Having been deeply and apparently eternally in love with the music of Mali for more than twenty years, is it possible that I could be in the process of transferring my affections to the sound of Ethiopia? If such a change happens, this programme will have played a pivotal role.
The man to blame is Nick Page, a veteran bass player and collaborator in many of the UK’s most adventurous groups, even going back as far (as I discovered while the musicians were doing a sound check) as Bumble and the Bees, an exciting group that sank with little trace back around 1981.
Nick is now out on his own and formulated a plan to make an album of Ethiopian music despite being based in the UK and having no immediate access to Ethiopian collaborators. Undeterred by such practicalities, he pre-recorded a few reggae-style backing tracks and set off with them to Addis Ababa, where he searched for singers and musicians prepared to put their words and music over his pre-prepared tracks. One by one, he recruited willing allies and then returned with the tapes to the UK where he edited, refined and added to the material that comprises A Town Called Addis.
Released on Real World, the album has become one of the year’s favourites, and the impact was reinforced by the band’s live performances. Despite not having previously worked together, the musicians and singers found enough common ground to work well as an ensemble, at WOMAD, at several venues around the country and in this session at Broadcasting House.
Fascinated by the different melodies that make Ethiopian music so instantly recognisable, I asked pianist Sammy Mitiku if it is possible to explain, and although he gallantly tried to demonstrate by playing a couple of modes, I confess to not really understanding his explanation. But I was entranced by his brief excursion into ‘Blue Monk’ by Thelonious Monk.
The ping pong exchange with Nick and Tesdenia provided a good crash course in Ethiopian music as well as being an opportunity for Nick to pay tribute to the Jamaican vocal group, The Abyssinians, whose name is significant in several ways.
Seq - Artist - Song Title - Album - Country - Label - Cat no
1 - Staff Benda Billili - Moziki - Tres Tres Fort - Congo - Crammed Discs - CRAW 51
2 - The Very Best - Kada Manja - Warm Heart of Africa - Malawi/ various - Malawi/UK - Moshi Moshi
1 - Lester Bowie - The Great Pretender (edit) - The Great Pretender - USA - ECM - 1209
2 - Momo Wandel Soumah - Toko - Afro Swing - Guinea Conakry - Fonti Musicali - FMD 217
Live session
5 - Dub Colossus - Seqota - Studio Session - Ethiopia - -
6 - Dub Colossus - Tezèta - Studio Session - Ethiopia - -
- ping pong with Nick 'Dub Colossus' himself (*) and Tsedenia (**)
**7 - Aster Aweke - Yene Konjo - Aster's Ballads - Ethiopia - Kabu - KV1NV0-CV
*8 - The Abyssinians - Abendigo - Forward to Zion - Jamaica - Klik - KLP 9023
9 - Chalachew Ashenafi - Munit - Ilita!: New Ethiopian Dance Music - Ethiopia - Terp - AS-15
**10 - Tlahoun Gèssèssè - Tezalègn Yètentu - Ethiopiques 17 - Ethiopia - Buda - 82266-2
*11 - The Abyssinians - Satta Massa Gana - Tree of Life - Jamaica - Blood & Fire - BAFCD 045
**12 - Gigi - Zomaye - Gigi - Ethiopia - Palm Pictures - PALMCD 2068-2
Live session, part 2:
13 - Dub Colossus - Yeka Sub City Rockers - Studio Session - Ethiopia
14 - Dub Colossus - Blue Monk (feat Sammy Mitiku, piano] - Studio Session - Ethiopia
15 - Dub Colossus - Asmari Dub - Studio Session - Ethiopia
16 - Moondog - Lament 1: Bird's Lament - Moondog - USA - Honest Jons - HJRCD 18
17 - DVA - harom kerom - Fonok - Czech Republic - Indies - MAM435-2
18 - Omar Souleyman - Atabat - Highway to Hassake - Syria - Sublime Frequencies - SF 031