Posts Tagged ‘Ethiopian Jazz’

Debo Band: Classic Ethiopian pop with a contemporary twist

August 1 | Posted by Ethiopiaforums | Art, News, Uncategorized, United States Tags: , , , , ,

Ethiopian funk invades Washington as Debo welcomes lounge lizards to the Kennedy Center’s Atrium on the Roof Terrace level for an extraordinary happy hour. The energetic Boston-based band founded by saxophonist Danny Mekonnen specializes in dance sounds direct from four decades of classic pop nourished in Ethiopia. Just as the musicians unleash mystical grooves, so do dance... Read more

Meeting the godfather of Ethiopian jazz : Mulatu Astatke

June 15 | Posted by Ethiopiaforums | Ethiopia, Ethiopian, music, News, People, Uncategorized, World Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Mulatu Astatke, the godfather of Ethiopian jazz music, is often flying around the world performing sell-out shows so I was lucky to find him at his home in Addis Ababa surrounded by art, conjuring up magic on his vibraphone – which looks like a giant xylophone. He described the recipe for Ethio-jazz which... Read more

Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethiopian jazz (Interview)

October 22 | Posted by ocean | Ethiopia, World Tags: , , ,

ONSTAGE 68-year-old Mulatu Astatke is as subtle and understated as the Ethiopian jazz he created. The music, a hybrid of traditional Ethiopian music and jazz, is subdued, somewhat melancholy, and at times psychedelic. Mr Astatke, the originator and composer of songs in this canon, plays his principal instrument, the vibraphone, with a light touch. Between songs,... Read more

Inside Ethiopia’s fusion jazz scene and Mulatu Astatke

June 29 | Posted by ocean | Ethiopia, music, News, Uncategorized, Video Tags: , , , , , ,

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Everything is done differently in Ethiopia. Splodges of spicy stews on a vast damp pancake is food that takes some getting used to, the national calendar ignores centuries of papal tinkering meaning this millennium is only two years old and with the hours of the day starting at dawn, not midnight, it is... Read more