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Showing posts with label new ethio jazz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new ethio jazz. Show all posts

Monday, October 14, 2013

Alèmayèhu Eshèté & Badume's Band - Le Festival Fiest' a Séte [2010]


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Live at " Fiest'A Sete" (Théätre de la Mer, Sete, France), on the 5th of August 2008.

       Despite a 1948 Imperial edict banning the distribution of Ethiopian pop music, Amha Eshete  launched a record label,Amha Records, and released 103 singles and a dozen albums by Ethiopian artists between 1969 and 1975. In addition to making Ethiopian music known throughout the world, Eshete helped to spark a modern period of creativity in his homeland. During an interview in the early-1990s, Eshete said, "I had a gut feeling that it was the right thing to do. I took the risk.". The governmental resistance against Eshete's efforts proved ultimately insurmountable. By the mid-1990s, Eshete had emigrated to the United States.






Friday, October 11, 2013

Ethioda - Ethiopian Jazz groove [2011] PROMO









      Ethioda (Montpellier) is a group that revisits the Ethiopian jazz through original compositions, improvisations and electro atmospheres. The Ethio-jazz whose golden age is in the 70s (remember Mahmoud Ahmed and his "Ere Mela Mela") leaves reappear East, funk and reggae sounds.



1. Ethioda - En plein dans le Nil (4:56)
2. Ethioda - Metche New (4:24)
3. Ethioda - Musicawi Silt (5:13)
4. Ethioda - Farenj (4:34)







Ethioda are :

Daniel Moreau - compositions, arrangements, fender rhodes, keyboards
Baptiste Clerc - guitar
Armel Courrée - alt and baritone saxophones
Pascal Bouvier - trombone
Romain Delorme - bass
Julien Grégoire - drums



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Debo Band - Flamingoh [EP] [2010]


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FLAMINGOH (Pink Bird Dawn)


       This live recording documents the brief period around our second trip to East Africa in Winter 2010, a journey that took our Ethio-groove collective across the world to share our interpretations of 1970s-era brass band-style Ethiopian funk. During this time we played a five-part hometown residency, a cosmopolitan Addis Ababa nightclub, and one of the largest music festivals in Africa. Along the way, we once again collaborated with dear friends and outstanding traditional artists: Melaku Belay and his group Fendika.

The flamingo is a majestic bird that thrives in the volcanic lake regions of East Africa's Great Rift Valley. Like many African animals, mystery and myths surround the origins of this long-necked pink bird. Our "flamingoh" is no exception: Flaming feathers (re)birthed from a breaking dawn. A dawn that rips open the sky.

The four tracks offered here are just the beginning: we have a documentary, featuring our escapades with Fendika, and a full-length live album on the way. This is our dawn: goh qeddede.

released 04 September 2010 

Bruck Tesfaye - vocals 
Stacey Cordeiro - accordion 
Kaethe Hostetter - five-string violin 
Jonah Rapino - electric violin 
Danny Mekonnen - tenor and baritone saxophones 
Abye Osman - alto saxophone 
David Harris - trombone 
Brendon Wood - guitar 
Arik Grier - sousaphone 
PJ Goodwin - electric bass 
Keith Waters - drums 

guests 

Selamnesh Zemene - vocals 
Asrat Ayalew - kebero (traditional drums) 




1. Debo Band - Musicawi Silt [Girma Beyene] (6:02)
2. Debo Band - Belomi Benna [Abrar Abde/Mahmoud Ahmed] (4:40)
3. Debo Band - Mignoten Man Yawkal [Seyfu H. Mariam/Tezera H. Miuchael] (4:06)
4. Debo Band - Lantchi Biye [For You] [Menelik Wossenachew] (5:27)


Imperial Tiger Orchestra - Mercato [2011]



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       The Imperial Tiger Orchestra's repertoire consists of revamped remakes of songs from the golden age of Ethiopian music: a powerful horn section, deadly percussions and relentless keyboards provide a merciless and efficient instrumental reinterpretation and improvisation based on original vocal songs. Preserving the natural beauty of melodies and Ethiopian sound while exploring uncharted territory, playing with textures and dynamics, adding distortions and noise to complete beautiful pieces, the self-proclaimed counterfeiters embrace dark hypnotic rhythms, obsessive basslines and grooves from electronic music. Far from any purist notions, the musicians surprise and delight with traditional Thaï "phin" guitar mixed into traditional ethiopian "kebero" percussions. Just one example among many others. It's groove experimentation, it's improvisational heat. 








      Originator of the classic Ethiopiques series which started it all, Francis Falceto invited The Orchestra to play Addis Abeba's Musiques Ethiopiennes in 2009. Not only they convinced the locals but they also played with the likes of Melaku Belaye, Selamnesh, Zinash or Mesele Asmamaw. As Francis said afterward "the Genevan act was the big sensation of last year's festival". 





         Follow-up to last year’s acclaimed EP Addis-Abeba, Mercato is the debut album by Swiss band Imperial Tiger Orchestra, the finest connoisseurs and grooviest performers of Ethiopian music from the Golden Age.

       Raphaël Anker, trumpet player from Geneva, one day decides to gather musicians for a live performance revisiting the golden age of Ethiopian music, the sound of Tlaloun Gessesse, Getatchew Mekurya, Mulatu Astatke, Mahmoud Ahmed and other legends. It’s 2007, and the experience is so memorable that the one shot happening becomes a band: Imperial Tiger Orchestra, a nod to the Imperial Bodyguard Band from Addis-Abeba and to a classic line from Monthy Python’s The Meaning of Life. A tiger – in Africa? …Well it doesn’t sound very likely…

       Consisting of members with very diverse backgrounds (free jazz, noise experimentations, contemporary music, re-invented psychedelic music, strange pop, bizarre rock) the Orchestra tests the grounds with an EP and a 7″ breaking the boundaries of genres followed by a trip to Addis-Abeba in 2009 where they perform with local luminaries and learn about the large diversity of Ethiopian music. A life-changing experience which brings them back to the studio for their debut album: Mercato.




       Overseen with flair by Ethiopian music expert Jeoren Visse, Mercato is a mesmerizing re-interpretation of Ethiopian music’s golden age mixed with the digitalized themes that appeared in the 80s and filtered through the eclectic influences of the Orchestra. Instruments such as the kebero (the most iconic percussion instrument of the country), the Indian dholak, the Thai cymbal, the traditional Thai phin, or the krar (an Ethiopian lyre) follow hypnotizing drum patterns and layers of MIDI sounds. It’s a fascinating retro-futuristic piece of music, close yet totally different from the songs that inspired the band. It’s progressive Ethiopian rock!

       This new record undoubtedly confirms the band’s wider knowledge of Ethiopia’s musical diversity, while allowing them to express their desire of choosing a route not taken by many. Whether it’s saluting the phenomenal Mahmoud Ahmed on the splendid “Lale Lale”, re-interpretating the classic wedding theme “Shinet”, or taking Martha Ashagani’s “Zoma” to new heights, the Orchestra always does it with a unique vision while at the same time honoring the originals. Popular songs magically become classy instrumentals. Thunderous rhythms and feverish hooks, down tempo moments and fast paced epiphanies, electronic sounds and ambient nirvanas, Mercato explores multiples paths and never loses its warm groove, from “Yedao”, the Rahel Yohannes cover that starts the record, to the collaboration with Bethelem Dagnachew whose high pitched voclas close the full-length in the most enchanting way.






SELECTED QUOTES FOR PREVIOUS EP, ADDIS-ABEBA :

“Fabulous release!!! So fresh to hear this in my inbox instead of mindless minimal & noise for deaf & dumb kids. wonderful wonderful wonderful!!! thanX” Trevor Jackson

“Beautiful music. Perfect for my headphones and sunsets/sunrises. Thanks  ” Soul Clap

“I Adore! Superb fusion modern/traditional” Laurence Pierre (France Inter)

“Wonderful” Nick Warren

“Yes! Thats exactly what I need right now! Some raw, ethiopian Funk mixed with the best grooves this world has to offer…essential! Save the Tigers!” Quarion

“What a wonder. Superb” Laurent Garnier

“Love it – powerful music” Sinden

“wow. It’s like mulatu in a time machine. love the interpretation and love the finished sound.” Scattermish.


Imperial Tiger Orchestra are :

Raphaël Anker (trumpet), 
Alexandre Rodrigues (rhodes, keyboards),
John Menoud (saxophone), 
Cyril Moulas (bass), 
Luc Détraz (percussions) and 
Julien Israelian (drums), 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu Steps Ahead @ Glatt & Verkehrt [Krems, Austria - 30.7.2011]


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1. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - I - Dewel (13:07)
2. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - II - Yekermo Sew (11:46)
3. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - III - Netsanet (8:17)
4. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - IV - Chik Chikka (19:06)
5. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - V - Motherland (12:05)
6. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - VI - The Way To Nice (7:04)
7. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - VII - Yegelle Tezeta (5:07)
8. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - VIII - Yekatit (5:42)
9. Mulatu Astatke - Krems 30.07.2011 - IX - Mulatu (12:18)





Mulatu ASTATKE | vibraphone, congas, piano; 
Shabaka HUTCHINGS | saxophone; 
Byron WALLEN | trumpet; 
Richard Olatunde BAKER | percussion; 
Tom SKINNER | drums; 
John EDWARD | double bass; 
Alexander HAWKINS | keyboards; 
Danny KEANE | cello




Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Dawit Tesfamariam - Saturday Night [eritrean sax instrumental] [2004]


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        Dawit Tesfamariam is eritrean saxophone player. Got his album "Saturday Night" from 2004,  and that's all I know about him. If you have any piece of information about this excellent musician, just let me know, and I will post it here. 

      I like his album very much. Rip is not perfect, but who cares. His music is modern, melodic and relaxing. Enjoy.





1. Dawit Tesfamariam - Hewan (8:16)
2. Dawit Tesfamariam - Seger Betna  (9:22)
3. Dawit Tesfamariam - Baburay (7:01)
4. Dawit Tesfamariam - Hadar Gierki (6:21)
5. Dawit Tesfamariam - Kemaolka Hawey (8:08)
6. Dawit Tesfamariam - Weledi (7:14)
7. Dawit Tesfamariam - Qedam Mshet (7:35)
8. Dawit Tesfamariam - Kamey Aleki (9:01)


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Getatchew Mekuria - Y'Anbessaw Tezeta Disc 1 & 2 [2012]


Original post @ AfroCubanLatinJazz



       Enamored by saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria's Ethiopiques 14 CD "The Negus of Ethiopian Sax", The Ex invited Mekuria to play at their 25th anniversary party in November, 2004 at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Mekuria's career stretches back to 1948, and though in his 70's, this was his first time out of Ethiopia. The results were compelling, so much so that The Ex and Mekuria decided to tour France together. So pleased were both that when Mekuria suggested recording a CD with The Ex they jumped at the chance, each choosing material with distinctive Ethiopian flavor, but which allowed both to remain true to their own music. With an added horn section, and Cor Fuhler on organ for 3 pieces, this magnificent CD is the result, an excellent extension to both The Ex and Mekuria. Includes a 32 page booklet with Mekuria's history, lyrics, and photos.

        Mekuria began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the masenqo, and later moved on to the saxophone and clarinet. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his professional career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa. In 1955 he joined the house band at Addis' Haile Selassie I Theatre, and in 1965 joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to record an instrumental version of shellela, a genre of traditional Ethiopian vocal music sung by warriors before going into battle. 

       Mekuria took the shellela tradition seriously, often appearing onstage in a warrior's animal-skin tunic and lion's mane headdress. He continued to refine his instrumental shellela style, recording an entire album in 1970, Negus of Ethiopian Sax, released on Philips Ethiopia during the heyday of the Ethiojazz movement. Mekuria continued to work alongside many of the biggest orchestras in the Ethiopian capital, accompanying renowned singers Alemayehu Eshete, Hirut Beqele, and Ayalew Mesfin.

         Mekuria reached an international audience when his album Negus of Ethiopian Sax was re-released as part of the Ethiopiques CD series. Mekurya's playing style has been compared to free jazz, but developed in isolation from it during the early 1950s. Mekurya has said he is unfamiliar with either Ornette Coleman or Albert Ayler.

       The album Negus of Ethiopian Sax caught the ears of Dutch avant-garde/punk band The Ex who invited the septuagenarian sax player to perform at their 25th anniversary show in Amsterdam in November 2004. In turn, Mekuria asked the Ex to be the backup band for his 2006 album, Moa Anbessa. The Ex and Mekuria toured The Netherlands, Belgium and France together in 2006 and 2007, and then the United States in 2008 and Canada in 2009.

       Getatchew Mekuria has added his distinctive sound to collaborations with numerous other contemporary artists, including British Tamil singer Susheela Raman and Boston jazz ensemble Either/Orchestra. He still lives in Addis Ababa, and regularly performs at the Sunset Bar at the Sheraton Addis.





    Getatchew Mekuria, The Ex + Friends          
 Y'Anbessaw Tezeta 


Getatchew Mekuria (tenor saxophone),
Arnold de Boer (trumpet),
Terrie Hessels (guitar),
Andy Moor (guitar),
Xavier Charles (clarinet),
Ken Vandermark (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet),
Brodie West (alto saxophone),
Joost Buis (trombone),
Wolter Wierbos (trombone),
Colin McLean (bass)


Recorded December 6/7 2011, February 24/28 2012, April 5/23 2012 in Jottum, Wormerveer, Holland, and May 3 2012 in Fendika, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Ukandanz - Yetchalal [2013] [france + ethiopia]





 NEW ALBUM  
               uKanDanZ - Yetchalal


         The French quintet  uKanDanZ , a self-described "Ethiopian Crunch Music" ensemble, is a multi-national group playing high-energy ethnic jazz/noise rock with melodies inspired by Ethiopian folk and pop music. They are fronted by the considerable vocal prowess of Asnake GUEBREYES, and sport a very lively ensemble sound, often danceable, sometimes dissonant, always rhythmic. 





        uKanDanZ... a unique style, an unusual meeting between an electric quartet and Asnake Guebreyes, charismatic leadsinger originates from the vibrant music scene in Addis Abeba.
     Their music is inspired by traditional and popular Ethiopian songs. uKanDanZ has a real crunch energy. 
      Between rock, jazz, noise... With impertinence, they rock it wildly. Without compromise. Guitar, saxophone, keyboards, drums and vocals shuffle our bearings. What a pleasure! The stage presence of uKanDanZ swings alternatelybetween energy and emotion... then the public, transcended, dances and shivers.




        Lionel MARTIN provides a very visible tenor sax presence, tying in a jazz element, and Damien CLUZEL contributes guitar (as baritone guitar) with strong evidence of Rock-In-Opposition-like stylings. Fred ESCOUFFIER handles keyboard duties, and Guilhem MEIER keeps the drums busy yet funky.

Their first album, "Yetchalal", was released in early 2013, produced by the band.




UKANDANZ are : 

Asnaké Gèbrèyès (vocals) 
Damien Cluzel (guitar and baritone guitar) 
Lionel Martin (tenor saxophone) 
Fred Escoffier (keyboards) 
Guilhem Meier (drums) 

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Le Tigre [des Platanes] - Avec les dentes [france+ethiopia] [2007]


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     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)

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Samuel Yirga - [2012] - Guzo [ethiopia]





       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."
                                                                                 AfroBase on Juice FM   (UK)