Origins

Bandleader (although he prefers the title ‘Ethio Musicologist’) Teferi Assefa, from Addis Ababa, earned his Masters degree in Jazz Drumming and Percussion at Poland’s Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music before joining Lasta Sound, whose progressive fusion of traditional Ethiopian music with reggae and other genres earned their movie project, Journey to Lasta, the Best Music award at 2005’s New York International Independent Film and Video Festival. After going on to co-establish Wudasse, another Ethio-jazz band popular both at home and in the US, Teferi formed Negarit over ten years ago as, what he calls, ‘a platform for undertaking ethnomusicology and anthropology research and analysis efforts targeting Indigenous communities and their unique cultural heritages.’

‘Emahoy’, dedicated to Ethiopian musician and nun Emahoy Tsege-Mariam Gebru, is an enjoyable opener, calling to mind the influences of Mulatu Astatke and Getatchew Mekurya — the big names associated with the plaintive, soulful sound of Ethio-jazz.

Upbeat, highlife-inflected ‘Arba Minch (Gamo)’ picks up the pace, integrating the unique, Indigenous rhythms of Ethiopia’s Gamo and Welayta people. Funky, free-flowing, ‘Yewelalia (Gurage)’, based on a traditional wedding song, is another one of several highlights on this excellent collection of 12 mainly instrumental tracks released as part of Buda’s ÉthioSonic series.