Getatchew Mekurya & The Ex & Guests - 2007

Dudes, this is awesome.


Getatchew Mekurya is an Ethiopian jazz saxaphone player. Particuarly active in the fifties and sixties, he was "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".

So that's pretty cool on its own.

But, when people started looking back on the awesome Ethiopian jazz scene a couple years ago, he caught the attention of The Ex, an anarcho-post-punk band from the Netherlands. They did a few albums with each other (not full on collaborations, but one with The Ex as a backing band for Getatchew, and another one where he solo'd on a few songs of their's, or something like that).

Shit really catches on fire with this live DVD, though. Each half of the equation (Ethiopian free jazz + post punk) clearly influences the other, and ends up creating a sound unlike any other I've heard.

Sometimes biting and raw, the saxophone is like a screaming spirit over the edgy, rough guitars. Sometimes funky, the horn section delivers afro-beat style epic lead lines. Sometimes jazzy, Getatchew spits hot fire atop of the punk structure.

6 Responses so far.

  1. Anonymous says:

    hi there, how do we share music with you?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Very good!
    Thank you for sharing.

  3. kurt says:

    love the Ex, catch my shoe, a recent release is stil fresh stuff 30 yrs later, they are still coming up with it. not surprised at the collab, there is a definite free jazz feel to their work anyway. Thanks, looking forward to putting it in favourites.

  4. edlorado says:

    thanks i recently came across a video of this collaboration!

  5. HimHeem says:

    Amazing, I have never hears anything like this before.
    Fucking Amazing

  6. Will says:

    @samenes: this means I'm doing my job right.

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