Tilahun W/Georgis - 01 - Amen (5:31) Tilahun W/Georgis - 02 - Genet (5:49) Tilahun W/Georgis - 03 - Heart To Heart (5:47) Tilahun W/Georgis - 04 - What Do I Know (6:27) Tilahun W/Georgis - 05 - Walk Of Life (5:17) Tilahun W/Georgis - 06 - One For Maritu L. (7:55) Tilahun W/Georgis - 07 - My Other Half (4:54) Tilahun W/Georgis - 08 - Friend (5:15) Tilahun W/Georgis - 09 - Let It Be (5:10) Tilahun W/Georgis - 10 - I Am On The Road (4:56)
Getatchew passed away today. At the age of 81 and after a musical career of 68 years. He was a truely unique saxophone player. Born in the countryside of Ethiopia, he heard the saxophone on the radio at the age of 13 and went to Addis Abeba straight away. He wanted to play saxophone! And soon after that he got himself into the Municipality Band. Later he played in the Haile Selassie Orchestra's, the National Theatre Orchestra and more. Since 2004 he played regularly with The Ex. It was his choice after hearing us at one of our festivals. He recognized something in our music which reminded him of the early groups he was in, like the Fetan Band (Speed Band). He loved playing with us and for us it was also an incredible experience. He was always totally himself, full-on intense and dedicated. We played more than 100 concerts and made two beautiful albums together. The last few years, his health was not very good. He couldn't really go on tour anymore. As a kind of farewell concert for his fans, we organized a big event in the National Theatre in Addis Abeba. He got lots of attention and respect that night: 1500 people in the audience, three TV stations and a legendary concert. Getatchew was playing while sitting on a chair, but his playing was stronger than ever. His whole life was music. With his unique sound and approach he leaves behind an eternal inspiration! We will miss him. The Ex & Friends
Getatchew Mekuria & The Ex
Getatchew Mekuria is the most revered veteran of the Ethiopian saxophone - a physical and musical giant whose “Negus of Ethiopian Sax” album featured in the acclaimed “Ethiopiques” reissue series. Now 76 years old, he has collaborated with all the great Ethiopian singers over the years and is still in full voice with his own, powerfully distinctive style of playing. His huge vibrato, both forceful and fragile, plays around the vocal lines, using typical Ethiopian embellishments. He dons a lion’s mane when he plays and cuts loose with furious solos that come over like a kind of free jazz from before free jazz existed.
Since 1979, Amsterdam’s The Ex have consistently pushed the envelope, plotting a restless course from their anarchist punk origins to embrace everything sound could throw at them. Their thrillingly raw and rhythmic rock sound is born from their ideals, musical friendships/networks and work ethic. They are one of the most visceral rock units in action today.
Ever hungry to place themselves in unfamiliar contexts, The Ex toured Ethiopia twice and fell in love with its music, which led to them inviting Getatchew to perform at their 25th anniversary party in Holland. His contribution to proceedings blasted everyone off stage, and, suitably inspired, The Ex invited him on tour with them, their incendiary live collaboration bearing fruits in a blistering album released on the band’s Terp Records imprint in 2006.
Abraham Afewerki (1966–2006) was an Eritrean singer, songwriter and music producer. Noted for his unique Tigrinya-based compositions and lyrics, he was one of the most recognized figures among Eritrean musicians and celebrities.
Abraham was born in Asmara, Eritrea. From an early age Abraham was fascinated with musical instruments and by age nine had learned to play a musical instrument independently. Due to the Eritrean War of Independence, Abraham, with his family, fled to Sudan and soon after to Italy, where he further pursued his dream to be a professional musician. While studying in Rome, Abraham continued to expand his musical skills by working with internationally known musical celebrities in live performances as well as recordings.
Abraham’s first CD, Kozli Gaba was released in 1991, which was produced and distributed by Virgin Records in Europe. The album was the first by an Eritrean artist that was produced by an International recording company and made available to the global audience. Abraham’s music, in due course, was covered by a number of International media outlets. All his songs are legally distributed and protected by Ella Records currently.
During the following 15 years, Abraham released two more albums which further propelled his popularity among Eritreans. His songs were popular because his lyrics expressed strong and poetic images of Eritrea’s culture. His socially conscious words were evocative and his fans often described his music as inspiring. Abraham is also credited with being one of Eritrea’s master live entertainers.
In his newest CD titled Semai ("Sky" in Tigrinya), Abraham collaborates with several Eritrean musicians, the result of which was an exquisite sound. Abraham continued to blend his music with jazz, R&B, and Reggae rhythms at the same time maintaining his music’s originality and authenticity.
In 2006, Abraham drowned while swimming in Massawa during the filming of his next music video.
Abraham was described as an Eritrean musical tour-de-force. Held in high regard by his fellow Eritrean artists, his work garnered appreciation and admiration from his peers. His musical influence also crossed borders to Eritrea's neighboring countries where his music is reproduced by other musicians singing in a different language other than his native Tigrinya.
This post has been longer in the making than I intended. Instead of a rare Hirut Bekele album, which I am saving for next time, i present to you a rare edition of the third album by Teshome Mitiku,Gara Ser New Betish released in 1997.
As usual, when it comes to rarely available albums from Ethiopia, I cannot offer you lots of information. I have searched the relevant internet pages to find any information about this release of legendary singer, but without success. Not only is the cover missing, but the song titles as well. I have found the rip of the album under a wrong name and without song titles, but I have managed to reconstruct some of them. Thanks to Yonas for this finding!
I need your help again. Please email me the cover pictures and song titles.
Teshome Mitiku by Teshome Mitiku
Teshome Mitiku's career stretches back to Addis Ababa, where he began performing at local schools and nightclubs when he was just a teenager.
In the late 60's, Teshome (singer/keyboard), Theodros "Teddy" Mitiku (alto saxophone), Tamrat Ferendji (trumpet), Fekade Amde-Meskel (bass), Tesfaye Mekonnen (drums), Alula Yohannes (guitar) and Seifu Yohannes (singer) joined to form the influential Soul Ekos Band. The band released numerous songs, including 4 tracks written by Teshome like Gara Ser New Betesh, Yezemed Yebada, Mot Adeladlogn and Hasabe.
Teshome fled to Sweden at the peak of his musical career in 1969 after the government endorsed a strict, mandatory night curfew, which prevented him from performing at local venues. A few years later, Emperor Haile Selassie was overthrown in a coup d'etat by the Dergue regime.
Teshome permanently moved to Sweden and enrolled at the Music Conservatory in Malmo and later received his Masters of Arts in Sociology, and later pursued a PhD in Sociology from Lund University.
During a brief visit in the 80's to the United States, Teshome collaborated with the Admas Band and released "Teshome Mitiku and His Experience," an album full of jazzy tracks like Mengezem Hulgezem and Almazeye. In 1995, Teshome relocated to the United States and released the critically acclaimed album "Yegna Neger" with favorite tracks like Photoyen Ayechew and Che Belew. In 1994, Mitiku also collaborated with Mulatu Astatke. Mitiku wrote the Wello Song (Pearl of Ethiopia) on Mulatu Astatke's "Assiyo Bellama" album. In 1996, he coordinated with various Ethiopian artists and formed the first Ethiopian Music Association, where they teamed up and performed at various fundraisers to raise money for orphanages in Ethiopia.
His third album "Gara Ser New Betish" was released in 1997 with splendid tracks like Satenow and Bechegnaw.
In 1998, four of the songs that were originally recorded with the Soul Ekos Band and Teshome were released on "Ethiopiques Vol. 1".
In 1999, Teshome released his fourth album, "Yesterday & Today" with saxophonist and brother, Teddy Mitiku with remastered hits like Alemazeye and Che Belew .
In 2002, Either/Orchestra released "Afro-Cubism," a six track album that contained Teshome Mitiku's Yezemed Yebada. Teshome's fifth album, "Topia's Deluge" was released on May 9th, 2006.
As promised in the the last post, there is a new internet discovery for the my readers. My thanks for this recording go to Brian Shimkowitz, the author of a famous Awesome Taped from Africa blog. We exchanged some tapes in a short correspondence, and he sent me a rip of this cassette by an unknown author. I have been trying to find the author of the music, but in spite of listening to a number of albums by various authors from different periods, I have been unsuccessful. I have thought that it might be one of the " lost editions" of Haile Mergia, ( with the dominant keyboards sounds ) but Brian, who has published his albums, would have cracked this first.
I hope some of the readers would solve the mystery and let us know, and it would be briliant, as it is a fantastic album. The cassette itself is not the best quality, but the sound is satisfactory. The recording dates back to 1976, I assume according to Ethiopian calendar, which would be around 1983-4. Analogue synthesizers and the sound quality are typical for Ethiopian ediitons from this period.
My thanks go to Sirack Hailu for the translations of the titles.
Enjoy, and get in touch with your suggestions.
unknown artist - 01 - Tezeta (4:29) unknown artist - 02 - Fekir endegena (4:58) unknown artist - 03 - Zengadaw Dereku (3:37) unknown artist - 04 - Gumegum (4:23) unknown artist - 05 - Nefese New Zemedea (3:29) unknown artist - 06 - Atematlenem way (3:36) unknown artist - 07 - Misterawi Debdabe (4:34) unknown artist - 08 - Uuta (3:18) unknown artist - 09 - Aya belew belew (4:19) unknown artist - 10 - Yemenfes Kurana (5:00) unknown artist - 11 - Endegena (4:22) unknown artist - 12 - Yehewyate heywot (6:00) unknown artist - 13 - Tezaalen Agere (8:08)
I have a surprise in store for you in the forthcoming posts. After official albums and compilations it is time for a couple of cassettes of Ethiopian authors found on the internet.
I have been delaying with the posting until I found enough information to support them, but as usual, when it comes to older Ethiopian music, it is practically impossible to find it.
Insight Bezunesh Bekele Her Life Her Music
(english translation)
To start with, here is a cassette of Bezunesh Bekele. Except two CDs of her compilations and what was released in the Ethiopiques edition, there are no official releases of her on the market. Specialist music sites do not give her full discography, and my Ethiopian sources cannot help.
The cassette obviously was made as a compilation of her single records made in the period of 1972-1977. In the tags I have listed all the details related to the publication of her singles records, and the folder contains all the covers I could find. Since the music was recorded onto the C-60 cassette of a relatively poor sound, and the songs recorded from crackly records, the sound quality is not particularly good, but it is passable.
Track number 7 from side A A7 Bindnew Tizitah is interrupted after 1:49, as it obviously could not fit. The only change I have made is the addition of the complete last song. B8-Tigil New from a disc I own. Everything else is recorded in a relatively good quality rip.
If you know anything about this cassette, please get in touch and share your information with the readers of this blog and its author. The cassette arrived with the picture of the cover with track listing. The name of the label is given as Lupano Video Cassette from Amhara. The main cover is made by me, using an internet photo.
My thanks to Yonas for helping me translate to European alphabet.
If you're a fan of Aster Aweke or Kuku Sebsebe, you'll no doubt enjoy this cassette by Ethiopian vocalist Martha Ashagari.
Ärä Bakeh (Ambassel Music Shop) was released in 1993 shortly after the fall of the Derg, but Ashagari has been singing professionally since 1988 with the Abyssinia and Roha Bands, and during the '90s had her own nightclub in Addis Ababa. In 1996 she recorded the CD Child's Love/Ye-Lij Fiker, which is available online from AIT Records (I included a tune from it on my compilation African Divas Vol. 2).
Ashagari is notable for her unique vocal tone, somewhere between a sob and a wail. Side 1 of Ärä Bakeh typifies the '80s-'90s Ethiopian style, but Martha really hits her stride with side 2 of the cassette, especially the emotional ballads "Zoma" and "Ende Näh" and the Tigrinya song "Sälam Bäluläy."
Tilahun Gessesse was born on 29 September 1940, in Addis Ababa and died on 19 April 2009.
Tilahun was born to Woizero Gete Gurmu and Ato Gessesse Negussee. When he was fourteen years old, he was taken by his grandfather to Waliso Oromia where he began attending Ras Gobena Elementary School.
As time went by, his interest in music became increasingly clear, although his grandfather urged him to concentrate on his academic studies. The Ras Gobena School Principal Mr. Shedad (who was from Sudan), encouraged Tilahun's interest in music and urged him to go to Sudan to pursue his music career. Although Tilahun did not go to Sudan, he took Mr. Shedad's advice very seriously. When Woizro Negatwa Kelkai, Ato Eyoel Yohanes and others artists from the Hager Fikir Theatre came to his school to perform, Tilahun took the opportunity to discuss his interest in music with Ato Eyoel. He was told to go to Addis Ababa if he wanted to pursue a career in the field.
Tilahun left school to go to Addis Ababa, a journey he began on foot without his grandfather's consent. When his grandfather realized that Tilahun was no longer in Woliso, he informed Tilahun's great-aunt in Tulu Bolo. After Tilahun traveled fifteen kilometers on foot, he was caught in Tulu Bolo and stayed overnight with his great-aunt Woizero Temene Bantu. The next day, he was forced to return back to his grandfather in Woliso. Since his interest in music lay deep in his heart, Gessesse chose not to stay at his grandfather's house in Woliso. After staying only one night at his grandfather’s house, he again began his journey to Addis Ababa, this time hiding himself in the back of a loaded truck.
In Addis Ababa, Tilahun was first hired by the Hager Fikir Association, which is now known as Hager Fikir Theater. After a few years at the Hager Fikir Theater, he joined the Imperial Bodyguard Band where he became a leading star singer. During his time with the band, Gessesse ran afoul of the government after the attempted coup d'état of December 1960 by the Imperial Bodyguard. He was arrested and put in prison for a time.
Tilahun moved to the National Theater where his success continued. He was so famous that he appeared three times in front of Emperor Haile Selassie I. During a visit, the Emperor advised him not to abuse his talent.
Tilahun's recordings are in Amharic and Oromo.
He received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Addis Ababa University, in appreciation of his contribution to Ethiopian music. He has also received an award for his lifetime achievements from the Ethiopian Fine Art and Mass Media Prize Trust.
Tilahun Gessesse died on April 19, 2009. He had been in poor health for several years due to diabetes.
Singer Kenedi (Kennedy) Menegesha died at the age of 29 and in his short lived carrier, he left behind 57 songs through 9 cassettes that he presented to the public. Kazzanchis was his last residence before his untimely death.
The reason he got the name "Kennedy" is that he was born in november 1963, the assassination month and year of J.F.Kennedy (35th President of the United States from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963).
Kenedi was one of Ethiopia's top modern artists with a string of hits to his credit. Beautifully backed by the Roha Band with their usual fast paced sax and guitar line up. Great vocals with Kennedy weaving and warbling his way through the octaves. Lovely.
