astatke, prompted him to set up a ten piece unit and after a three day rehearsal and a pair of two day recording session, this album was created. The result is brilliantly diverse album, ranging from fiery funk arrangements akin to the Heliocentrics, to super-cool and dubby workouts imbued with a skilled freedom and sublime groove which will surely impress any fans of the Ethiopiques series..."
The Woima Collective has produced a remarkable set of Ethiopian-styled grooves with its debut record, Tezeta, released on the Netherlands-based record label Kindred Spirts. Including the brass-section members of the internationally respected German funk outfit Poets of Rhythm, the Collective channels the sweet funk and jazz rhythms of Mulatu Astatke, with a sound that matches his legendary 1960s and '70s recordings.
Led by tenor saxophonist Johannes Schleiermacher, who was inspired by the African rhythms found during his travels through Morocco, the 10-musician collective has one of the tightest rhythm sections in the contemporary scene. Though originally brought together to record a single at the Lovelite Facility in Berlin, the Collective soon turned the one-time session in a full-blown album, rehearsing and recording Tezeta in only five days.
Woima Collective - Puno
Creating a cohesive record in five days with disciplined arrangements and complex instrumental dynamics calls for an extremely talented group of musicians, and it’s quite clear the Collective knows its North African music. Tezeta is filled with bottom-heavy percussion brought to life with horn-driven grooves decorated by guitar-plucked rhythms.
Ethiopian music takes presence from dark, pentatonic scales, giving the music a hypnotic and smooth nature. The Collective takes this approach and leaves it open-ended, allowing ample room for instrumental spotlights and extended solos. Album opener “Marz” is a fitting introduction to the group, with groovy organ and brass solos that can only be described as snake-like. It is reminiscent of the work of Sun Ra, but with very distinct African horn phrases.
Tracks such as “Woima” and “Puno” have an intrinsically sinister quality, partly due to the forboding horn lines that threaten to go atonal at a moment’s notice, but also because of the fuzzy drone organ that keeps it all together. Underlying it all, however, is a slight tinge of funk, heard best on "Wayna" and "Illusions," tracks that swing hard with a wide array of reed solos and funky guitar licks.
Tezeta is an album with an excellent tonal texture that is matched by world-class musicianship. The Woima Collective has combined funk aesthetics with otherworldly melodic modes. The outcome is a beautiful blend of relentless breakbeat rhythms typical of the European funk scene with the unique melodic pulse of North Africa.
Tiny pathetic insect accidentally imported from North America in the early 70's, the tiger of the plane-trees (in French: Le Tigre des Platanes) reveals itself to be a fearsome parasite that undermines by the bark the majestic alignment of plane-trees edging the French boulevards and national roads. How clever! Le Tigre (…des Platanes) is also an acoustic and poisonous quartet that undermines and recycles in its own insolent way various everlasting kinds of music. Good for them. Trumpet, bugle, tuba, sousaphone, saxophones, voices, melodica and Drums, I know it makes more than 4 but some of them are polyglots.
The story
In 2001, Le Tigre des Platanes discovers the Ethiopique Collection and includes in its eclectic song book some chosen pieces by Mulatu Astatqé, Théshomé Metéku, amongst other, that it interprets in its own somewhat insolent way. In 2005, Francis Falceto, brilliant designer of the Ethiopic series, received a pirate recording of the Tigre des Platanes and got in touch with the quartet. In January 2006 Francis Falceto invited the Tigre des Platanes to participate to the Festival International of Ethiopian music. That's when the story begins…
2007 creation
Etenèsh Wassié / Le Tigre des Platanes ethio-jazz-experience
The challenge of this creation is - on the groundwork of the magnificent Ethiopian "standards", the Ambassel, the Tezeta… - to explore completely, in total integrity, the new and unknown territory laid ahead of the 5 musicians. A world made of the real grand total of their strong personalities.
Beside the tribute and the accompaniment of a great Azmari singer by four European musicians, it is an authentic Journey, with all the questioning implied, we're taken along at each gig. So let's go!
Since its very beginning, the Tigre des Platanes has been concerned with Journey. Such as the pathetic insect from which it gets its name, imported by accident for North America in the early 70's, the music of the quartet from Toulouse stigmatizes the intermarrying, the importation, the impurity of cultural intermingling, the invasion, the embezzlement. All this in a muddle highly claimed!
Le Tigre des Platanes retied with one of his multiple sources of inspiration and flew off to Addis Ababa in January 2006 to participate to the International Festival of Ethiopian music. He came back refilled with a brand new energy, enriched by the journey and the encounters. The songbook of Ethiopian origin's pieces reinterpreted by the Tigre (…des platanes) made a leap and generated a new artistic drive, infusing some Ethiopian musicians with the desire of a deep-rooted collaboration, ready to play the game of real confrontation. In 2007, Etenèsh Wassié took up the challenge. "Eyes half shut, Eténèsh lets her voice guide her where it takes her (takes us), thrilling, digging, colossal little sister of such a Piaf and a Billie Holiday. But the register of tears wouldn't be enough for her, and she might as well, without warning, hasten the tempo after a ballade we would have wished endless."
Francis Falceto
01 - Yékatit (Mulatu Astaqté) 10:42 02 - Keep Your Laws / Off My Body (Dog Faced Hermans) 6:02 03 - Yézémèd Yébaèd (Téshomé Météku) 7:50 04 - Roland Alfonso (Roland Alfonso) 7:56 05 - You Wastin' My Time (Roscoe Mitchell) 5:26 06 - Zombie (Fela Anikulapo Kuti) 9:04 07 - BubbleHouse (Medesky, Martin, Wood) 7:14 08 - Clever White Youth (Marc Ribot) 6:17 09 - Walk On The Wild Side (Lou Reed) 7:13 10 - Untitled 3:05
Marc Démereau : saxophones, melodica and screamophone Fabien Duscombs : Drums Piero Pépin : trumpet, bugle, melodica Mathieu Sourisseau : acoustic bass and sousaphone 1 to 6 : Live in "La Mounède" (Toulouse) 27/11/2006. 7 to 9 : Live in Calvi (Corse) 11/2007 Mixed By – Piero Pepin (tracks: 7 to 9) Recorded By – Hugues Marmet (tracks: 1 to 6), Jeff Manuel (tracks: 7 to 9)
Guzo
is the debut release of young Ethiopian pianist Samuel Yirga. Against the odds,
Samuel found his way to music school in Addis Ababa and despite still being in
his 20s and only having left music school relatively recently, he has developed
at a pace remarkable for someone of his age.
He has gone on to become one of
Ethiopia's most promising young musicians and composers and in recent years,
Samuel has gained wider international recognition through his touring and
recording with Ethio-fusion group Dub Colossus.
The
title, Guzo, means "journey" in Amharic, the official working
language of Ethiopia.
Recorded partly in Addis Ababa and partly in the
UK
at Real World Studios, it is the product of his years experimenting with the
music of his roots and the outside influences of American jazz (particularly
Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock), Latin, and classical music. It explores the
traditional musical history of Ethiopia,
the more modern Ethiojazz that has brought his country's music to international
attention, ventures into big-band brass ensembles, moves through soul and funk,
and then simmers with the deeply impassioned solo piano tracks. Whilst the solo
piano pieces are introspective and deeply felt, Samuel has enlisted some great
singers and instrumentalists from Ethiopia,
Europe and the Caribbean. Featured vocalists
are the Creole Choir of Cuba, a Cuban choir whose songs go back to their
Haitian roots; Mel Gara, a British singer whose origins are in Iraq; and
Nicolette, a Nigerian-British singer, famous for her collaborations with
Massive Attack.
While
Sammy has been influenced by American jazz and funk, he also wanted to record
some tunes which showed the great range of traditional music in Ethiopia. On
these tracks, which he recorded in Addis
Ababa, he was joined by some of the country's best young
traditional instrumentalists.
"His
world is opening up," says Dubulah (aka Nick Page), the British musician
and producer behind Transglobal Underground, Syriana and Dub Colossus and also
producer of Guzo, "He's feeling his way around and this recording is a
statement of where he's intending to go and what he has to offer. I think the
result will surprise people."
'Guzo'
is both bold and sensitive. It is the start of Samuel Yirga's musical journey
and a platform to showcase the extraordinary skill as both musician and
composer of this emerging young talent. The album's roots might be firmly in
the Ethiojazz of Samuel's homeland, but this young man from Addis has opened up
a whole new door on a musical genre and region.
Tracklisting
1.
Abet Abet: is a traditional love song which features the raw and melodic notes
of the Ethiopian one-stringed fiddle, the messenqo. Recorded in Addis, Sammy is
accompanied by some of Ethiopia's
best young traditional instrumentalists.
2.
Tiwista: this is another well-known Ethiopian song and means 'nostalgia'. The
tune is arranged with Sammy's own jazz-influenced base line. The melody is led
by a subtle but powerful saxophone which weaves in and out of the piano through
the track.
3.
Ferma Ena Wereket: This tune's title means 'We don't need paper to love each
other'. "Everyone can sing about love," says Sammy, "but the way
you describe it is what's important." This track is a controversial
statement about marriage.
4.
Ye Bati Koyita: - a solo piano piece. The title means "A Time in
Bati" - Bati is a town in northern Ethiopia, and also the name of the
musical scale Samuel plays. Always the innovator, Samuel plays it not with the
original time signatures in which it was written, but swapping between
different timings to keep the tune fresh. The result is a mature, intricate
take on an old Ethiopian melody which ripples with classical and jazz
influences.
5.
Nou Se Soleil: - Vocal introduction to I am the Black Gold of the Sun, sung by
The Creole Choir of Cuba.
6.
I am the Black Gold of the Sun: This song features guest vocalists The Creole
Choir of Cuba, Nicolette and Mel Gara and is a re-working of the 1970s
psychedelic soul classic. The three sets of vocals are underpinned by the
funk-laden chords and flourishes of Sammy's jazz-infused piano playing. Page
chose the song to cover because of Sammy's love of 1970s and '80s American
music, and brought in those artists because together they told the story of a
journey from Africa to the Caribbean, via the Middle East and Europe.
The song brings with it the sunshine of the Caribbean,
carried by the uplifting rich vocals of the Choir, as well as the urban tones
of the British-based singers.
7.
Dance With the Legend: a solo piano piece, which takes its inspiration from a
song by Ethiopia's
great singer Tilahun Gessese. The tune swings with a lilting rhythm and ripples
with classical and jazz influences.
8.
My Head: Recorded in the UK,
with the regular Dub Colossus horn section, this track is an upbeat latin
number.
9.
Drop Me There: This piano solo written by Sammy features three of Ethiopian
music's distinctive melodic scales and was written at Real World Studios last
winter. "It was very quiet there," says Sammy of his time at Real
World, "so I could really feel every note when I played."
10.
The Blues of Wollo: Based on a famous Ethiopian song called Ambassel, featuring
both traditional and modern instruments. Recorded in Addis, with wonderful
keening vocals from Genet Masresha.
Bonus
Track
11.
African Diaspora: featuring and co-written by Nicolette, African Diaspora is a
melancholic song which demands "Africa,
why are you letting your people leave?" The song reverberates with muted
horns and the gentle tones of Sammy's piano playing.
Reviews
...young
Ethiopian pianist who blends his soul and jazz influences with music of his
homeland.
(Guzo)
stacks up well next to the best music of swinging Addis. His three solo piano
pieces show huge range: "Drop Me There" is crystalline and
delicate..."Dance with the Legend" is as fluid as Keith Jarrett in Koln.
Downbeat
4 **** (USA)
No.
2 in Rhapsody's Top 10 World Albums...
Sometimes
an album just takes your breath away. Swirling together contemporary jazz and
Ethiopian grooves with a graceful boldness and elegant subtlety that makes this
Addis Ababa-born pianist's youth hard to believe, Guzo lures you in from the
first creeping...
Rhapsody (Online USA)
Yirga's
debut offers surprise after surprise.
Samuel
Yirga is a pianist from Ethiopia
whose debut record "Guzo"sits somewhere in the fertile ground where
jazz mingles with R&B and funk to create soulful beauty. ...Yirga's
appetite is big, and each surprise within Guzo renders easy comparisons
useless. Yirga's debut offers surprise after surprise.
Los Angeles Times (USA)
CD
of the year...Otherworldly jazz from young Ethiopian pianist with dizzying
potential
This
is both a bang up-to-the-minute album, but also a throwback to the glory days
of Ethiopian jazz in the late 1960s and 1970s... the balance of instrumentation
between brass, percussion and piano is a thing of wonder. ... the potential is
dizzying and his joy in playing transmits wonderfully to the listener.
The
Arts Desk (Online)
one
of the most exciting and innovative jazz players in the world.
(Samuel
Yirga's) classical sensibilities fused with the native folk sound has made this
young artist one of the most exciting and innovative jazz players in the world.
Huffington
Post (USA)
Samuel
Yirga: A Prodigy Reviving Ethiopian Jazz
Yirga
has had to fight for his right to be himself, and in the end, the voice and
vision of a distinctive composer shines through in this impressive debut.
NPR
Music Online (USA)
...masterfully
produced...
...his
new album Guzo is a talented blend of sounds...and sparkling cameo
performances.
The
Africa Report (UK)
...fierce
debut...an essential purchase for anyone...
who
has fallen for the jazzier end of the ethiopiques spectrum. Among the
highlights here - the swinging groove of My head...and I Am The Black Gold of
the Sun.
Mojo (UK)
Powerful
and beautiful...9 out of 10
Stereoplay (Germany)
...Yirga
should be an exciting prospect to discover for any jazz fan.
One
moment he's pouring out emotive, classical jazz, the next fusing traditional
Ethiopian sounds and Ethiojazz with sparse piano and elements of funk, or
working alongside soulful guest vocalists.
Loughborough
echo online (UK)
...rich
beyond its measure.
...some
outstanding jazz soloing...
The
Weekend Australian (Australia)
...an
enjoyably diverse set as leader.
Guzo
ranges from ruminative solo piano to the ebullient party blast of My Head...
The Creole Choir of Cuba join him for an epic take on the psychedelic soul
groove I Am The Black Gold of The Sun.
The
Times (UK)
Guzo
- Track 5 on Songlines Top of the World
...It's
not often that one is greeted by such a strong debut, so effortlessly shot
through with intelligence and creativity. ...a project that successfully takes
the tunes and arrangements of Ethiopia's
much-documented golden age and updates the into a modern setting, consolidating
their originality and power in the process.
Songlines (UK)
...
it's a great introduction
If
you're already a fan of Ethiojazz, this is as good an indication as any of its
new direction and if you're unfamiliar with the genre, it's a great introduction.
The
Morning Star (UK)
Dub
Colossus's young Ethiopian pianist is an incandescent talent.
The
Independent (UK)
Summer
anthem? Recon so.
(I
am the Black Gold of the Sun)...some sublime vocals from The Creole Choir Of Cuba..
Echoes (UK)
...His
talent is remarkable
...influences
of blues and funk clearly audible in the slower parts, while the frantic
rhythms gripped listeners with anxiety.
Spaceship
News, Perth
(Live review from The Ellington Jazz
Club)
....an
impressive album.
The
Guardian (UK)
...accomplished
debut.
Yirga
draws on his country's best-known musical currency - the dark flavours of
Seventies Ethio-Jazz - on this accomplished debut.
The
Daily Telegraph (UK)
...solo
mixture of abstraction and funky jamming
...solo
mixture of drifting Monkish abstraction and HeadHunter-styled Hammond
and Rhodes funky jamming. 'I Am The Black Gold
Of The Sun' benefits from the Creole Choir Of Cuba's blissful gospel singing.
The
Financial Times (UK)
Impressive
debut from Ethio-jazz pianist - 7/10
Twentysomething
Yirga is a man on a mission - to become Ethiopia's greatest pianist. He's
surely halfway there. The best tracks here align him convincingly with the
rediscovered 'Ethio Jazz' of the 1960's - "Twista", with its funky
one-string fiddle, both entice.
Uncut
Magazine (UK)
Incredible
... this album has absolutely blown my socks off!
Gilles
Peterson - BBC 6 Music (UK)
An
impressive debut album that attests to the originality of its author.
Guzo,
the debut set by Ethiopian pianist Samuel Yirga, is such a set. In short, this
is an impressive debut album that attests to the originality and expressiveness
of its author.
BBC
Music Online (UK)
It
goes without question that Yirga has talent...Yirga is a performer.
...his
debut solo album Guzo is sure to launch him straight into the forefront. It
goes without question that Yirga has talent; every track demonstrates
virtuosity and jazz know-how....Yirga is a performer. The album oozes with
feeling and heart. Every track is so full of artistic sensibility that it's
hard not to be sucked up in the performance. ...piano solos like 'Yeh Bati
Koyita' and 'Drop Me There', which are painfully beautiful. ...rarely is an
album able to bring it's audience along for a passionate ride, full of ups and
downs. Guzo does exactly that. And if Yirga can perform with such spirit on an
album, I can only imagine what it would be like to hear him live, something I
am definitely looking forward to.
NOMAD's
Playlist (Australia)
...melodic
themes that touched the heart.
Though
sparingly unleashed, his deliberate, eastern-inflected solos were thoroughly
transporting. The frantic final selection, 6 and 4, married a northern
Ethiopian mode to a southern rhythm...propulsive interplay with bassist Yoseph
Hailemariam Bekele and star drummer Nathaniel Zewde sounded like top-flight
funk in anybody's language.
The
Age & The Canberra Times (Live review from Comedy Theatre, Melbourne
International Jazz Festival) (Australia)
...one
of the most thrilling bands on the world stage.
His
opening solo piece was staggering in its invention, facility and narrative
skill. He led us through a fantasia of idioms, drawing on Ethiopian, jazz,
Cuban, funk and classical...with the ease of one with a deep understanding of
the convergence of their essences, rather than the disparity of their surfaces.
On Tiwista his improvising was seismic in its power and transporting in its
range... Feleke Woldemariam (tenor saxophone), Nathaniel Zewde (drums) and
Yoseph Hailemariam (electric bass), musicians worthy of Yirga's singular gifts.
Woldemariam played with a fluttering quality to his notes...suddenly the
commonplace tenor saxophone became exotic and carried immense emotional sway.
The explosive Abet Abet...Rhythmically the piece metamorphosed into the sort of
funk that would lead some people to lock up their children rather than let them
be corrupted by such raw, visceral and wanton music. breathtaking in its
intricacy and complexity, while maintaining inexorable grooves.
The
Brisbane Times (Live review from The Blue Beat Jazz Club) (Australia)
...staggeringly
brilliant album.
Samuel
Yirga is a bright new musical flame who shows that Ethiopia's rich jazz heritage is
still alive and thriving in his young hands.
Sydney
Morning Herald (Australia)
One
of the world's more remarkable young pianists is a 26-year-old Ethiopian who
did not even touch a piano until he was 16.
...highly
diverse - variously solo or ensemble, instrumental or vocal, 'pop' or not. Guzo
includes three jaw-dropping piano-only cuts; they do not imitate Keith Jarrett
but are in the same league as his solo flights.
Preview
- The Weekend Planet Radio (Australia)
....Yirga
is such an exciting artist
...that
deserves the recognition he is getting. Guzo is just a taster of what is yet to
come from this talented artist.
Musika.uk.com
(UK)
"It
has all the ingredients of a masterpiece and certainly those that make it top
of my playing list. Great balance between avant garde jazz and sweet r&b
vibe in some tracks and those Ethiopian scales... all tracks are
outstanding!"
JPR
at Simply Out Of This World/Covent Garden Radio
(UK)
I
feel very privileged to have an early preview of this fantastic album." Juice FM
It
seems he's pulled out all the stops. His classical music experience shows in
his sensitive and thoughtful approach to his solo piano work like Ye Bati
Koyita and Drop Me There and at the same time can make a beautiful Charles
Stepney tune like I am the Black Gold of the Sun sound fresh yet again.
Powerful and dynamic performances on other tracks recorded with the UK and
Ethiopian musicians show off his improvisational style but I keep returning to
his solo piano work. Thoroughly rewarding album."