Gili Yalo - Gili Yalo [2017] [ethiopia+israel]

          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.

Gili Yalo - 01 - Tadese (2:54)

Gili Yalo - 02 - Selam (3:50)

Gili Yalo - 03 - Sab Sam (4:39)

Gili Yalo - 04 - Africa (4:57)

Gili Yalo - 05 - Hot Shot (3:28)

Gili Yalo - 06 - Coffee (4:56)

Gili Yalo - 07 - City Life (4:05)

Gili Yalo - 08 - Fire (3:50)

Gili Yalo - 09 - T'ebik'iu (4:57)

Gili Yalo - 10 - New Life (3:36)

v.a. - Ethiopian Urban Modern Music Vol.3 [More Ethiopian Soul & Groove] [2009]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

   The amazing Ethiopoques series continues to amaze with another stunning album of classic "Golden Era" Ethiopian recordings from 60's & 70's Addis Ababa. The third in their 'Ethiopian Modern Music' volumes, this album collects a massively varied set of killer grooves; from the super tight soul funk of Girma Béyéné's 'Ené négn bay manésh' or his kinkier psyche funk winner 'Yebeeqagnal', to Seyoum Gébreyés and Wallias Band's rhodes driven 'Métch enéterf féléghu' or the extended slow jam 'Djémérégne' from Muluqén Mélléssé and the intoxicating female vocals of 'Métché néw' from Asséléfétch Ashiné and Géténésh Kebrét.

1. Girma Beyene - Ene negn bay manesh (4:02)

2. Seyoum Gebreyes and Wallias band - Metch ene terf feleghu (2:21)

3. Hirut Beqele - Ewnetegna feqer (3:15)

4. Samuel Belay - Qeresh endewaza (3:17)

5. Girma Beyene - Yebeqagnal (3:30)

6. Girma Beyene - Ene negn bay manesh (3:27)

7. Muluqen Mellesse - Djemeregne (7:29)

8. Asselefetch Ashine and Getenseh Kebret - Metche new (3:33)

9. Getatchew Mekurya - Gedamay (3:48)

        The arrangements and bands are ably handled by Mulatu Astatke, Getatchew Mékurya and a hosts of other legends who have previously contributed to this ear opening series. 

     This series just blows our minds and any followers of Finders Keepers Turkish Psyche picks, the Sublime Frequencies series or indeed anything from Mulatu Astatke will want to invest without delay. 

        Essential !!

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

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

Black Flower - [2016] - Live at Ancienne Belgique, Brussels 2016-11-03 [b+eth]

       Psyche-delicious and accessible 21st century Ethiodubjazz. As if John Zorn put on Fela Kuti’s shoes and imbibed Mulatu Astatke’s whirls.

Black Flower - Live at Ancienne Belgique

Black Flower - 01 - Sound Sacrament - Abeba Zeybekiko (10:40)

Black Flower - 02 - Alexandria (8:04)

Black Flower - 03 - The Legacy of Prester John (5:32)

Black Flower - 04 - Helios Victor (5:29)

Black Flower - 05 - Worshipper (Origami3) (4:07)

Black Flower - 06 - unknown 1 (7:28)

Black Flower - 07 - High upon the Mountain High upon the Hill (5:37)

Black Flower - 08 - Artifacts (7:40)

Black Flower - 09 - unknown 2 (5:46)

Black Flower - 10 - Realm and Era (10:57)

Black Flower - 11 - Bones (9:25)

Black Flower - 12 - Lunar Eclipse (19:39)

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) 

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Live at Broad Casting, Cargo, London, 17.april [2008] [uk+eth]

    EXQUISITE BOOTLEG RECORDING !   

          Playing in London for the first time in 15 years Ethio-Jazz sound pioneer Mulatu Astatke, plays an exclusive live date at Cargo. His backing band will be made up of the fantastic Heliocentrics (Now Again / Stones Throw), who also provide a support set on the night. Host and DJ Karen P is also very happy to be joined by long-time friend, Gilles Peterson alongside NYC’s legendary party purveyor Karl Injex.

Born in Ethiopia in 1943, Mulatu Astatke is an innovative multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and originator of the Ethio-Jazz sound. Having studied music in London and then the US, he established himself as a vital vibraphone, conga and percussion player on both sides of the Atlantic before returning to his homeland to introduce Jazz, Soul and Latin to Ethiopia’s native musicians and artists. Included in the now legendary Ethiopiques compilations, 

Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers soundtrack, and much sampled by Hip-Hop and Dance producers alike, his sound will be familiar to many even if his name isn’t. These days Mulatu regularly lectures at Harvard and gave a memorable lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy in Toronto last year. Karen P’s Broad Casting is honoured to host Mulatu’s first UK performance in over 15 years.      

The Heliocentrics are drummer Malcolm Catto’s collective and are signed to Stones Throw’s sister imprint Now-Again. Having performed and recorded as DJ Shadow’s backing band, they have individually played major parts in bands such as the Soul Destroyers, Quantic Soul Orchestra and The Herbaliser. Malcolm himself released a solo album on Mo Wax and has been sampled by none other than Madlib. 

Pigeonholing The Heliocentrics sound is hard. Suffice to say that it takes in all manner of jazz, electronica, psychedelia and world music. Whilst they inhabit the funk universe of James Brown, they also capture some of the disorienting asymmetry of Sun Ra, the cinematic scope of Ennio Morricone and the sublime fusion of David Axelrod.

01. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Yèkèrmo Sèw (Live) (5:38)

02. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Gubèlyé (Live) (4:27)

03. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Yègellé Tezeta (Live) (4:04)

04. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Mulatu (Live) (7:36)

05. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Kulumanqualeshi (Live) (7:11)

06. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Kasalèfkut Hulu (Live) (6:33)

07. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Ethio Blues (Live) (5:28)

08. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Yèkatit (Live) (5:42)

09. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Munayé (Live) (5:56)

10. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Nètsanèt (Live) (6:34)