The Ari are highland farmers from the northwest corner of Ethiopia, and their community songs are simply remarkable. Making use of the full range of possibilities in the human voice by varying registers, timbres, and vowel resonance, they weave two or more countermelodies into grand polyphonies that are startling in their intricate, endlessly unfolding patterns. Occasionally accompanied by handclaps, tambourines, zithers, or flutes, it is difficult to not think of tape loops or synthesizers while listening to these 20 tracks, but it is human voices making this joyous, eerie music. The use of flutes here is also interesting, since generally there are two flutes moving in staggered melodies against and across each other, at times managing to sound somewhat like a wheezing calliope. Scholars and ethnomusicologists will undoubtedly get the greatest use from this disc, but it is stirring and strange enough to intrigue the casual listener as well. ~ Steve Leggett
Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Abiyou Solomon began his love affair with the guitar when he watched his older brother tinker with the instrument around the house. At age 14, his brother bought him his first acoustic guitar and, soon after, he started playing at St. Francesco Theology College. While in high school he joined the Medhane Alem school band and, in his senior year, he played with the Alazarist Mission school band.
It was Genene Nebebe who recruited Abiyou to join the Genet Hotel Band. He next joined the Zambezi Club band and after a short period with them, he joined the Hotel D’Afrique band, led by Genene. He later joined the second incarnation of the Dahlak Band. In 1982, he joined the Hager Fikir Theatre Band and it was then that he first fell truly in love with the varied cultural music of Ethiopia. Also during this period, Abiyou had the pleasure to play with Abebe Kassa (alto saxophone) and Negusse Assefa (tenor saxophone). He would be reunited with Negusse when they formed the Abyssinia Band.
During his stint at the Hager Fikir Theatre, famed Ethiopian producer and arranger, Abegasu Shiota, persuaded Abiyou to switch to the bass guitar and he was soon asked to join the Ethio Stars band as a bass player, a post he eventually left to become a studio musician/arranger. In this role, he was involved in the production of 150+ recordings, working with a multitude of famous traditional and contemporary musicians, including Bahru Kegne, Yirga Dubale, Assnaketch Werku, Lemma Gebrehiwot, Abebe Tessema, Theodros Tadesse, Tsegaye Eshetu, Teshome Assegid, Kuku Sebsibe, Wubshet Fisseha, Martha Ashagari, Setegn Atanaw and many more.
In 1991, Abiyou joined the Abyssinia Band as a bassist. Their first gig was on the 1991 Ethiopian New Year. The following year, the band recorded five tracks for a Swedish compilation CD, Music from Ethiopia. The CD’s success in Sweden led to a tour of country, along with a performance at Etnosoi in Finland. Abiyou Solomon and The Abyssinia Band were also featured in the book, Rough Guide to World Music Volume One: Africa, Europe & the Middle East.
After the Abyssinia Band disbanded, Abiyou returned to being a session bassist until he moved to the United States in 1995, when he became a sought-after tour bassist. In that capacity, he has backed Mahmoud Ahmed, Aster Aweke, Theodros Tadesse, Hamelmal Abate, Tsehaye Yohannes, Neway Debebe and countless others. Apart from this album, Abiyou has released an Ethiopian Instrumental CD titled Abiy, and he produced and arranged Maritu Legesse’s Yebati Nigest. Currently, Abiyou resides in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is reforming the Abyssinia band.
Abiyou Solomon’s new CD, “In Search of my Roots” showcases Ethiopian/world music and shows how this music has carried into the 21st century while retaining it’s traditional roots.
Many instruments can be heard on this CD, along with Ethiopian singing and vocal styles. Abiyou Solomon was born in Addis Ababa. He began getting interested in the guitar by watching his older brother play around the house. His brother later bought him his first acoustic,which he started playing at St. Francesco Theology College. He later joined the Genet Hotel band.
In 1982, he joined the Hager Fikir Theatre Band. During his stint there,famous Ethiopian producer Abegasu Shiota convinced him to switch to electric bass guitar. He became an in-demand session bassist in America after this decision.
“Erikum Wello” has a repetitive quality that is hypnotizing.The vocals and the sound effects used are very different. The instruments used on this track are what the listener focuses on. You can hear drums and traditional sounds,along with horns.
“Hasa Konso” has an early ‘70s funk sound. The tone of the electric bass really sticks out on this track.There is an auto-wah effect that is being used on the synth that is cool. Basically,there are many great sound effects used throughout this album with great musicianship.
“Ethiopia 2000” is another funky track. Musicians should listen to CDs such as this to get ideas for creating original music. All the music here is original -- great horns, solid bass tones,and tons of traditional instruments.
Overall, Abiyou Solomon’s “ In search of my roots” retains the true sounds of traditional Ethiopian and world music with wonderful musicianship.
A nice collection of both semi-ancient and relatively recent songs from Ethiopia, accompanied by the krar (a harp said to have been played by the Apollo, the Greek God) as well as the masanko, a single-stringed fiddle similar to the rebab.
The music is nice -- vocals work around one another, and the constant instrumental looping helps to move the song through itself. Being essentially the only area untouched by colonial powers in the scramble for Africa period, Ethiopia kept its traditions relatively pure and un-Westernized. The influences that do show here though are mostly Egyptian, West Asian, and maybe North African. The only major thing lacking here would be more extensive liner notes - that is, more extensive English liner notes (the Japanese portion seems to be quite extensive). Other than that, it's a nice collection of Ethiopian forms. ~ Adam Greenberg
" Possibly the weirdest sounding tunes on eMusic "
1973 | Label: Folkways Records / Smithsonian Folkways
As Editor-in-Chief of eMusic, I listen to a fair amount of music that's available on the site, and I think this might be the weirdest thing I have ever heard.
It's by the Gidole people, subsistence farmers in a mountainous, remote area of southwestern Ethiopia. It's a tough life. So it's no wonder that, as the album's liner notes state, "When the people of these tribes sing, play or dance, they give themselves totally to the music. The frenzy of the ritualistic performances is attested to by the trance state which many of the people will enter during festivals." The album highlight, “Giddle Instrumental (Giddle tribe),” is played on bamboo filla flutes and it sounds like one of those trippy buried backwards tracks on a Beatles song like "I Am the Walrus." If you don't start hallucinating wildly about 60 seconds in, you might want to check if you have a pulse."
The Hammere (also spelled Hamar) are a tribal people in southwestern Ethiopia. They live in Hamer Bena woreda (or district), a fertile part of the Omo River valley, in the Debub Omo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region. They are largely pastoralists, so their culture places a high value on cattle. According to the CSA census of 1994, there were 42,838 Hammer language speakers, and 42,448 self-identified Hammer people of a total population of about 53 million, representing approximately 0.1% of the population.
The Assistant Administrator of Hammer Bena Ato Imnet Gashab has commented that only six tribal members have ever completed secondary education!!!!
The washint is an end-blown wooden flute originally used by the Amhara people in Ethiopia. Traditionally, Amharic musicians would pass on their oral history through song accompanied by the washint as well as the krar, a six stringed lyre, and the masenqo, a one string fiddle.
The washint can be constructed using wood,
bamboo, or other cane. Varieties exists in different lengths and relative
fingerhole placement, and a performer might use several different flutes over the
course of a performance to accommodate different song types. It generally has
four finger-holes, which allows the player to create a pentatonic scale.
Don't know much aboutYohannes Afework's album"Washint
Melodies"from2001, but music is beautiful and relaxing
...
This recording gives rich samples of the sounds of tradition in urban musical life in Ethiopia today. The ancient ceremonial music played on the embilta flutes or the vocal art of Alemayehu Fanta or Gebre Hiwot Lemma represent older traditions. The group Sne Bahel offers samples of singing and music which accompanies lively traditional dances from the Oromo and Wollaita ethnic groups. Modern pop music is represented in six tracks by the Abyssinia Band.
A really nifty release, Caprice has combined two forms of urban music usually rigidly separated: professionally performed "traditional" music for krar, flute, voice, and Ethio-soul by electric groups that play the real local thing rather than the crossover material we're usually offered. The result is splendid: very varied and splendidly performed music and truth-in-classification.
01. Lemma Gebre Hiwot - Medina / Zelesegna (4:50)
02. Abyssinia band - Yedejih abeba negn [Hanna Shenkute] (6:44)
03. Yohannes Afework - Ambassel (4:29)
04. Abyssinia band - Mis men gidifkini [Girmai Biable] (4:18)
05. Asnakech Worku - Tizita (4:45)
06. Abyssinia band - Endenew yisemah [Hanna Shenkute] (5:30)
07. Areru Shegane, Teka Tema, Yohannes Afework - Tigrigna (3:16)
08. Yared Orchestra - Alegntaye (5:30)
09. Alemayehu Fanta - Salamta (3:00)
10. Abyssinia band - Yiberral libbe [Dawit Mellese] (4:23)
Perhaps because of its own internal diversity, Ethiopia seems particularly open to external musical influences. Christianity was adopted as the official state religion in the 4th century, although on third of the population is Muslim.
Four ethnic groups are dominant, but eighty (!!) different ethnic groups presently exist within Ethiopia. So this collection of reworked Ethiopian hits of the 1950s and 1960s is quite the eye-opener, with its seamless mix of East African, Latin and American jazz styles.
As the liner notes explain, the overthrown of Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974 gave rise to a much more aggressive electric sound in Ethiopian music subsequently, with Ethio-jazz, R&B and pop artists such as Mahmoud Ahmed and later, Aster Aweke and Gigi attracting the attention of world music enthusiasts.
But the electric style was preceded by the acoustic, which featured guitars, accordion, double bass, mandolin, clarinet, oud, drums and miscellaneous percussion.
The music on this CD has a mellow vibe, occasionally bordering on “smooth jazz,” and the seemingly
effortless playing the by the six native Ethiopian musicians in the band transports the listener to hip, smoky cafes that would have flourished during the period.
Most of the fifteen songs on the program use the classic pentatonic (five-note) scale, although adherence to the scale is more or less strict, depending upon the arrangement.
The prominent use of clarinet and accordion as dual lead voices is reminiscent of Jewish klezmer music at times. The music is most distinctive and “Ethiopian” when it combines modal scales and loping but highly complex time signatures (5/4, 6/8), as on the gorgeous “Ambassel” and “Yigermal.”
Elsewhere though, influences are more tangled and subtle. The rhythm foundation on a number of pieces is predominantly Latin (the ostinato riff and rhythm of “Yetintu Tiz Alegn” comes very close to Santana’s version of “Black Magic Woman”), while melody lines and orchestration can suggest everything from Argentine tango to Celtic music.
Leader, arranger and guitarist Girum Mezmur has clearly listened to a good deal of jazz guitar (Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, etc.) and he integrates tasty but highly nuanced jazz lines into a number of tunes.
Indeed, an ethnomusicologist would find this music to be a veritable treasure trove, although one doesn’t have to analyze it in order to enjoy it. For Ethiopians, a great deal of nostalgia is undoubtedly wrapped up in these pieces, but for everyone else, the pure musicality of the CD will be quite sufficient.
In fact, after a few spins, the music will likely insinuate itself into the listener’s consciousness to the extent that it will take up permanent residence. Highly recommended.
Addis Acoustic Project Revives Classic Ethiopian Grooves on Tewesta (Remembrance) Ethiopia isn't usually the first locale that comes to mind when one thinks of music made with acoustic guitars, accordion, mandolin and clarinet. Yet those instruments are at the core of Tewesta (Remembrance) (Harmonia Mundi/World Village), the new release by Addis Acoustic Project, a sextet that transports instrumental Ethiopian pop hits from the 1950s and '60s into the modern world.
Informed not only by classic African music but by jazz, Latin and other styles, AAP creates an intoxicating, charming blend of sounds that Mondomix.com called "a gentle groove with carefully rounded edges."
Addis Acoustic Project is the brainchild of Girum Mezmur, who directs and arranges the music as well as contributing acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars, accordion and vocals. Each of the other musicians--Ayele Mamo (mandolin, vocals), Dawit Ferew (clarinet, vocals), Henock Temesgen (double bass, vocals), Nathaniel Tesemma (drums, percussion) and Mesale Legesse (kebero, darbuka, bongos, hand percussion), plus Ahmed Elmak (oud on one track) and Endris Hassen (massinko on one track)--is a virtuoso who brings a full spectrum of musical colorings to this gentle but lively music, rich in history and now speaking to a new generation.
Addis Acoustic Project, on Tewesta (Remembrance)--the title is in the Ethiopian Amharic language--seamlessly fuses the traditional with the contemporary. For those who grew up with access to Ethiopian music during the mid-20th century, this is music that will be instantly familiar. But even for those who did not--and that would include the vast majority of Westerners-these are songs that feel comfortable and homey, melodies and rhythms that grab hold upon the first listen.
AAP was formed by Girum Mezmur with the intent of finding common ground between the authentic Ethiopian pop sounds of a bygone era-specifically the era just preceding what many consider the "Golden Age" of Ethiopian pop-and jazz, and then bringing it up to date in something wholly fresh-sounding. Mezmur carefully chose the instrumentation for the band, building it around his own accordion playing and other instruments that were commonly used in the Ethiopian pop he wanted to revive, including double bass, drums, clarinet, mandolin and the kebero, a cone-shaped, double-headed hand drum native to Ethiopia. After choosing the instrumentation, Mezmur set about finding the ideal musicians for his dream band, auditioning prospective members until he felt that the connection between them was just right.
Only then did Mezmur begin to assemble a repertoire, scouring record stores and old radio station playlists and speaking to individuals who remembered the era. The group debuted in March 2008, honing its sound at countless gigs and ultimately heading into the studio in Addis Ababa in 2009 and '10 to cut the songs that now comprise Tewesta Remembrance. Girum Mezmur produced the sessions.
The vast majority of the tunes collected on this recording revolve around the emotion most common throughout the history of music: love. The translations give that away quickly: "Fikir Ayarejim," which means Love is Eternal, was a popular song, made famous by Ethiopian vocalist Menelik Wossenachew, that originated in Sudan. AAP's interpretation features the great Sudanese oud master Ahmed Elmak guesting. Other highlights include "Enigenagnalen" (“We Shall Meet Again”), a love song originally by Girma Negash that speaks of hope, and "Yigermal" (“Such a Beauty...What Are You Called?”), a traditional folk song featuring mandolin and clarinet.
Perhaps the song that best sums up the mood and feel of Tewesta (Remembrance), however, is "Yetintu Tiz Alegn," whose title translates to “Remembrance” or, more specifically, “Remembering the Olden Days.” Originally made popular by Ethiopian singer Tilahun Gessesse, it was also recorded by the legendary late South African singer Miriam Makeba on her smash hit Pata Pata album in 1967. With its alternately elegiac and celebratory rhythms, global vibe and clustered harmony vocals, it's a tour de force that perfectly encapsulates the then-and-now motif Mezmur had in mind when he initially conceived the group. The jubilant track mirrors the excitement generated at an AAP gig, where audience interaction is not only common but expected.
For Mezmur, the emergence of Addis Acoustic Project has been the realization of a lifetime goal. After finding an accordion in his Addis Ababa home that belonged to his uncle, Mezmur became, well, mesmerized, obsessively learning the instrument and then moving on to guitar, piano and arranging music. Citing a diverse list of influences ranging from Ethiopian guitarist Selam Seyoum to the late American jazz master Wes Montgomery, Mezmur honed his chops while learning music theory and the art and business of leading a band. Attending the Yared Music School in Addis Ababa and working with different bands gave him experience and insights, all of which he draws upon now as the creative
force behind AAP.
In his liner notes to Tewesta "Remembrance,” Mezmur writes, "The essence of this project is about presenting the music of that era [the '50s and '60s] in an authentic manner, yet with a new twist.
Equally important is also preserving the sound and instrumentation of those days. I hope this recording captures these elements and does justice in these respects."
Undeniably, it does, but what ultimately makes Tewesta (Remembrance) such a winner is that one need not even know that these are old songs remade for today's world in order to fall in love with them. Addis Acoustic Project, on Tewesta (Remembrance), has gone beyond its own stated goal and has created music that is truly timeless.
‘…a seamless re-imagining of a nation's musical history …’
by Manuel Abreu
Timelessness comes in a variety of guises. For Addis Acoustic Project (AAP) bandleader Girum Mezmur, it comes by following a path many other intelligent and ambitious musicians have followed recently: synthesis of old and new. Mezmur also arranged these visionary rediscoveries. He says in the liner notes to the Tewesta album: "The essence of this project is about presenting the music of that era [the '50s and '60s] in an authentic manner, yet with a new twist." "Tewesta" means "remembrance" in Amharic, and what Mezmur has done on AAP's debut, after two years of sharpening their sound through live performance, is remarkable.
This music is a seamless re-imagining of a nation's musical history, teasing out different vectors of sound possibility through the updated sound, allowing other musical idioms to seep through. While Mezmur was also devoted to "preserving the sound and instrumentation of those days," his vibrant arrangements allow for different aspects of the world of music to meld with traditional Ethiopian music, this exploration allowed by the downplayed importance of vocals and the focus on instrumental music. Consider "Fikir Ayarejim," which translates to "Love is Eternal." Popularized by Sudanese singer Menelik Wossenachew, the original song is led by a sultry synthetic orchestra and casual, shuffling drums, standard fare for Ethiopian oldies pop.
The AAP remake, however, opens with Latin-tinged drums, moving into a muscular accordion and oud led groove (master Ahmed Almek on oud). The rhythm of the song maintains the upbeat quality of the original, but Mezmur allows the melody to expand significantly, though without any egoistic solos--it's a bold move, essentially a statement of the semiotic weight of melody. Anyone intimately familiar with these songs will immediately recognize the melodies, regardless of the missing vocals.
The best part about this album is that even if you don't know the originals, you don't need to. It's hard not to enjoy this, conceptual ambition aside. It's those melodies--they grab you by the collar, like an excited child in the castle of her dreams, leading you eagerly down the twisting hallways.
While in Chicago in February of this year, Addis Acoustic Project’s founder and guitarist Girum Mezmur appeared solo at the Ethiopian Diamond II Restaurant.
The Latin jazz influence is even more pronounced on "Yetintu Tiz Alegn," which I believe translates to "Remembrance of Olden Days." Old master Tilahun Gessesse also has a version of this track. While the first half of the track only evokes Latin rhythms, led by Ayele Mamo's mandolin, a breakdown leads the listener straight into a minor-key, chromatic-drenched Latin guitar solo by Mezmur. Indeed, the music of AAP is about finding common ground between Ethiopian music and other genres of music, particularly jazz, Latin music, and folk. The lack of emphasis on vocals--though they are present--combined with the innovative arrangements moves AAP's debut from purely Ethiopian music to a more universal idiom. I don't want to call it world music, but I suppose that's the only label available.
While maintaining an unmistakable cultural identity, Mezmur and other musicians like him are interested in creating a dialog with other genres, other nations, other time periods, and this is a trend I strongly support. AAP's resplendent music is about communication, and aside from crossing historical and cultural bridges, they also cross the bridge to the listener's ear. The amount of variety here is outstanding, as well as the musicianship. One eye-opening moment is, in fact, the closer--and by the way, even though the album is over an hour in length, it keeps you enthralled the whole way through--"Yigermal," which warps 3/4 to its own whims through subtle subdivision, featuring claps on the chorus and led by mandolin and clarinet. Mezmur is a master of timbre and combines instruments perfectly for his evocative needs. Indeed, sometimes he attempts to traditionalize more than modernize: compare the eerie "Anchim Ende Lela" with a much jazzier version by Girma Degefu.
Mezmur's take on Girma Negash's hopeful love song "Enigenagnalen" (We Shall Meet Again), opens with a lusty, rueful guitar solo which is offset by Dawit Ferew's mourning clarinet, painting a picture of both the beauty and futility of hope in the face of life's circumstances. Whether the lovers meet again is not the point, only that the hope exists, that it can flower. The mambo-like rhythm drives the song forward. Nathaniel Tesemma and Mesale Legesse, who handle the percussion, are to be commended for their tight, powerful grooves, which never lack subtlety. As well, Dawit Ferew is ablaze throughout, displaying his mastery of the clarinet in the Ethiopian style. Mezmur painstakingly assembled his band -he himself handles guitar and accordion -and it pays off.
While you don't need to know anything about the source music behind this wonderful album, I found that research into the originals gave me a greater appreciation for the brilliance of Mezmur's arrangements and his band's playing, as well as a deeper understanding of the context of the musical conversation AAP is trying to have. As well, I can pretty much guarantee that any musical discoveries this album leads to will be golden--Ethiopian music, old and new, is a veritable rabbit hole and gold mine which I recommend you delve into. For starters, there's the Ethiopiques series. But I'll leave that to you. For now, let me just repeat that this is an excellent album, and whether you're interested in the context of Mezmur's ideas for finding common musical ground, you won't be disappointed.
Given the volume of great vintage music from Ethiopia that's been discovered (or, more accurately, rediscovered) and made available in the last decade and a half, and considering how deeply those new/old Ethiopian sounds are loved by listeners well beyond the standard world music crowd, it was only a matter of time before a band like Addis Acoustic Project came along. Founded by guitarist/accordionist/arranger Girum Mezmer, the group re-creates in mostly instrumental style Ethiopian hits of the 1950s and ‘60s, a time when instruments like the mandolin and accordion were prominent and the funkier, horn-heavy sounds celebrated in much of Buda's Ethiopiques series hadn't yet arrived.
If the latter is the Ethiopian music you know and love, rest assured that what you'll hear on Tewesta isn't so very far removed from it. The serpentine melodies, zesty riffs and uniquely Ethiopian swing
are here, although in a more stripped-down form. Alongside Mezmer are players who combine youthful strength and veteran savvy on mandolin, bass, clarinet, drums and percussion, often branching off into jazzy asides, Latin grooves or klezmer-like liveliness before slipping back into melodies that couldn't be from anywhere else but Ethiopia. AAP's intimate approach also shows the extent to which early Ethiopian popular music gleaned from sounds of nearby Sudan and even far afield influences like
European waltzes and the works of Armenian arranger Nerses Nalbandian. At once traditional, experimental (it'd be great if Mulatu Astatke hooked up with these guys), and accessibly catchy, Addis Acoustic Project is onto something very special. Tewesta is a delight of a disc, and let's hope there's more of its kind in the works.
