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Terp
As-10 Takkabel - Take This! Mohammed Jimmy Mohammed €17.50 (incl. shipping + tax) |
It must seem like we're
on the Terp payroll or something
by now, this being the second
record they've put out that's
received record of the week honors
here at aQ. And the fourth or
fifth that we've raved about. And
to be totally honest, the Terp
releases that ended up -not- being
records of the week, could very
well have under different
circumstances, as they are equally
as amazing. What can we say,
everything Terp has put out so far
has totally and completely blown
us away! The live Konono record,
the gorgeous Lanaya record and
this newest release from blind
Ethiopian vocalist Mohammed
'Jimmy' Mohammed. His story is
just as amazing as his voice and
the music he makes. After becoming
blind as a child, supposedly as a
curse for his parents' decision to
ignore the warnings of a fortune
teller and baptize him, as God had
willed him to be a Muslim,
Mohammed ran away and spent
several years on the streets,
homeless, begging for food,
finding solace in the songs of
legendary vocalist Tlahoun
Gessesse (immortalized in several
volumes of the amazing Ethiopiques
series) who not only sang
beautifully, but whose songs
addressed the plight of the poor
and suffering. Mohammed was
eventually discovered and cared
for, enrolled in a school for the
blind and raised by a kind hearted
surrogate father. After money was
raised to help restore his sight,
he was heartbroken to discover the
funds were stolen and his eyesight
was never to be restored. Mohammed
spent a brief stint in the
national theater before becoming a
nightclub singer, where he became
more and more popular. Mohammed
mostly sings Tlahoun Gessesse's
pop songs from the '60s / '70s,
being as those are the songs that
most affected him throughout his
life, but it's his voice and the
unique arrangements that make him
so special. He appeared briefly on Ethiopiques 2 but this is his first proper full length. The first track here is a mindblower. The music is so squiggly and complex, so dense and tangled, angular but so lovely, our first thought was that it sort of sounded sort of like the maniacal casio exotica of Aavikko. Part of it might be the fact that Mohammed's band is augmented on that track by legendary European free jazz drummer Han Bennink, and Massimo Pupillo from Italian drone jazz combo Zu. SO amazing. There are plenty of immediately recognizable melodies and distinctly Ethiopian elements, but the way it is played is so strange and lovely. But it's Jimmy's vocals, high and clear, swooping into an impossible falsetto and back again, warm and rich and so gorgeous, that makes this so magical. Bennink drums on a handful of the other tracks as well (he apparently told Jimmy that the reason they clicked so perfectly was because, he said "I'm blind as well when I play with them") but even when it's just Jimmy and his band, the sound is still totally unique and so very special. Little delicate curlicues of electric krar (5 string harp), shuffling skittery drumming, smooth slithery riffs, warm smooth sax from Ethiopian legend Getatchew Mekurya, all weaving a rich intricate tangle of classic Ethiopian melody and irresistibly groovy rhythms, above which Jimmy just soars, so totally emotional and intense, so passionate and absolutely breathtaking. --Aquarius Records
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| Mohammed 'Jimmy'
Mohammed - vocals Mesele Asmamaw - krar, backing vocals Asnake Gebreyes - drums, backing vocals Han Bennink - drums (1,3,4,6,8) Getatchew Mekuria - saxophone (2,3,5) Massimo Zu - bass (1) Track
Listing: Total playing time: 71.08m All songs based on versions by Tlahoun Gessesse / except 'Mela mela', by Bahiru Kegne Arrangements by the musicians. Recorded at Jottem, Wormerveer, Holland. 6/7/10 may 2005. Engineered by Maarten Tap. Mixed januari 2006 by Andy Moor. Mastered by Colin McLean. Produced by Terrie Ex. Lay-out, artwork: Jos Kley, Emma Fischer. Photo's & stills: Emma Fischer. |
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