Qwanqwa - Qwanqwa Live

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 201, October 2024.

Qwanqwa
Qwanqwa Live
Qwanqwa (73 mins)

For three studio albums, Addis Ababa-based Qwanqwa have explored the range of Ethiopian traditional music, performing pieces from many of the country’s different ethnic groups, shaking things up with elements of Ethiojazz, funk and psychedelia, all played on the traditional krar (lyre), masenko (one-string fiddle) and kebero (drums), and the less-traditional bass krar and five-string violin. Until now, the group’s albums have been mostly instrumental – Qwanqwa Live introduces azmari singer Selamnesh Zemene (lately heard with Badume's Band) as their full-time vocalist. And it’s a revolution. Selamnesh really brings things to the next level, providing a focal point to the instrumentals but fully capable of soaring off into breathtaking melismas at a moment’s notice. Special mention should also be made of globetrotting masenko player Endris Hassen, whose one-string solos conjure up rock and jazz with impeccable subtlety. This live release is pieced together from their 2022 US tour – keep an eye out for future dates.

Atlas Maior - Hadal (Deluxe Edition)

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 201, October 2024.

Atlas Maior
Hadal (Deluxe Edition)
Dead Red Queen Records (38 mins)

This deluxe edition collects Texas-based jazz quartet Atlas Maior’s recorded output from the past four years. It’s an album of two halves – Side A is the band’s 2023 all-instrumental mini-album Hadal, and Side B is two tracks made with Pakistani kafi singer Ali Pervez Mehdi plus two remixes. Side A is the strongest, where the group really show what they’re capable of, the pieces built from the inspired interplay between alto saxophone and oud. There is strong influence from classical and folk traditions from across the Arab world, and there is a hearty debt to free jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman. It’s a great example of exploratory small-band jazz, with exemplary solos. After this glorious journey, Side B falls a bit flat. Mehdi’s Sufi vocals are beautiful, but seem to constrain the free-flow of electric creative energy otherwise present. The remixes are similarly enjoyable while adding little.

Atse Tewodros Project - Maqeda

First published in Songlines Magazine issue 201, October 2024.

Atse Tewodros Project
Maqeda
Galileo MC (51 mins)

The Atse Tewodros Project is the brainchild of singer Gabriella Ghermandi, and the project’s second album is a tribute to the women of Ethiopia, including the Queen of Sheba and going all the way back to Dinkinesh (or Lucy), one of the earliest-known hominids. Like its founder, the project is Ethiopian-Italian, featuring a core of Ethiopian traditional instrumentalists bolstered by Italian jazz musicians and occasional Senegalese guests on kora, guitar and sabar. In fact, the group excel when they stick to their two main strengths: trad Ethiopian and jazz. The further they stray from those – for example, with cheesy reggae, body-music or rap breaks – the flatter it falls. The stand-out performance of the album comes from Fabrizio Puglisi, whose Herbie Hancock-style electric piano and synth solos enliven any track they’re featured on, especially the track ‘Dink Hona’, where all the best elements of the group’s collaboration are brought to the fore.