VA - Ethiopian Urban and Tribal Music (Mindanoo Mistiru / Gold from Wax) (2017)

Ethiopian Urban and Tribal Music is a fascinating field trip to a region rich in musical culture, offering dual perspectives on the sound of its capital, Addis Ababa, and farther afield on the borderlands with the Sudan and Kenya, all recorded in 1971 by Ragnar Johnson and Ralph Harrisson.

Amharic poetry and chants shoulder-to-shoulder with ritual dances and some remarkable, virtuosic instrumental performances such as the buzzing ‘Harp of David’ and the hypnotic, syncopated helixes of Fila Flute Dance

“Mindanoo Mistiru means 'What is the Unknown?' Gold from Wax refers to the layers of meaning in Amharic poetry.

Ethiopia has many languages and styles of music. These recordings were made in the Empire of Ethiopia in 1971. The music recorded in Addis Ababa uses masenko fiddles, craar and bagana lyres, washint flutes and kabaro drums. There is folk music played in Addis Ababa tej beit bars with vocals, craar, masenko, washint and kabaro, Ethiopian Christian songs accompanied by the bagana large 'Harp of David' and Mary Armeede's craar accompanied Amharic sung poetry. There are Afar chants and flutes from the Danakil Desert, Anuak thumb piano, Nuer harp, laments and drumming, a Konso dance and a Gidole flute dance from the Sudan and Kenya borderlands.”