Debo Band raises the roof on the Ethiopian musical past, picking up where political upheaval of the 1970s and 1980s quenched the energy of one of East Africa's most prolific, vibrant scenes. They imagine what Duke Ellington, while on his famed African tour, might have played with the Addis Ababa Police Orchestra ("Blue Awaze"). They invent the jams of the Ethiopians who served in the Korean War and brought back influences from East Asia (the catchy Okinawan song "Hiyamikachi Bushi").
Debo Band brings these musical what-ifs to life on Ere Gobez (FPE Records; May 20, 2016), the bold, grooving follow-up to their acclaimed debut. The large ensemble is known for its fun, danceable dives into Ethiopia's rich musical worlds--from
Orthodox Christian liturgy to hot-and-sweaty club sounds.
As Debo band leader and sax player Danny Mekonnen insists, Ethiopian musical cultures are so diverse that the band could only scratch the surface even after ten years of dedicated study. "In Ethiopia, in the early 70s, you had a lot of different styles and artists and arrangers. You had such wealth. You can never stop digging; there will always be new material to introduce people to. That's something significant. We're digging much, much deeper. We're still unearthing new sounds after a decade." And these are sounds to pack the dancefloor.
"...riotous energy and sinuous swing." -- NPR
"Guitar solos, massed vocals, violin and brass rush in like a Red Bulled marching band. Dance at your own risk." -- Rolling Stone
"It's not an easy feat to pay tribute and transcend that same tribute simultaneously, but... this band manages the trick." -- Pitchfork
Debo Band will tour in late spring 2016 in support of Ere Gobez.
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Neglected tracks inspire
Debo Band to do more than simply cover them. They rearrange, up the ante, and add new sections and Amharic lyrics to songs, including hits from Somalia ("Kehulum Abliche") and Okinawa. They keep the spirit of the original without being overly beholden to it. The process can get wildly imaginative, finding flights of fantasy in underappreciated historical moments, be it
Duke Ellington's travels through Ethiopia or the musical impact of Haile Selassie's commitment of Ethiopian soldiers to the Korean War.
The same innovative yet respectful approach sparks the band's originals, crafted by trumpeter Danilo Henriquez and electric violinist Jonah Rapino. Earthy dance floor moves merge with psychedelia, rock drive, and spot-on brass--sounds that have the patina of good vintage tracks yet breathe with new life and purpose. "Yalanchi" takes a traditional snippet as a jumping off point--the bass riff from a traditional wedding song--only to move through unexpected chord changes, shifts in time signature, and wonderfully wigged-out solos.
Debo's deep digging has yielded forgotten songs like "Sak," enlivened by Endris Hassen's mesenqo (one-stringed bowed fiddle). Tracking down who created these songs was a challenge, made easier thanks to several dedicated crate-diggers and band members on the ground. (Debo's violinist, Kaethe Hostetter, lives in Addis Ababa and recorded her parts there, along with guests Endris and vocalist Nardos Tesfaw, who can be heard on "Oromo").
For Mekonnen and the band, it's about more than playing with the wealth of modes, styles, and approaches born in Ethiopia. It's about exhuming and reframing a past that had to be abandoned, but that now feels relevant to global conversations about African identities, regional politics, and the plight of refugees. That many of Ethiopia's great artists, songwriters, and recordings were lost is part of a larger story of loss, that of flight, resettlement, and broken links in a long, vital chain of musical expression.
"My parents left everything in the middle of the night as teenagers," recalls Mekonnen, who was born in Sudan. "You don't take your music collection with you when you flee. You leave all that behind. We're still trying to reconstruct the past, not simply by discovering good songs that have been forgotten, but through the interpretation process, making the songs anew. Bringing attention to the silenced era, the absence."
Giving voice to what was silenced has powerful resonance with what's going on far from Ethiopia, including with the struggle to gain visibility for Black and African experiences and lives.
Take "Goraw." "Ethiopia is a country with a long and rich history. Unfortunately, this history often gets diluted with stories of extreme poverty, famine and political instability. But throughout history Ethiopians have shown themselves to be a very resilient and proud people," says singer Bruck Tesfaye, who penned the Amharic lyrics. "This song tries to capture this pride and resiliency of the Ethiopian people and the many heroes that stood up for their country and those that continue to do so today."
This enduring, defiant pride can energize a party, and it can strengthen all of us to fight the good fight. "During the climax at the end of 'Goraw', you hear Bruck sing the word 'gobez', a rich word that lends itself to the album title, Ere Gobez. It's a cry used to rally troops, a call to the lionhearted. You can use it for hyping," Mekonnen muses. "For me, it's not about going into battle literally, but about a passionate response to the world in which we live. We all need to be more courageous in our struggle for equality and justice. There is so much xenophobia and extremism, and music can help us find our courage and stand up."
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