The Rough Guide to Ethiopian Jazz
World Music Network (55 mins)
The eclectic Rough Guide series turns its attention to the wonderful world of Ethiojazz.
The trap of focussing only on Buda Musique’s landmark Éthiopiques series has been avoided, but this leaves the genre’s golden era somewhat under-represented. Two members of the old guard – Mulatu Astatke and Getatchew Mekuria – are included with more recent projects, but many greats are missing, notably Mahmoud Ahmed.
Of the young guns showcased here, most continue the musical legacy of the master Astatke. The inclusion of Samuel Yirga’s intense and brooding piano exploration aside, it may have been fun to feature some of the more out-there young exponents.
The tracks on this album are presented in their unedited, extended forms, up to eight minutes in length. This decision is a double-edged sword: it’s a delight to appreciate the full listening experience as intended without the unceremonious fade-outs of abridged tracks; on the other hand, it means that only nine tracks are included, as opposed to the 12-18 that are usually found on Rough Guides. As such, the spectrum of Ethiojazz presented is not as broad as it otherwise could have been. One album can only ever hope to scratch the surface, but perhaps this one could have scratched just a little deeper.