|
Event
Debo Band
There's something dangerous about tales of a Golden Age. The so-called Golden Age of Ethiopian popular music (or Ethio-jazz, or Ethio-groove), from the late 1960s to 1974 in Addis Ababa, was fed by exposure to American soul and jazz, and distilled by brass-heavy bands adding guitar and organ. The richness--the sheer grooviness--of this work has made the Ethio-jazz of this brief period the target of a growing field of cover and revival projects. Debo Band, however, takes a different approach.
What people are saying about Debo Band:
"If George Clinton had come from Ethiopia instead of outer space, the result might have been what Debo Band gives you."
--Boston Globe
"What's amazing about Debo Band is that they play that music (Ethiopian pop) without any sort of precious reverence They play it like its NOW, as music of right now, and they play it with incredible energy and passion and excellence. And it just totally rocks. Its amazing."
--NPR
"A different archival impulse paid off for Debo Band, a Boston group devoted to the Ethiopian funk of the late 1960s and 70s: fierce, jagged, complex and galvanizing music. With a beefy horn section, biting violins and a lead singer with a convincing Ethiopian quaver, the group brought back a live version of a style that was never recorded as vividly."
--The New York Times
"It's not an easy feat to pay tribute and transcend that same tribute simultaneously, but over the course of their debut, this band manages the trick."
--Pitchfork
Neglected tracks inspire Debo Band to do more than simply cover them. They rearrange, up the ante, and add new sections and Amharic lyrics to songs, including hits from Somalia ("Kehulum Abliche") and Okinawa. They keep the spirit of the original without being overly beholden to it. The process can get wildly imaginative, finding flights of fantasy in underappreciated historical moments, be it Duke Ellington's travels through Ethiopia or the musical impact of Haile Selassie's commitment of Ethiopian soldiers to the Korean War.
The same innovative yet respectful approach sparks the band's originals, crafted by trumpeter Danilo Henriquez and electric violinist Jonah Rapino. Earthy dance floor moves merge with psychedelia, rock drive, and spot-on brass--sounds that have the patina of good vintage tracks yet breathe with new life and purpose. "Yalanchi" takes a traditional snippet as a jumping off point--the bass riff from a traditional wedding song--only to move through unexpected chord changes, shifts in time signature, and wonderfully wigged-out solos.
Debo's deep digging has yielded forgotten songs like "Sak," enlivened by Endris Hassen's mesenqo (one-stringed bowed fiddle). Tracking down who created these songs was a challenge, made easier thanks to several dedicated crate-diggers and band members on the ground. (Debo's violinist, Kaethe Hostetter, lives in Addis Ababa and recorded her parts there, along with guests Endris and vocalist Nardos Tesfaw, who can be heard on "Oromo").
For Mekonnen and the band, its about more than playing with the wealth of modes, styles, and approaches born in Ethiopia. Its about exhuming and reframing a past that had to be abandoned, but that now feels relevant to global conversations about African identities, regional politics, and the plight of refugees. That many of Ethiopia's great artists, songwriters, and recordings were lost is part of a larger story of loss, that of flight, resettlement, and broken links in a long, vital chain of musical expression.
My parents left everything in the middle of the night as teenagers, recalls Mekonnen, who was born in Sudan. You don't take your music collection with you when you flee. You leave all that behind. We're still trying to reconstruct the past, not simply by discovering good songs that have been forgotten, but through the interpretation process, making the songs anew. Bringing attention to the silenced era, the absence.
Giving voice to what was silenced has powerful resonance with what's going on far from Ethiopia, including with the struggle to gain visibility for Black and African experiences and lives.
Take "Goraw." "Ethiopia is a country with a long and rich history. Unfortunately, this history often gets diluted with stories of extreme poverty, famine and political instability. But throughout history Ethiopians have shown themselves to be a very resilient and proud people," says singer Bruck Tesfaye, who penned the Amharic lyrics. This song tries to capture this pride and resiliency of the Ethiopian people and the many heroes that stood up for their country and those that continue to do so today.
This enduring, defiant pride can energize a party, and it can strengthen all of us to fight the good fight. During the climax at the end of "Goraw," you hear Bruck sing the word "gobez," a rich word that lends itself to the album title, "Ere Gobez." It's a cry used to rally troops, a call to the lionhearted. You can use it for hyping, Mekonnen muses. For me, it's not about going into battle literally, but about a passionate response to the world in which we live. We all need to be more courageous in our struggle for equality and justice. There is so much xenophobia and extremism, and music can help us find our courage and stand up.
|
|
 |
LocationThe Sanctuary for Independent Media (View)
3361 6th Avenue
Troy, NY 12180
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
|
Contact
|
