Track Listing

1. Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom)
2. Mètché Dershé (When Am I Going to Reach There?)
3. Kasalèfkut Hulu (From All the Time I Have Passed)
4. Tezeta (Nostalgia)
5. Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory)
6. Munayé (My Muna)
7. Gubèlyé (My Gubel)
8. Asmarina (My Asmara)
9. Yèkatit (February)
10. Nètsanèt (Liberty) - Mulatu Astatke
11. Tezetayé Antchi Lidj (Baby, My Unforgettable Remembrance)
12. Sabyé (My Saba)
13. Ené Alantchi Alnorem (I Can't Live Without You)
14. Dèwèl (Bell)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17745 in Music
• Released on: 1998-10-06
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import

Album Description
Sub-titled 'Ethiopian Jazz and Instrumental Music (1969-74)'. UK compilation drawn from the catalogs of Amha Records an d Kaifa Records. The Artists may be unfamiliar but the musical heritage contained within is hugely rewarding. Vibrant and sassy urban pop, Arabic elements mixing sinuously with low down funk 'n' roll. Standard jewel case.

Amazon.com
Largely the work of formidable musician-arranger Mulatu Astatqe, the 14 instrumentals here were originally issued on two LPs in 1972 and 1974 in Ethiopia, and represent a curious blend of soul-jazz and R&B with just a smattering of Ethiopian roots breaking up the stabbing horn lines, wah-wah guitars, and simmering electric piano. Curious, because at the time jazz was not very popular in Ethiopia, but that is no reflection on the quality of these primitively recorded sides of idiosyncratic Afro-funk. The grooves are long and laconic, the sound reminiscent of Miles Davis's "In a Silent Way" paired with Cannonball Adderly and Roy Ayers. But, as with all things Ethiopian, the music retains its own unique and unmistakable identity, one somewhere between a late-night jazz hole-in-the-wall group and a supper club belly-dancing combo. There are some very inventive arrangements and vigorous soloing, rendering a highly articulate and listenable music that was, at the time, doomed to go nowhere. Such is the retrospective value of reissues. --Derek Rath

Customer Reviews

Ethiopiques 4--Best of series I've heard
This is the first of the Ethiopiques series I bought and it still stands up, five years later, as my favorite. After losing my original copy last year I finally managed to borrow it from the Brooklyn Public Library.

When I listened to it (for the first time in 12 months) I was swept up once again just like every time I've listened to this disc. The melodies are beautiful, across the board. The musicianship is incredible. And there is a wistful, pentatonic sound that suffuses the whole album and, for me, encapsulates a certain kind of regretful feeling.

You will not be sorry to add this disc to your collection.

A direction for the future
Listening to the three instrumentals on Ethiopiques 1, I was prepared for what I heard on this CD. The music here is exclusively traditional Ethiopian pentatonic melodies arranged in a new and creative style. Except for the wonderful Tizita, new names are given to the songs, which is misleading, since they are not original Astatke's compositions. I enjoy the quiter and slower arrangements, when you can hear the distinctive sound of the soloists. Where are all of these musicians today ? It seems that the Mangistu revolutions has done permanent damage to the music and the musicians, since Ethiopian music after 1975 has nothing of the creativeness heard here. Today I believe that Ethiopian musicians should look back to these recordings for inspirations and try to pick up where they were stopped. This is goldmine to those who look for ways to develop Ethiopian music while keeping close to the roots.

An Exciting Find...
I was smitten when I heard a cut off this disk on a "left of the dial" radio station in Boston and immediately tracked down a copy. I was not disappointed. The entire album has a fantastic musicality to it that is hard to describe, tradition and the exotic combined gracefully and interestingly. My sole complaint is that the sound quality on a few of the cuts (late 60s, early 70s recordings) is a bit spotty, which induces a little ear fatigue - after about the third consecutive listening. But I consider that a quibble. I recommend very hightly.