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Showing posts with label ethiopian diaspora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethiopian diaspora. Show all posts

Thursday, February 9, 2017

The Lalibelas - The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus [2015] [aus+eth]












       The Lalibelas are led by bassist and composer Yoseph H. Bekele who arrived in Australia in 2012 from Ethiopia. He has toured internationally with leading East African musicians, including Aster Aweke, Samuel Yirga, Mahmoud Ahmed, and has been a mainstay of the Ethiopian music scene, having played bass and guitar with a huge variety of singers. 












     The Lalibelas bring together talented Australian and Ethiopian musicians, that perform Yoseph’s Ethio-Jazz and funk compositions. Yoseph developed a strong friendship with Harry James Angus through MAV’s Visible Music Mentoring Program in 2013 and are continuing to collaborate musically. 










Guitar - Adam Halliwell 
Saxophone - Solomon Sisay 
Drums - Zelalem Negatu 
Baritone Saxophone - Macks Dowling 
Harmonica - Chris Maunders
Bass - Yoseph Hailemariam 
Keyboard - Stephen Khlentzos 
Trumpet - Harry James Angus



       This recording captures the raw sound of The Lalibelas, created in a few short but high-energy hours full of improvisation, twists and turns, and no overdubs or turning back.





The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus - 1. Awdamet (4:40)
The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus - 2. That Song (4:51)
The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus - 3. Atamba Sil (7:26)
The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus - 4. Kendegena (5:48)
The Lalibelas with Harry James Angus - 5. Selam (8:32)





Monday, February 6, 2017

Chachi Tadesse - I am An African [2007] [ethiopia]











       Born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Chachi Tadesse has used her roots to grow an international music career. At the age of 16 Chachi joined a well known Ethiopian cover-band, touring extensively while building her musical skills and fan base. In 1982 Chachi moved to the USA, taking classes in Music, acting and modeling and touring extensively with reggae artists.








Chachi Tadesse - I am An African




       While living in the U.S. Chachi recorded er first album, combining Amharic lyrics with Reggae beats to create a unique and sought after sound. Following the success of her first album, Chachi joined forces with Dallol, Ziggy Marley's former band, to tour the U.S. and the Caribbean. In the late 1990's Chachi teamed up with producer Clive Hunt at the famous Kariang Studios in Jamaica to produce a collaborative album with some of the biggest names in Raggea.

       Over the years Chachi has become a pop icon not only in Ethiopia but across Africa and its diaspora. She has appeared at large international music festivals including Reggae on the River and the Bob Marley Birthday Festival in Jamaica. In Ethiopia her 'I am an African' concert at Meskel square brought upwards of 40,000 attendees.




Chachi Tadesse - 01 - I am An African (7:46)
Chachi Tadesse - 02 - Happy Song (4:57)
Chachi Tadesse - 03 - I am An African (remix) (6:52)
Chachi Tadesse - 04 - Abbaba Janhoy (4:08)
Chachi Tadesse - 05 - Hungry Children (1:58)
Chachi Tadesse - 06 - Sad Situation (5:38)
Chachi Tadesse - 07 - H.I.M. Haile Selassie (5:05)
Chachi Tadesse - 08 - One Day (5:25)
Chachi Tadesse - 09 - Smile Ethiopia (3:58)
Chachi Tadesse - 10 - Yeandiyosh Alem (5:12)




Sunday, February 5, 2017

Elias Negash - Various Singles [2014] [ethiopia]











       Elias Negash is an accomplished musician who has combined his Native Ethiopian music with his jazz education, and influences from the world music segment. He played through the seventies and became one of the pioneering figures to have brought Reggae and African music to the Bay Area with smash hit groups including Obeah, Axum, Caribbean All Stars and the Rastafarians. After moving to Los Angeles Elias worked on the Royal Princess Cruise ship out of South Hampton England for four months. He has also done sound track for Television Movie in titled Glitz and also preformed on a TV series Murder She Wrote. Elias has also traveled as a Solo pianist and with Magyk Band to Japan.






Elias Negash - Saba (Sheba)




     In addition to his role as a musician, Elias dedicates his time in multiple humanitarian efforts such as fundraising HIV Aids research and treatment, building schools and water-well in the rural areas of Ethiopia. Further, Elias is currently the president of Ethiopian Arts forum that strives to accomplish its objectives through the presentation of Ethiopian Music, Dance, Poetry, Drama and Visual Arts to the community.

    Elias has put out five solo CDs titled Love, Harrambe (lets pull together), Peace, Feel Like Dancin’ and his last CD titled “JAZZED UP”





Elias Negash - 01 - My Eyes Are Hungry / Aynoche Terabu (6:55)
Elias Negash - 02 - Miss Ethiopia (Ene Negn Bay Manesh) (6:03)
Elias Negash - 03 - Addis Ababa Bete (My Home Addis Ababa) (9:06)
Elias Negash - 04 - Ye Hare Shererit / Tezeta (6:34)
Elias Negash - 05 - Meskerem (Ethiopian New Year Song) (6:21)
Elias Negash - 06 - Be Bega (Summer Time) (5:30)
Elias Negash - 07 - Sunset Piano (4:53)
Elias Negash - 08 - Zemen (Era) (6:15)
Elias Negash - 09 - Tabia (Station) (7:03)
Elias Negash - 10 - Saba (Sheba) (6:42)
Elias Negash - 11 - Africa Unite (4:25)
Elias Negash - 12 - Summer Time (Be Bega) (4:28)
Elias Negash - 13 - Summer Time (4:28)
Elias Negash - 14 - Muziqawi Silt (6:32)




Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Meklit Hadero - On a day like this.. [2010] [usa-ethiopia]




   R E U P L O A D   





Meklit Hadero - Float and Fall



       Meklit Hadero, known simply as "Meklit", is a singer and songwriter based in San Francisco, California. She is known for her soulful performing style, and for combining jazz, folk, and East African influences in her music. Born in Ethiopia, she was raised in the U.S. and attended college at Yale, where she studied political science.

       Shortly after graduation, Meklit moved to San Francisco and became immersed in the city's thriving arts scene. "Meklit is an artistic giant in the early stages," wrote a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle after witnessing an early performance in the city's Mission District. "She sings of fragility, hope and self-empowerment, and exudes all three. What's irresistible, above all, is her cradling, sensuous, gentle sound. She is stunning."

        Named a TED Global Fellow in 2009, Meklit has served as an artist-in-residence at New York University, the De Young Museum, and the Red Poppy Art House. Currently a fellow of the Wildflowers Institute, Meklit has also completed musical commissions for the San Francisco Foundation and for theatrical productions staged by Brava! For Women in the Arts. She is the founder of the Arba Minch Collective, a group of Ethiopian artists in diaspora devoted to nurturing ties to their homeland through collaborations with both traditional and contemporary artists there. 

     As a Senior TED Fellow since 2011 , she co-founded the Nile Project with Egyptian ethno-musicologist Mina Girgis and has since participated in 2 artist residencies (Aswan, 2013 and Uganda in 2014) uniting musicians from 11 countries all along the Nile Basin.






       Meklit has released five records to date. The first was a self-produced and released eight-song EP entitled Eight Songs (2008). The second , her first full-length LP, On a Day Like This... released to wide critical acclaim in 2010 , was recorded at San Francisco's Closer Studios and produced by Eric Moffat and Unsound Recording. Hailed by Filter magazine for "[combining] New York jazz with West Coast folk and African flourishes, all bound together by Hadero's beguiling voice.". It won Meklit feature stories by NPR, PBS, and National Geographic. The San Francisco Chronicle called her " an artistic giant in the making " . She then ventured into a creative collaboration called CopperWire , along with two hip emcees also from the Ethiopian diaspora , Gabriel Teodros and Burntface . Together they created the first hip hop space opera , "Earthbound" which hit #5 in CMJ's hiphop charts . A complete change came with the 2012 release of her extraordinary harmonic duets with Oakland blues and soul crooner Quinn DeVeaux, simply titled Meklit & Quinn. The duo covered terrain as diverse as Arcade Fire (their version of "Tunnels" left many speechless with its simple beauty) , Lou Reed , Neil Young and Stevie Wonder.





       Now she makes yet another quantum leap , in her latest solo album We Are Alive . Produced by sonic genius Eli Crews (best known for his work with tUnE-yArDs) , her inimitable composition talents and unique voice take infinite and inventive flight , from her jazz-standard sounding "A-Train" to the fiery build of "Waiting for Earthquakes" , weaving through a dark and tantalizing version of The Police classic "Bring On the Night" via her funky take on an Ethiopian tune, "Kemekem " (which she subtitles " I Like Your Afro!") , winding up with the grande finale, the declaration "We Are Alive". USA Today says, " Meklit delivers a sound all her own... (We Are Alive) gets even better with every listen ",




  
      The Village Voice comments : "She's a blithe-voiced daughter of Joni who considers music a path to higher ground, with rest stops for the likes of Talking Heads and Lou Reed."



01. Meklit Hadero - Walk Up (5:34)
02. Meklit Hadero - Float And Fall (3:29)
03. Meklit Hadero - Leaving Soon (4:12)
04. Meklit Hadero - You And The Rain (4:30)
05. Meklit Hadero - Feeling Good (4:29)
06. Meklit Hadero - Abbay Mado (5:05)
07. Meklit Hadero - Soleil Soleil (2:33)
08. Meklit Hadero - Call (3:59)
09. Meklit Hadero - Walls (3:40)
10. Meklit Hadero - Under (4:27)



Thursday, October 27, 2016

The Kafa Beanz - Andromeda: The Chronicles Of Blackopia, Volume 1 [2008] [usa+eth]












        The Kafa Beanz is a collective of solo artists who blend their Ethiopian culture and music with hip hop, soul, and alternative musical textures. The name “Kafa Beanz” is a play on words.  If one looks at a map of Ethiopia, there is the Kafa region where coffee is known to originate. Coffee was “discovered” by the Portuguese in Ethiopia in the middle ages.  Coffee is the primary export of Ethiopia to this day and considered the country’s most valuable export. This group of young artists, primarily of Ethiopian origin, wanted to express that the true value of Ethiopia is in the people, thus the name Kafa Beanz. 

        The Kafa Beanz formed in 2007 when a group of accomplished Ethiopian-American musicians, producers and vocalist who have been longtime fans of each other’s respective work decided to join forces. Their first project as a collective is entitled “Andromeda: The Chronicles of Blackopia  Vol. 1.”  The project’s title pays homage to Princess Andromeda who, according to Greek Mythology, was the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus, the king of Ethiopia.






Gabriel Teodros - "Tizita"




          The Kafa Beanz consists of lead vocalists B Sheba(rapper /singer) and Burntface (rapper/producer) and is rounded out by Wayna (singer/songwriter), Gabriel Teodros (rapper), AP (rapper/singer) and various Special Guest Appearances including Hermela Mulatu (singer), daughter of Ethiopian Jazz Musician Mulatu Astatke.

        The Kafa Beanz is a group of solo artists who share a passion for Africa and a desire to expose their music to the world. Four of the five members are of Ethiopian origin, and the exotic sounds of East Africa are evident in their music.









        Despite having a sonic texture heavily influenced by 60s and 70s era Ethiopian Jazz music, The Kafa Beanz have a universal sound that has often been compared to The Fugees, Black Eyed Peas and Outkast. The Kafa Beanz effortlessly blends soulful vocal harmonies and poignant lyrics over an eclectic mixture of classic hip hop and futuristic world music. 









       Each member is an accomplished artist in their own right with their own respective fan bases. Their collective professional experience and talents make for a powerful and versatile combination that can rock a party crowd or tantalize a jazzy lounge or café. In a time when the traditional music industry paradigm is crashing in on itself, and genres are being disregarded, The Kafa Beanz are poised to be the future of world music.




The Kafa Beanz - 01 - Andromeda (1:45)
Wayna, Burntface - 02 - Let It Go (5:04)
Burntface, AP, B Sheba, Wayna - 03 - IRock (2:53)
Burntface, B Sheba, AP - 04 - AA++ (2:28)
B Sheba, Burntface, AP - 05 - Arada  (4:15)
AP, Wayna - 06 - Rebel (2:58)
B Sheba - 07 - Babylon Blues (4:35)
Burntface, B Sheba - 08 - History (3:05)
Wayna, Burntface - 09 - Love's Fool (3:24)
B Sheba, Hermela Mulatu, Burntface, Gabriel Teodros - 10 - Hope (4:43)
Burntface - 11 - Fly Away (3:45)
Burntface, B Sheba, Malik (30), Texx - 12 - Diaspora (3:41)
Gabriel Teodros, B Sheba - 13 - Tizita (4:07)
Wayna - 14 - Final Transmition (3:44)





Monday, October 17, 2016

Black Jesus Experience - Migration [2014] [aus+eth]











       BLACK JESUS EXPERIENCE (BJX) is an eight piece band playing an irresistibly danceable blend of traditional Ethiopian song and 21st Century groove. With backgrounds as diverse as the 5 countries the members of BJX hail from, their music reflects the multicultural vibrancy of the band’s hometown, Melbourne, Australia.

       Singer Enushu Taye began entertaining her local community as a child in Addis Ababa. Forced to leave Ethiopia, Enushu migrated to Australia bringing hauntingly beautiful compositions inspired by her remarkable life story and the unique vocal traditions of Ethiopia. Enushu is joined on vocals by poetic giant and lyrical miracle Mr Monk, Zimbabwe born and Outback bred.





Black Jesus Experience - ETHIOBOP






        When not touring BJX run a weekly session at cultural hub The Horn creating new songs live on stage featuring guest artists from all walks of life. The comfort BJX has with this practice lies in the improvising traditions of that feed BJX including Hip Hop, Jazz, Azmari and Funk.

        They have recently released their 5th studio album, a collaboration with their long time mentor, the inventor of Ethio-Jazz: Mulatu Astatke. The album Cradle of Humanity was recorded and mixed across 3 continents and completed at the end of their East Africa tour in 2015, including performances at MTN Bushfire Festival (Swaziland), AZGO Festival (Mozambique) and African Union Expo (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia).

       The rhymes and chimes of Black Jesus Experience deliver the power and beauty of Africa through the vocal prism of Hip-Hop and freedom of Funk.



Black Jesus Experience - 01 - Smile (3:31)
Black Jesus Experience - 02 - Africa (4:43)
Black Jesus Experience - 03 - Bati (3:52)
Black Jesus Experience - 04 - Migration (6:12)
Black Jesus Experience - 05 - Ethio Bop (5:23)
Black Jesus Experience - 06 - Ichilalo (4:25)
Black Jesus Experience - 07 - Mother Earth (4:35)
Black Jesus Experience - 08 - Gimash Akarley (3:19)
Black Jesus Experience - 09 - After (4:47)
Black Jesus Experience - 10 - BB (5:09)



Monday, August 22, 2016

Aster Aweke - Fikir [2006] [ethiopia]




   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   








       Aster Aweke is often called “Africa’s Aretha Franklin” and has in the past few years been based in America. She was born in Ethiopia into the family of a well-to-do government official. In the mid 1970s the young Aster began to orientate herself with the music of her homeland, and sang with several local groups until 1977. 

       She was backed by one of the leading figures in the world of Ethiopian music, Ali Tango, not least financially. 

      Aster Aweke began to sing with the established group, Roha Band, but broke up with them after a short time when Ethiopia was thrown into political and economic chaos at the time of the revolution. After a few years of traveling around she settled down in Washington, USA. Aster Aweke is a very competent vocalist who sings in an American-influenced style but who nevertheless has preserved an undiscovered core of Africa.


    Aster Aweke must be heard! 







01. Aster Aweke - Fikir (6:08)
02. Aster Aweke - And Adirgen (6:52)
03. Aster Aweke - Netsa Negn (5:16)
04. Aster Aweke - Sewenatae (5:52)
05. Aster Aweke - Ayzoh (5:21)
06. Aster Aweke - Emyae (4:17)
07. Aster Aweke - Lishelimew (5:01)
08. Aster Aweke - Yesew-sew (6:17)
09. Aster Aweke - Azezo (5:51)
10. Aster Aweke - Chal-Chal (4:53)
11. Aster Aweke - Yikirta (5:07)
12. Aster Aweke - Yeamral (6:06)
13. Aster Aweke - Nefsae (6:21)
14. Aster Aweke - Murit (5:21)






Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Ras Abel - Humble Beginnings [2000] [usa + ethiopia]



   R E U P L O A D     




Ras Abel - Love Is Selassie I





       The title of his album "Humble Beginnings" is the perfect phrase to describe the musical career of Ras Abel.



       Born in Addis Abeba in 1972, Ras Abel moved to the USA in 1989. While attending the college in Maryland in early 1990s Abel met a guy named Belatchew who encouraged young Ras' ability to express his lyrics. During the summers Abel, Belatchew on bass and his younger brother Dula met their soul JAH, creating music together. As their love for music grew, they decided to record a demo in 1994. They made two tracks, "Love is in the air" and "Forward to Zion".











       Due to the various difficulties, Ras was unable to pursue a musical career in full time. However, Ras continue to work with Dula in his studio in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he spent 1996-1999 in coordination with Dula and Tensae (co-producer of "Humble Beginnings") eventually produced "Humble Beginnings" in 2000. 

       While living in Washington, Ras Abel and Tensae tried to make music of Jah. Initially band was named "Maebel", which means tidal wave in Amharic. Later they changed their name to "Melekebet", name of native Ethiopian instrument, used to make an anouncements in ancient times.






     
"Melekebet" was consisted of Salomon on drums, Tensae on bass and Ras Abel on guitar, rhythm guitar and vocal. Their sound was unique blend of reggae and Ethiopian music. Band dismemmbered in early 2001. and Ras Abel took hiatus in the music of Jah.


    In 2008 Ras Abel returned to music once again. Abel recorded his second album with drummer Jeff Franca.

     Curently he is playing with his band "Tesfa". He also features on the album "Sur Mahber", a compilation of songs with various artist made with american group "Soldiers of Jah Army".






    
   In "Dancehall Celebration," he gives props to the new "conscious" roots-and-culture face of dancehall reggae; and in "Afrikawi," sung in the provincial Ethiopian language Tigrinya, he pays tribute to Zeray Deres, an Ethiopian warrior who stood up to the invading Italians.



      Ras Abel's voice is rich, with full range. The music on this CD ranges from Nyahbinghi rhythms, to ska, to Hard Roots, to some Ethiopian traditional music styling. Hard, real upbeat music and messages from a young lion making a 'Humble Beginning'. Respect!.






"Humble Beginnings" is not of humble quality. All tracks reveal that these young lions are under the influence of the masters of premium quality reggae. The lyrics are not shy about singing praises to His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, Pan African Development and progressive livity for mankind.




Ras Abel - vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
Bobby T - solo guitar
Matt (bihnghi roots) - keyboards
Taharqa - keyboards
Tensae - bass guitar
Jeff Franca - drums





01. Ras Abel - Rastafari Callin' (5:16)
02. Ras Abel - Forward To Zion (6:01)
03. Ras Abel - Enat Ithiopia (4:29)
04. Ras Abel - Love Is 'N De Air (6:07)
05. Ras Abel - Dancehall Celebration (4:22)
06. Ras Abel - All De Time (3:46)
07. Ras Abel - Afrikawi (Tigrinia) (4:06)
08. Ras Abel - Roaring Lions (4:31)
09. Ras Abel - Bongo Locks (3:19)
10. Ras Abel - Love Is Selassie I (6:31)