Getatchew Mekurya
Encyclopedia
Getatchew Mekurya (born 1935) is an Ethiopia
n jazz
saxophonist
.
and the masenqo
, and later moved on to the saxophone
and clarinet
. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his professional career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa
. In 1955 he joined the house band at Addis' Haile Selassie I Theatre, and in 1965 joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to record an instrumental version of shellela, a genre of traditional Ethiopian vocal music sung by warriors before going into battle. Mekurya took the shellela tradition seriously, often appearing onstage in a warrior's animal-skin tunic and lion's mane headdress. He continued to refine his instrumental shellela style, recording an entire album in 1970, Negus of Ethiopian Sax, released on Philips
Ethiopia during the heyday of the Ethiojazz movement. Mekurya continued to work alongside many of the biggest orchestras in the Ethiopian capital, accompanying renowned singers Alemayehu Eshete
, Hirut Beqele and Ayalew Mesfin.
CD series. Mekurya's playing style has been compared to free jazz
, but developed in isolation from it during the early 1950s. Mekurya has said he is unfamiliar with either Ornette Coleman
or Albert Ayler
.
The album Negus of Ethiopian Sax caught the ears of Dutch avant-garde/punk band The Ex who invited the septuagenarian sax player to perform at their 25th anniversary show in Amsterdam in November 2004. In turn, Mekurya asked the Ex to be the backup band for his 2006 album, Moa Anbessa
. The Ex and Mekuria toured The Netherlands
, Belgium
and France
together in 2006 and 2007, and then the United States
in 2008 and Canada
in 2009.
Getatchew Mekurya has added his distinctive sound to collaborations with numerous other contemporary artists, including British Tamil singer Susheela Raman
and Boston jazz ensemble Either/Orchestra
. He still lives in Addis Ababa, and regularly performs at the Sunset Bar at the Sheraton Addis
.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Early career
Mekurya began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krarKrar
The krar or kraar is a five- or six-stringed bowl-shaped lyre from Eritrea and Ethiopia. The instrument is tuned to a pentatonic scale. A modern krar may be amplified, much in the same way as an electric guitar or violin....
and the masenqo
Masenqo
The masenqo is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Ethiopia and Eritrea. As with the krar, this instrument is used by Ethiopian minstrels called azmaris...
, and later moved on to the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his professional career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. In 1955 he joined the house band at Addis' Haile Selassie I Theatre, and in 1965 joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to record an instrumental version of shellela, a genre of traditional Ethiopian vocal music sung by warriors before going into battle. Mekurya took the shellela tradition seriously, often appearing onstage in a warrior's animal-skin tunic and lion's mane headdress. He continued to refine his instrumental shellela style, recording an entire album in 1970, Negus of Ethiopian Sax, released on Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
Ethiopia during the heyday of the Ethiojazz movement. Mekurya continued to work alongside many of the biggest orchestras in the Ethiopian capital, accompanying renowned singers Alemayehu Eshete
Alemayehu Eshete
Alemayehu Eshete is an Ethiopian Ethio-jazz singer active since the 1960s who primarily sings in Amharic. Eshete's talent was recognized by colonel Rètta Dèmèqè who invited the young singer to perform with Addis Ababa's famous Police Orchestra...
, Hirut Beqele and Ayalew Mesfin.
Recent career, collaborations with The Ex and others
Mekurya reached an international audience when his album Negus of Ethiopian Sax was re-released as part of the EthiopiquesEthiopiques
Ethiopiques is a series of compact discs featuring Ethiopian and Eritrean singers and musicians. Many of the Ethiopiques CDs compile various singles and albums that Amha Records, Kaifa Records, and Philips-Ethiopia released during the 1960s and 1970s in Ethiopia...
CD series. Mekurya's playing style has been compared to free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
, but developed in isolation from it during the early 1950s. Mekurya has said he is unfamiliar with either Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman
Ornette Coleman is an American saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter and composer. He was one of the major innovators of the free jazz movement of the 1960s....
or Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler
Albert Ayler was an American avant-garde jazz saxophonist, singer and composer.Ayler was among the most primal of the free jazz musicians of the 1960s; critic John Litweiler wrote that "never before or since has there been such naked aggression in jazz" He possessed a deep blistering tone—achieved...
.
The album Negus of Ethiopian Sax caught the ears of Dutch avant-garde/punk band The Ex who invited the septuagenarian sax player to perform at their 25th anniversary show in Amsterdam in November 2004. In turn, Mekurya asked the Ex to be the backup band for his 2006 album, Moa Anbessa
Moa Anbessa
Moa Anbessa is an album by Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria with Dutch post-punk band The Ex and guests, released in 2006 on The Ex's subsidiary label Terp. The project came together on the heels of The Ex's previous studio album Turn, which incorporated elements of Eritrean and Congolese...
. The Ex and Mekuria toured The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
together in 2006 and 2007, and then the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 2008 and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 2009.
Getatchew Mekurya has added his distinctive sound to collaborations with numerous other contemporary artists, including British Tamil singer Susheela Raman
Susheela Raman
Susheela Raman is an acclaimed British Tamil musician. Raman has released five albums since 2001. Her debut album Salt Rain was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2001.-Early years:...
and Boston jazz ensemble Either/Orchestra
Either/Orchestra
The Either/Orchestra is a jazz group formed by Russ Gershon in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, in 1985. E/O is configured as a "small big band", with three saxes, two trumpets and one or two trombones...
. He still lives in Addis Ababa, and regularly performs at the Sunset Bar at the Sheraton Addis
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide's largest and second oldest brand . Starwood's headquarters are in White Plains, New York.-Sheraton history:...
.
Discography
- "Shellela" 45 (late 1950s)
- Ethiopiques Volume 14: Negus of Ethiopian Sax (recorded in 1970, originally released on Philips Ethiopia in 1972)
- Ethiopiques Volume 20: Either/Orchestra Live in AddisMekuria appears on the track "Shellella" (recorded in 2004)
- Moa Anbessa (with The Ex and other guests) (2006)
- Getatchew Mekurya & The Ex + Guests [DVD, Ethiosonic/Buda Musique] (2007)