Friday, August 2, 2013
Arat Kilo - A Night In Abyssinia [2011]
R E U P L O A D
Ever since the Ethiopiques CD releases reminded the west about the extraordinary music that could be heard in Addis Ababa in the golden era of the 1960s and early 70s, there has been a flurry of very different fusion bands making use of Ethiopian influences, including this young French five-piece who take their name from an Addis monument.
They are good players who mix funky guitar with bass, drums and horns – brass was often a crucial ingredient in the Addis sound – and they have mastered the distinctive, at times Arabic-sounding Ethiopian style. All that's lacking is a sense of energy and fun, especially in their instrumental treatment of a piece by the country's best-loved singer, the late Tlahoun Gèssèssè.
Their own Ethiopian-influenced tracks include a jazzy collaboration with the rapper Socalled, but they are at their best when joined by African celebrities. Mulatu Astatke, the veteran "father of Ethio jazz" plays vibes on his own Dewel, while the best track, Get a Chew, is transformed by the exquisite, drifting, Ethiopian-edged vocals from Mali's Rokia Traore. With more help like this, they would sound very good indeed.
01. Aykedashem Lebe 3:57
02. Babur Part. 1 (Feat. Socalled) 5:04
03. Babur Part. 2 4:13
04. Lelit 3:41
05. Get A Chew (Feat. Rokia Traore) 6:39
06. Fit Le Fit 5:59
07. Dewel (Feat. Mulatu Astatke) 5:55
08. Addis Polis 4:12
09. Enie Konjo (Intro) 1:42
10. Enie Konjo 5:26
11. Ewnetegna Feqer 4:37
12. Wanz 7:25
13. Minew Jal (Intro) 2:07
14. Minew Jal 7:06
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Le Tigre [des Platanes] - Avec les dentes [france+ethiopia] [2007]
R E U P L O A D
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."
"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)
Woretaw Wubet - [2003] - Ethiopia
R E U P L O A D
Woretaw Wubet, phenomenal Ethiopian singer and fabulous traditional instrument player, Woretaw Wubet, has been performing music since he was fourteen years old. While in Ethiopia he played with many traditional Ethiopian ensembles such as The Hager Fikir Theater.
Woretaw has traveled extensively outside Ethiopia including Kenya, Libya, Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and North America.
In this recording Woretaw blends the Masinko, a traditional instrument, with keyboards to give it a contemporary flavor.
1. Woretaw Wubet - Sendel Gelaye (5:50)
2. Woretaw Wubet - Loga Nesh (7:36)
3. Woretaw Wubet - Woy Dire (7:54)
4. Woretaw Wubet - Tey Minew (7:38)
5. Woretaw Wubet - Ethiopia (5:55)
6. Woretaw Wubet - Gud Aregshign (6:13)
7. Woretaw Wubet - Teyim Konjo (5:26)
8. Woretaw Wubet - Marewa (6:26)
9. Woretaw Wubet - Mewded (6:01)
Band members: Woretaw Wubet/Vocals, Masinko
Mitiku Teffera/Keyboards
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 Addis Ababa and partly in the
UK Ethiopia 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 Addis
Ababa
"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
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
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
8.
My Head: Recorded in the UK
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
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
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
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
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
AfroBase
on Juice FM (UK
Mulatu Astatke – Plays Ethio-Jazz [1989]
R E U P L O A D
Mulatu Astatke (also written Astatqé on French releases) is arguably one of the most influential and legendary musicians from Ethiopia. During the 1960’s, he studied music abroad in London, Boston, and New York. He then returned home to Ethiopia armed with a love for jazz and Latin music. There he blended Ethiopian traditional music with the Latin-jazz he was so fond of to create a unique hybrid he called “Ethio-jazz”.
Mulatu Astatke is first and foremost a composer but also a multi-instrumentalist, playing the vibraphone, keyboards and organs. He is further credited as having established congas and bongos, instruments normally central to Latin styles, in Ethiopian music. However, as Ethiopian songs traditionally focused on vocals his greatest contribution to the music of his country was introducing a new focus on instrumentation.
Mulatu's "Plays Ethio-Jazz" is published for Poljazz, polish discography company. This is ultra rare album, available only on vinyl.
Tracklist
A1 Addis Ababa 3:20
A2 Gambella 4:00
A3 Motherland 5:55
A4 Kulun Manqualesh 3:00
A5 Crusin´ "J" Town 3:55
B1 Tizita 6:06
B2 Chic-chica 5:20
B3 Yelb Lie Isat 4:00
B4 Lent 6:00
Credits
Bass – Krzysztof Ścierański (tracks: B4), Paweł Jastrzębski (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4), Zbigniew Wegehaupt (tracks: A3)
Guitar, Keyboards – Winicjusz Chróst* (tracks: A1 to A4, B2 to B4)
Guitar, Voice – Jerzy Bartz (tracks: B1)
Percussion – Krzysztof Zawadzki (tracks: A3, A4, B2 to B4)
Saxophone – Tomasz Szukalski (tracks: A1 to A5, B3 ,B4)
Trumpet – Henryk Majewski (tracks: A3, B3, B4)
Vibraphone, Congas – Mulatu Astatke (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4)
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