You cats just keep amazing me! I just took a long listen into these Ethiopiques releases, amazing stuff!! What a stellar series, obviously these dudes were well versed in the local and regional music styles. I'm downloading a variety of volumes from this series right now. And WFMU is an amazing radio station, I listen almost too often to the shows there, plenty of amazing unheard classics to blow your mind, for hours and hours.... Jon Bard said:
Yeah, all the "Addis Ababa Swing" stuff is righteous. These guys were obviously versed in Arab and African music, then they heard be-bop, then they heard funk and they created something so wonderfully cool. It didn't last long, but what those cats left behind is pretty special.
I highly recommend Ethiopiques, Vol. 8: Swinging Addis -- it's killer. (all the Ethipiques CDs are, in fact)
Rockin Rod Strychnine said:I can hear what you mean by accessible. It's kind of fun to hear a bit of black American music going overseas and influencing the influencers.
Jon Bard said:Haven't seen this mentioned, so I'll toss in my two cents for something amazingly fresh and yet thoroughly accessible. This guy's amazing: