Most stayed within the country as it became virtually impossible to emigrate. Instrumental music’s key figures included Mulatu Astatqé, sole exponent of Ethiojazz, and Getachew Mekurya.ĭuring the years of dictatorship in the 1980s, new singers emerged among the veteran artists. Premier league names from this period included Tlahoun Gessesse, Bezunesh Bekele, Hirut Bekele, Mahmoud Ahmed, Ali Birra, and Alemayehu Eshete. These records represent the golden age of Ethiopian music. Most Ethiopian records were produced between 19. A limping asymmetrical rhythm is also highly characteristic. Performers tried out their instruments on traditional material and by the late 1940s there were full orchestras to accompany singers, including the Imperial Bodyguard Band and the Haile Selassie Theatre Band.Ī characteristic of Ethiopian music is the use of a five-note, pentatonic scale with large intervals between some of the notes. The first Western imports were brass bands, brought in by the military under Haile Selassie. Most musicians have two repertoires, one modern and one traditional. Traditional music forms the basis of all Ethiopian styles. Classic tunes from Mahmoud Ahmed and Alemayehu Eshete appear alongside Krar Collective, Dub Colossus and more. The Rough Guide To The Music Of Ethiopia This Rough Guide bursts at the seams with everything from golden age Ethio-jazz to contemporary dub fusion. However, all this has changed and recently music feels omnipresent in Addis Ababa. A continuous curfew deprived a whole generation of Ethiopians of a nightlife and censorship restricted song lyrics. These hardships have had a profound effect on Ethiopia’s cultural and musical life. After shedding its dictatorship in 1991, Ethiopia finally brought an end to thirty year old civil war. Despite the disaster-laden reports to have recently come from Ethiopia, it is one of Africa’s most musically fascinating countries.
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