Released 2012 Genre Punk rock | Label Terp Records Release date 2012 | |
Similar Moa Anbessa, Blueprints for a Blackout, Hands Up! You're Free, Een rondje Holland, Starters Alternators |
Y'Anbessaw Tezeta is the second studio album by Ethiopian tenor saxophone player Getatchew Mekuria in collaboration with Dutch punk rock band The Ex and several other musicians. The title is Amharic for "The Memory of the Lion."
Contents
History, recording and release
Five years after the release of his album Moa Anbessa, Getatchew Mekuria asked The Ex to make one more album with him. From December 2011 through April 2012 they recorded several pieces of music—mostly instrumentals—in both the Netherlands and Ethiopia. The Ex brought together a number of friends to play horns on the sessions and produced the release of the recordings themselves as a benefit for Mekuria.
The album also features an extra disc of music by Getatchew Mekuria playing live with various ensembles. Much of the disc demonstrates the evolution of his collaboration with European punk and jazz musicians: the first three tracks are of Mekuria performing with the Instant Composers Pool (ICP) in the Netherlands at The Ex's 25th anniversary show in 2004; one track is a recording with The Ex lineup that appears on their album Turn live in France, also from 2004; three more tracks are feature both The Ex and members of ICP (the lineup from Moa Anbessa) performing in Montreal from 2009. The extra disc also features a hidden track of rehearsals, plus archival recordings of Mekuria playing with both the Police and Haile Selassie 1 Theatre Orchestras in Addis Ababa from the early 1960s.
The two-CD set came with a 40-page booklet of photos and was released on The Ex's improv and African music label Terp Records.
Disc One
Track list:
- Ambassel (7:35)
- Tezeta (4:22)
- Bertukane / Yematebela Wof / Shegitu (5:53)
- Bati (3:45)
- Ene Eskemot Derese (4:04)
- Yegna Mushera (4:02)
- Aha Gedawo (5:00)
- Almaz Men Eda New (4:21)
- Abbay Abbay / Yene Ayal (4:25)
- Zerafewa / Eregedawo (4:12)
Personnel:
Recorded December 6/7 2011, February 24/28 2012, April 5/23 2012 at Jottum, Wormerveer, the Netherlands and May 3, 2012 at Fendika, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Engineered and mixed by Maarten Tap, Andy Moor and Arnold de Boer. Mastered by Frank van der Weij, produced by The Ex. Artwork by Emma Fischer, photos by Matias Corral, Emma Fischer, Andy Moor, Pavel Stráẑay, Nanni Angeli, Barbora Fabianova, Christina Halstrom, Nick Helderman, Leul Mekonnen and Paul Till, with archival photos from Getatchew Mekuria's private photo-albums.
Disc Two
Track list:
- "Yene Hasab Gwadegna"
- "Aha Gedawo"
- "Shellelle"
- "Yegenet Musica"
- "Ambassel"
- "Lale Guma"
- "Yaf Zemed Mech Teffa"
- "Bati"
- "Shellelle Fukera"
- "Ambassel"
Recording info: