Maqeda

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 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 instruments 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.