Samuel Yirga - Guzo on CD

Description

Review Some albums take a while to get to know properly, as the listener adjusts to unfamiliar terrain. Guzo, the debut set by Ethiopian pianist Samuel Yirga, is such a set. Much of the album unfolds slowly, opening up spaces for quiet contemplation, making use of a variety of styles, each of which conjures its own mood. This is the kind of record that you need to pay attention to in order to navigate properly. It is not background music, nor a blasting party sound; it works better in a twilight setting, the listener in meditative mode. Yirga is best known as the keyboardist with Dub Colossus, the hybrid project put together by Nick ‘Count Dubulah’ Page, joining Ethiopian players with musicians based in Britain. On stage with DC, Yirga tends to be in the background, his instrument almost lost in the mix. But those fortunate enough to catch his solo performances in Britain in 2010 will know that the young man has impressive talent. In the foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, he was a wizard on 88 keys, conjuring his own rhythms on the ivories and drawing a range of emotions from a whirlwind of melodies. As this album was cut between Ethiopia and Britain, it’s a hybrid that comes over as a jazz album with Ethiopian leanings, rather than fully-fledged Ethio-jazz. Opening number Abet Abet has a mournful kebero behind Yirga’s broody clavinet and Dubulah’s bouncing bass. Tiwista is a pensive piece that would not have sounded out of place on a Don Cherry album. Ye Bati Koyita and Dance With the Legend are unadorned piano musings, while Firma Ena Wereket and the Latinesque My Head use a fuller Ethio-jazz-like ensemble. A cover of Rotary Connection’s psychedelic soul epic I Am the Black Gold of the Sun features The Creole Choir of Cuba, and although the collaboration initially worries, the track works surprisingly well. In short, this is an impressive debut album that attests to the originality and expressiveness of its author. --Chris Parkin Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window Product Description Debut solo album from Dub Colossus' Samuel Yirga inspired by his Ethiopian roots, American jazz (particularly Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock), Latin, and classical music. Features guest vocals from the Creole Choir of Cuba, Mel Gara, a British singer whose origins are in Iraq; and Nicolette, a Nigerian-British singer, famous for her collaborations with Massive Attack. Samuel Yirga knows a thing or two about determination and overcoming obstacles. As a child and teenager growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, all he dreamt about was becoming a musician. His parents were strictly against this and wanted him to study to become a doctor or engineer. When they forbid him to attend music school auditions his sister luckily helped him to sneak out. Aged 16 at the time, Samuel stepped into Addis Ababa's Yared School of Music for his auditions never having actually touched a musical instrument in his life. He managed to pass his entry exam regardless - with a coin tapping out rhythms on the top of a piano! Once he was admitted he picked the piano as his instrument to study - but the head of department took one look at his hands and said it wasn't possible. "She said my hands were too small," Samuel explains. But he persevered; he was determined that he was going to be the best pianist in Ethiopia. Despite still being in his 20s and only having left music school relatively recently, Samuel has developed at a pace, both as a player and a composer, remarkable for someone of his age. He has gone on to become one of Ethiopia's most promising young musicians and in recent years, Samuel has gained wider international recognition through his touring and recording with Ethio-fusion group Dub Colossus. 'Guzo', which means "journey" in Amharic, is Samuel's debut solo album (out on Real World Records on 9 July). Recorded partly in Addis Ababa and partly in the UK at Real World Studios, it is the product of his