Ethiopiques, Vol. 1: Golden Years of Modern Music

by Ethiopiques: Golden Years Of Mo

Overview

This first volume of the Ethiopiques series just begins to show the scope of the golden age of Ethiopian music, loving assembled, remastered, and annotated. What's obvious is the influence of American soul and blues, the former quite apparent in the Memphis groove of Muluquen Mellese's "Wetetie Mare," with its smoking bassline. Mellese himself has a very androgynous voice, unlike Mahmoud Ahmed, one of the major early Ethiopian stars, whose 1975 tracks sound like Arthur Conley singing in Aramaic, with "Yeqer Memekatesh" a true undiscovered soul classic. The three instrumental pieces that punctuate the disc have a wonderful smoky sound, like late-night jazz played by Booker T. and the MGs. The 1969 cuts from Teshone Meteku could only have come from that decade, with "Yezemed Yebaed" eerily reminiscent of "Black Magic Woman" in everything but its guitar work. But the most revolutionary pieces are from Getatchew Kassa, whose reinterpretations of the revered traditional "Tezeta," in both slow and fast versions, go utterly against history, making the piece relevant for the young -- which, after all, is what rock, hip-hop, and every other movement have done. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/1998
Label:	Buda Musique
UPC:	0723723226020
Rank:	86410

Tracks

1. Hedetch Alu
2. Wetetie Mare
3. Ete Endenesh Gedawo
4. Gizie Degu Neger
5. Yeqer Memekatesh
6. Aynotche Terabu
7. Ewnet Yet Lagegnesh
8. Tezeta
9. Mela Mela
10. Bemgnot Alnorem
11. Gara Ser New Betesh
12. Yezemed Yebaed
13. Mot Adeladlogn
14. Hasabe
15. Heywete
16. Tezeta Slow/Fast
17. Tezeta Slow/Fast

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Mahmoud Ahmed   Primary Artist
Meteku, Teshome   Primary Artist
Seyfu Yohannes   Primary Artist
Getatchew Adamassu   Primary Artist
Muluqen Mellesse   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Wilfrid Harpaille   Tape Transfer,Restoration
Meteku, Teshome   Composer
Karen Albrecht   Translation
Mulatu Astatke   Arranger
Jack Garnier   Graphic Design
Hubert Marniau   Restoration,Tape Transfer
Seyfu Yohannes   Performer
Tesfa Maryam Kidane   Arranger
The Equators   Arranger
Mahmoud Ahmed   Performer
Francis Falceto   Production Executive,Collection,Editing
Girma Beyene   Arranger