Ethiopiques, Vol. 2: Tetchawet - Urban Azmaris of 90's

by Ethiopiques: Tetchawet 2 - Urba

Overview

This is the odd man out in the Ethiopiques series, which is ostensibly dedicated "the golden age of Ethiopian music." However, you could make a case that the fall of the Derg dictatorship in 1992 brought its own golden age, and it was celebrated in the azmaribets, the folk cabarets that proliferated in urban centers, notably Addis Ababa. In many ways, it was pretty much the only popular music available. It's quite folkloric, and inevitably acoustic, and the Addis style, known as bolel ("car exhaust fumes"), as practiced by many of these performers, is often improvised, frequently sarcastic -- a reveling in the new freedom. Of course, there are differentiations between the artists. Zedwitou Yohannes, one of the females singing in the cabarets, for example, as a habit of whistling while taking in breath, which comes across as quite distinctive, while her sister, Yezinna Negash, sometimes refers back to historical events to make her point. The azmaris use allegory a great deal, and their music, generally accompanied by strummed stringed instruments and percussion, might seem simple, but it offers a stunning level of complexity. And if you want to hear how Rastafarianism has traveled to its spiritual homeland, listen to Adaneh Teka sing "Bob Marley," which quotes the legend's "Everything's Going to Be All Right" -- and in English, along with the name the name of other famous performers and soccer players -- amid a fiddle line that can chill. ~ Chris Nickson

Product Details

Release Date:	03/03/1998
Label:	Buda Musique
UPC:	0723723242723

Tracks

1. Gizi¿¿ Biyasay¿¿gnem/Nanu Nanu N¿¿h  -  Misrak Mammo/Tchista Band
2. Leb¿¿ Antchin Al¿¿na/Air Gouragu¿¿  -  Mellesse Bonger/Tchista Band
3. Toutouy¿¿  - Tigist Assefa
4. Bob Marley  - Adaneh Teka
5. Medley  - Teka Malefya
6. Ind¿¿ Iyeruzal¿¿m  - Teka Malefya
7. Antchi Hoy¿¿ L¿¿n¿¿  - Asfaw Kebbebe
8. T¿¿m¿¿l¿¿s¿¿ Baburu  - Asfaw Kebbebe
9. Bolel  - Zewditou Yohannes
10. S¿¿qota  -  Yezinna Negash
11. Ambassel  - Tigist Assefa  -  Admassou Abate/Tigist Assefa
12. Y¿¿heyw¿¿t¿¿ Heyw¿¿t  -  Djemil 'Jimmy' Mahmed
13. Ethopia Hag¿¿r¿¿  - Messele Asmamaw

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Misrak Mammo/Tchista Band   Primary Artist
Mellesse Bonger/Tchista Band   Primary Artist
Asfaw Kebbebe   Primary Artist
Djemil 'Jimmy' Mahmed   Primary Artist
Yezinna Negash   Primary Artist
Admassou Abate/Tigist Assefa   Primary Artist
Teka Malefya   Primary Artist
Messele Asmamaw   Primary Artist
Tigist Assefa   Primary Artist
Zewditou Yohannes   Primary Artist
Adaneh Teka   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Adaneh Teka   Composer,Performer
Messele Asmamaw   Performer
Zewditou Yohannes   Composer,Performer
Tigist Assefa   Performer
Teka Malefya   Composer,Performer