Mulatu Astatke – Plays Ethio-Jazz [1989]

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            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)

Mohammed Wardi - [6 awesome tapes] [sudan]

Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi (Arabic: محمد عثمان حسن وردي‎) (born 19 July 1932 – 18 February 2012) was a Nubian Sudanese singer and songwriter.

           Wardi was born on 19 July 1932, in a small village called Swarda close to Wadi Halfa Northern Sudan.His mother, Batool Badri, died when he was an infant.His father, Osman Hassan Wardi, died when he was nine years old.He was brought up in a diverse and culturally rich background and developed an interest in poetry, literature, music and singing.Wardi traveled to Shendi to complete his education, and returned to Wadi Halfa as a secondary school teacher.

        In 1953, Wardi went to Khartoum for the first time to attend a convention as a teaching representative for his area. He moved to Khartoum and started his career as a musical performer. 

       In 1957, Omdurman Radio chose him to record and sing on national broadcast in an arena with legendary singers such as Abdelaziz Mohamed Dauod, Hassan Atia, Ahmed Almustafa, Osman Hussaein and Ibrahim Awad. Wardi recorded 17 songs in his first year. A committee formed by Omdurman Radio's president that included top singers and songwriters such as AlKashif, Osman Hussaein and Ahmed Almustafa promoted Wardi to highest level as a professional singer. He had a bilateral with a famous poet, Ismail Hassan, resulting in more than 23 song. Wardi performs using a variety of instruments including the Nubian Tanbur and sings in both Arabic and Nubian languages. He has been described as "Africa's top singer", with fans mainly in the Horn of Africa. His songs address topics such as romance, passion, Nubian folklore and heritage, revolution and patriotism with some of his political songs resulting in him being jailed. After the introduction of Sharia in 1989, he left Sudan to voluntary exile in Cairo. He returned in 2003.

And the granting of artist Mohamed Osman Wardi honorary doctorate from the University of Khartoum in 2005 in recognition of his career for more than 60 years and his performance more than 300 song and legend as a Sudanese art immortal and encyclopedia of music.

Faytinga - Eritrea [2003]

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       Faytinga comes from the Kunama people, one of Eritrea''s many tribes, where women enjoy equal rights with the men. Her father was war hero Faïïd Tinga, and at the age of fourteen she had already joined her country''s armed struggle for independence from neighbouring Ethiopian rule.

  Faytinga grew up surrounded by her uncles and aunts singing and playing instruments, in accordance with the Kunama tradition. Her dream was to be a singer, and it came true when she was sent to entertain the troops at the front, using her songs as a message of hope and determination. Faytinga composes her own material as well as performing work from well-known Eritrean poets and composers, playing the krar, a small lyre, in accompaniment to her songs. 

An accomplished and elegant dancer as well as talented singer, Faytinga is a leading figure and source of inspiration for the men and women of her country. In 1990 she undertook a tour of the United States and Europe as a member of an Eritrean group, touring for the first time as a solo artist in 1995 when she released her first album on cassette. It took until 1999, and an appearance at the Africolor festival, before she recorded her first CD. 

01. Faytinga - Goda Anna (3:32)

02. Faytinga - Hakuma Tia (3:56)

03. Faytinga - Degsi (6:24)

04. Faytinga - Leledia (4:37)

05. Faytinga - Eritrea (5:50)

06. Faytinga - Amajo (4:04)

07. Faytinga - Laganga (5:29)

08. Faytinga - Alemuye (5:49)

09. Faytinga - Taham Bele (6:58)

10. Faytinga - Sema'ett (4:56)

11. Faytinga - Buba (4:50)

v.a. - Ethiopia - Traditional Music Of Ethiopia [air mail music] [1991]

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Yemane Ghebremichael (Yemane Barya) - [1992] - Vol. 2 [eritrea]

Originaly posted on Awesome Tapes from Africa > here

      This 1992 recording (1986 in Ethiopian calendar) is an awesome tape. I've had a YouTube crush on the music of Eritrean legend Yemane G/Michael (aka Yemane Baria, Yemane Barya, etc) for a while and this mostly-acoustic recording is completely bringing me back to a recent trip to Tigray, Ethiopia. The region neighbors Eritrea, and shares a language and musical vibe. I dug this tape up from deep in the stash months ago but didn't really get into it until now. Pentatonic strings and keyboard join the vocal melodies, dancing up and down in a lovely lilt. Amidst the quintessential [ka-dunk] rhythm that is characteristic of a lot of Tigrinya folk music I heard around the Eritrean border, this tape stands out: minimally arranged, urgent, beautiful.

                                                                       posted by Brian Shmikovitz