Dozens of cherished recordings were made during the legendary “golden age” of Ethiopian music, an era stretching from the early 1960’s through the mid-1970’s. Less-discussed are the songs made in the aftermath of the 1974 revolution that toppled Emperor Hailu Selassie I. The acclaimed and highly sought-after LP by Hailu Mergia and the Walias, Tche Belew, an album of instrumentals released in 1977, is perhaps the most seminal of these recordings. The story of the Walias band is a critical chapter in Ethiopian popular music, taking place during a period of music industry flux and political complexity in the country.
Hailu Mergia, a keyboardist and arranger diligently working the nightclub scene in Addis Ababa, formed the Walias in the early 1970’s with a core group of musical colleagues assembled from the remnants of prior working bands attached to the Zula and Venus clubs. One of the first “private” bands, the Walias got a steady gig at the prestigious Hilton Addis Ababa and remained independent from the government-supported bands of the time as well as from the clubs who employed bands.
While the oppressive and often brutal, Socialism-inspired Derg government (1974-1987) had a firm grip on Ethiopians following the revolution, Walias organized their own contracts and eschewed government patronage. Unlike the celebrated bands of the run-up to Selassie’s removal—the Police Orchestra, Imperial Bodyguard Band, National Theater Band, Ethiopian Army Band, Hager Fikir Theater Band, City Hall Theatre Folkloric Group and so on—the Wailas developed fame on their own terms and maintained control of their instruments and performances. They played the blues-, funk- and soul-informed tunes Mergia was writing and arranging, while cutting 45rpm recordings released by Kaifa Records with popular vocalists, including Getachew Kassa and Alemayehu Borobor.
After several singles, Mergia decided to do something different: record a full-length album. The band—which at the time featured Moges Habte (saxophone and flute), Mahmmud Aman (guitar), Yohannes Tekola (trumpet), Melake Gabrie (bass guitar), Girma Beyene (piano), Temare Haregu (drums), Abebe Kassa (alto saxophone) and special guest Mulatu Astatke (vibes)—entered Radio Voice of the Gospel studios to record their first long-player. The director of the station knew Mergia personally and connected the band with a sound engineer there. (Incidentally, the Lutheran-owned station was taken over shortly thereafter by the Derg government and used for propaganda purposes.)
Influenced in large part by Jimmy Smith, Mergia and the Walias merged the popular international sounds available in Ethiopia at the time with the traditional tunes that formed the foundation of most musicians’ repertoires. But for this LP, instead of playing the role of backing band, Mergia wanted four of his bandmates to contribute arrangements, so that the album would capture a spectrum of sounds with the instruments and groove positioned out front.
Recording in one large room, the band spent two days laying down the songs, completing several of them in single takes. It was the most professional technical set-up they had used thus far, with modern studio facilities and quality instruments (Mergia was using Farfisa and Godwin organs at the time). Being that this record was predominantly instrumental—extremely rare among Ethiopian LPs—it’s notable that Tche Belew features a backing chorus. Interjecting brief phrases on a few songs, the trio of accomplished vocalists Aster Aweke, Getachew Kassa, and Tegest Abate are the only voices heard on the recording. In the aftermath of the LP’s release, the public’s response was strong and the LP and cassettes sold better than expected.
While the band never travelled outside Addis Ababa, they performed at top hotels and played the presidential palace twice. The Walias’ relationship with the Derg regime was complex though, evidenced by the removal of one song from the record by government censors because it included mention of the previous government. The regime’s broad policy of violence and censorship—including a period called the Red Terror that featured genocide-level disappearances of students, activists and villagers and the indiscriminate imprisonment of journalists—ultimately resulted in half the band staying in the United States following their first tour outside Ethiopia in the early 1980s. Today the musicians remain scattered between Addis Ababa and Washington D.C.
Decades later, Hailu Mergia was surprised to see the album fetching more than $4,000 at online auctions. The Walias had recorded the most famous and wide-reaching of all Ethiopian tunes from that era, “Musicawi Silt,” which was composed by the band's pianist Girma Beyene.
Hailu Mergia, a keyboardist and arranger diligently working the nightclub scene in Addis Ababa, formed the Walias in the early 1970’s with a core group of musical colleagues assembled from the remnants of prior working bands attached to the Zula and Venus clubs. One of the first “private” bands, the Walias got a steady gig at the prestigious Hilton Addis Ababa and remained independent from the government-supported bands of the time as well as from the clubs who employed bands.
While the oppressive and often brutal, Socialism-inspired Derg government (1974-1987) had a firm grip on Ethiopians following the revolution, Walias organized their own contracts and eschewed government patronage. Unlike the celebrated bands of the run-up to Selassie’s removal—the Police Orchestra, Imperial Bodyguard Band, National Theater Band, Ethiopian Army Band, Hager Fikir Theater Band, City Hall Theatre Folkloric Group and so on—the Wailas developed fame on their own terms and maintained control of their instruments and performances. They played the blues-, funk- and soul-informed tunes Mergia was writing and arranging, while cutting 45rpm recordings released by Kaifa Records with popular vocalists, including Getachew Kassa and Alemayehu Borobor.
After several singles, Mergia decided to do something different: record a full-length album. The band—which at the time featured Moges Habte (saxophone and flute), Mahmmud Aman (guitar), Yohannes Tekola (trumpet), Melake Gabrie (bass guitar), Girma Beyene (piano), Temare Haregu (drums), Abebe Kassa (alto saxophone) and special guest Mulatu Astatke (vibes)—entered Radio Voice of the Gospel studios to record their first long-player. The director of the station knew Mergia personally and connected the band with a sound engineer there. (Incidentally, the Lutheran-owned station was taken over shortly thereafter by the Derg government and used for propaganda purposes.)
Influenced in large part by Jimmy Smith, Mergia and the Walias merged the popular international sounds available in Ethiopia at the time with the traditional tunes that formed the foundation of most musicians’ repertoires. But for this LP, instead of playing the role of backing band, Mergia wanted four of his bandmates to contribute arrangements, so that the album would capture a spectrum of sounds with the instruments and groove positioned out front.
Recording in one large room, the band spent two days laying down the songs, completing several of them in single takes. It was the most professional technical set-up they had used thus far, with modern studio facilities and quality instruments (Mergia was using Farfisa and Godwin organs at the time). Being that this record was predominantly instrumental—extremely rare among Ethiopian LPs—it’s notable that Tche Belew features a backing chorus. Interjecting brief phrases on a few songs, the trio of accomplished vocalists Aster Aweke, Getachew Kassa, and Tegest Abate are the only voices heard on the recording. In the aftermath of the LP’s release, the public’s response was strong and the LP and cassettes sold better than expected.
While the band never travelled outside Addis Ababa, they performed at top hotels and played the presidential palace twice. The Walias’ relationship with the Derg regime was complex though, evidenced by the removal of one song from the record by government censors because it included mention of the previous government. The regime’s broad policy of violence and censorship—including a period called the Red Terror that featured genocide-level disappearances of students, activists and villagers and the indiscriminate imprisonment of journalists—ultimately resulted in half the band staying in the United States following their first tour outside Ethiopia in the early 1980s. Today the musicians remain scattered between Addis Ababa and Washington D.C.
Decades later, Hailu Mergia was surprised to see the album fetching more than $4,000 at online auctions. The Walias had recorded the most famous and wide-reaching of all Ethiopian tunes from that era, “Musicawi Silt,” which was composed by the band's pianist Girma Beyene.
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Traducción Automática:
Decenas
de grabaciones queridas se hicieron durante la legendaria "edad de oro"
de la música etíope, una época que se extiende desde principios de los
años sesenta hasta mediados de los años setenta. Menos
discutidas son las canciones hechas después de la revolución de 1974
que derrocó al emperador Hailu Selassie I. El aclamado y codiciado LP de
Hailu Mergia y Walias, Tche Belew, un álbum de instrumentales
estrenadas en 1977, es quizás el la más seminal de estas grabaciones. La historia de la banda de Walias es un capítulo crítico en la música
popular de Etiopía, que tiene lugar durante un período de flujo de la
industria de la música y la complejidad política en el país.Hailu
Mergia, tecladista y arreglista que trabaja diligentemente en la escena
de clubes nocturnos en Addis Ababa, formó el Walias a principios de la
década de 1970 con un grupo central de colegas musicales reunidos de los
restos de bandas anteriores vinculadas a los clubes Zula y Venus. Una de las primeras bandas "privadas", Walias consiguió un concierto
estable en el prestigioso Hilton Addis Ababa y permaneció independiente
de las bandas de la época apoyadas por el gobierno, así como de los
clubes que empleaban bandas.Mientras
que el opresivo ya menudo brutal, el gobierno Derg inspirado por el
socialismo (1974-1987) tuvo un firme control sobre los etíopes después
de la revolución, Walias organizó sus propios contratos y evitó el
mecenazgo del gobierno. A
diferencia de las célebres bandas del período previo a la destitución
de Selassie: la Orquesta de la policía, la Banda de guardaespaldas
imperial, la Banda del teatro nacional, la Banda del ejército etíope, la
Banda de teatro Hager Fikir, el Grupo folclórico del teatro del
ayuntamiento y demás, los Wailas desarrollaron la fama por su cuenta términos y control mantenido de sus instrumentos y actuaciones. Jugaron las melodías informadas por el blues, el funk y el soul que
Mergia estaba escribiendo y arreglando, mientras cortaban grabaciones de
45rpm lanzadas por Kaifa Records con vocalistas populares, incluyendo
Getachew Kassa y Alemayehu Borobor.Después de varios singles, Mergia decidió hacer algo diferente: grabar un álbum de larga duración. La
banda, que en ese momento presentaba Moges Habte (saxofón y flauta),
Mahmmud Aman (guitarra), Yohannes Tekola (trompeta), Melake Gabrie
(bajo), Girma Beyene (piano), Temare Haregu (batería), Abebe Kassa ( saxofón
alto) y invitado especial Mulatu Astatke (vibes) -entraron los estudios
Radio Voice of the Gospel para grabar su primer jugador de larga
duración. El director de la estación conocía personalmente a Mergia y conectó a la banda con un ingeniero de sonido. (Por cierto, la estación de propiedad luterana fue tomada poco después
por el gobierno de Derg y utilizada con fines de propaganda).Influenciado
en gran parte por Jimmy Smith, Mergia y Walias fusionaron los populares
sonidos internacionales disponibles en Etiopía en ese momento con las
melodías tradicionales que formaron la base de la mayoría de los
repertorios de músicos. Pero para este LP, en lugar de interpretar el papel de la banda de
acompañamiento, Mergia quería que cuatro de sus compañeros de banda
contribuyeran con los arreglos, de modo que el álbum capturara un
espectro de sonidos con los instrumentos y la ranura colocados al
frente.Grabando en una sala grande, la banda pasó dos días colocando las canciones, completando varias de ellas en tomas individuales. Era
la configuración técnica más profesional que habían utilizado hasta
ahora, con modernas instalaciones de estudio e instrumentos de calidad
(Mergia estaba utilizando los órganos de Farfisa y Godwin en ese
momento). Siendo
que este disco era predominantemente instrumental, extremadamente raro
entre los LPs etíopes, es notable que Tche Belew presenta un coro de
respaldo. Intercalando
frases breves en algunas canciones, el trío de vocalistas consumados
Aster Aweke, Getachew Kassa y Tegest Abate son las únicas voces
escuchadas en la grabación. A raíz de la publicación del LP, la respuesta del público fue fuerte y el LP y los casetes se vendieron mejor de lo esperado.Si
bien la banda nunca viajó fuera de Addis Abeba, actuaron en los mejores
hoteles y tocaron dos veces en el palacio presidencial. Sin
embargo, la relación de Walias con el régimen de Derg fue compleja,
evidenciada por la eliminación de una canción del registro por parte de
los censores del gobierno porque incluía la mención del gobierno
anterior. La
amplia política de violencia y censura del régimen -incluido un período
llamado Red Terror que presentó desapariciones a nivel genocida de
estudiantes, activistas y aldeanos y el encarcelamiento indiscriminado
de periodistas- finalmente resultó en que la mitad de la banda se
quedara en los Estados Unidos después de su primera gira. fuera de Etiopía a principios de los años ochenta. Hoy los músicos permanecen dispersos entre Addis Ababa y Washington D.C.Décadas más tarde, Hailu Mergia se sorprendió al ver el álbum obteniendo más de $ 4,000 en subastas en línea. The
Walias había grabado el más famoso y de gran alcance de todas las
melodías etíopes de esa época, "Musicawi Silt", que fue compuesto por el
pianista de la banda, Girma Beyene.
A1 - Tche Belew
A2 - Yemiasleks Fikir
A3 - Yikirta Lemminalehu
A4 - Musical Silt
A5 - Lomi Tera-tera
B1 - Woghenei
B2 - Ibakish Tarekigne
B3 - Birukane
B4 - Eti Gual Blenai
B5 - Yenuro Tesfa Alegne
Créditos:
Alto Saxophone – Abebe Kassa
Bass Guitar – Melaku Gabrie
Chorus – Aster Aweke, Getachew Kassa, Tegest Abate
Drums – Temare Haregu
Guitar – Mahmmud Aman
Piano – Girma Beyene
Saxophone, Flute – Moges Habte
Trumpet – Yohannes Tekola
Xylophone, Congas, Liner Notes – Mulatu Astatke
Organ – Hailu Mergia
Sello: Kaifa Records – LPKF 45
Fecha: 1977
Género: Jazz, Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country
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