 Ethiopiques (Ethiopia/USA/France) What Western audiences know of Ethiopia’s music before the mid-1970s is largely due to French music producer Francis Falceto, who has assembled 23 volumes of Éthiopiques compilations. These discs catalogue various releases by popular Ethiopian and Eritrean musicians from the early 1960s until the Mengistu dictatorship took power in 1974. Inspired by the recordings he had sourced, Francis encouraged four of the biggest stars from this golden age of Ethiopian music to share the stage again – Mahmoud Ahmed, Mulatu Astatqé, Alèmayèhu Eshèté and Gétatchèw Mékurya – performing their best known works with a 10-piece band. Mahmoud, the featured star on this particular tour, is a versatile veteran singer who effortlessly spans melancholy blues, minimalist country airs, brassy urban jazz, Afrobeat and Latino-swing. Born in Addis Ababa, he shined shoes before becoming a handyman at the Arizona Club, where he first sang professionally in the early 1960s. He sang for the Imperial Body Guard Band until 1974, and recorded with other bands for the Amha and Kaifa record labels throughout the 1970s. He opened his own music store in Addis Ababa's Piazza district during the 1980s while continuing his singing career. Falceto’s stunning CD series has, deservedly, returned Mahmoud to the limelight. Website: http://ethiopiques.info/ |
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