New York (TADIAS) — Whether you are into eskista, reggae or breakdance, it can’t get any better than to get your groove on with Debo and Feedel bands performing together in one place. The two bands are scheduled to share the stage (hosted by Grammy nominated Ethiopian-born singer Wayna) at Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia on Friday June 27th.
Boston-based Debo Band, founded by Ethiopian-American Saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, is known for its cross-cultural appeal and popularizing the sounds of “swinging Addis” from the 1960’s and 1970’s among modern-day American audiences. The group is currently working on its second album following their debut self-titled record released in 2012. “We are self-producing our sophomore album, which will feature original songs along with Ethiopian traditional medleys, unique covers, and wild mashups that push the limits of our band’s sound,” states their announcement on the pledgemusic.com campaign website.
Likewise, Feedel Band is also currently working on a new album with producer and Gogol Bordello band member Thomas Gobena soon to be released by Electric Cowbell Records. As OkayAfrica highlights the ethio-jazz group, which hails from the Washington, D.C. area, “have been making waves with their vintage Ethiopique sound” while Apropop Worldwide says the band ”keeps the funky experimentation of 70s Ethiopia alive.”
— If You Go:
Friday June 27 – 8pm
Debo Band + Feedel Band w/ DJ Underdog
Hosted by Wayna Artisphere
1101 Wilson Blvd, Arlington VA 22207
Adv Tix $15 – Day of $18 Click here to RSVP via Facebook
Watch: Debo Band: Ethiopian Funk On A Muggy Afternoon (NPR)
New York (TADIAS) – In its recent, thumbs-up highlight of Debo band’s self-titled first album NPR noted: “The particular beauty of Debo Band is that you don’t have to be an ethnomusicologist to love it: It’s all about the groove. Debo Band transforms the Ethiopian sound through the filter of its members’ collective subconscious as imaginative and plugged-in 21st-century musicians. Klezmer-haunted wails dart in and out between disco thumps. The swooning, hot romance of [Yefikir Wegene] bursts up from the same ground as the funky horns of Ney Ney Weleba. From that hazy shimmer of musical heat from faraway Addis, a thoroughly American sound emerges.”
In an interview with Tadias Magazine, Danny Mekonnen, the group’s Ethiopian-American founder, agreed with NPR’s description, yet also pointed out that even he finds it difficult to explain the music. “It’s funny now that I am talking to the press more and more I am asking myself the same question”, Danny told TADIAS. “What is it?,” he said, admitting that he is not sure how he would categorize Debo’s music genre.
“I don’t think its Ethio-jazz because to me Ethio-jazz is a very specific thing branded by Mulatu Astatke. Its gentle,” he said. “Initially I didn’t want to start an Ethio-jazz band because I was interested in a lot of different things and influenced by unapologetic funk music as well, such as someone like Alemayehu Eshete, which is really about groove, dancing, and strong lyrics. That kind of energy.”
Debo’s debut album features originals, such as DC Flower and Habesha, the latter based on the Diaspora experience where a young man is mesmerized by an attractive East African woman walking down the street that could be either Ethiopian or Eritrean, while the former is an instrumental giving prominence to Embilta flutes and traditional drums. “The two songs are noteworthy because we are carving our space as a Diaspora, Ethiopian-American band,” Danny said.
Danny, who holds a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology from Harvard University, said he became exposed to Ethiopian music at an early age while growing up in Texas, mostly from his parents cassette-tape collections of old songs from the 1960’s and 70s. “I was just soaking it up like a sponge,” he said. “I was attracted to it because of its horn melodies and its closeness to American jazz.” He continued: “Later, in the early 2000’s I was introduced to the Éthiopiques CD series, which gave me really accessible context including photos. That also led me to meet some great people in the Diaspora. So when I entered Harvard I had already started Debo band and my scholarly focus was on Ethiopian music.”
Even though Debo’s sound is heavily indebted to the classics of the 1960’s and early ’70’s, Danny said he is sympathetic to those who say the overwhelming focus on that era alone undercuts the contributions of subsequent generations of Ethiopian musicians. “Unfortunately the focus on the so called ‘Golden Age of Ethiopian music’ sort of discredits what came after it,” he said. “For example, if you listen to Teddy Tadesse’s Zimita album, that was a pretty heavy record, very progressive, and at least ten years ahead of its time. You can hear its influence in singers that came later like Gossaye and Teddy Afro.” He added: “Zimita was entirely arranged by Abegaz Shiota. Abegaz and bass guitarist Henock Temesgen are two of the many contemporary Ethiopian musicians that I have the highest respect for. They were part of Admas Band that worked with everyone from Aster Aweke to Tilahun Gessesse and Mahmoud Ahmed.”
Danny said his friend Charles Sutton, Jr. – the Peace Corps volunteer who in 1969 arranged for Orchestra Ethiopia, then led by Tesfaye Lemma, to tour the United States under the name “The Blue Nile Group” – was also instrumental in helping him to connect with older Ethiopian musicians in the U.S. “Charlie arranged for me a private lesson with Melaku Gelaw, one of the top washint and kirar players of that generation,” Danny said.
According to Danny, Mr. Sutton was also responsible for suggesting the name “Debo” as the group’s identity. “I told Charlie I was searching for a band name and he spoke to an Ethiopian lady friend of his and she came up with the word,” Danny shared.
“Debo means communal labor or collective effort in Amharic” Danny said. “An easy word to pronounce for non-Ethiopians, short four-letter word and very simple. But it also strikes up a fun conversation among Ethiopians because it’s an old archaic word and not part of their daily usage.”
“Ethiopians tell me that it sounds like Dabo (bread),” Danny said laughing.
— If You Go: Debo Band is getting ready for their CD release tour starting next week and will be performing at The Bell House in Brooklyn, the U Street Music Hall in Washington D.C. as well as at the renowned Philadelphia Folk Festival in Schwenksville, PA. For a detailed listing of their upcoming tour please visit Debo Band’s website. You can learn more about Debo’s new album and pre-order at www.subpop.com.
New York (Tadias) – The following is our video coverage of the 2011 Lincoln Center Out of Doors concert at the Damrosch Park Bandshell in New York, which also featured Debo band and special guest Fendika. We had the opportunity to interview the band members, as well as the Director of Public Programming for Lincoln Center. The event was attended by thousands of people. It was described by The New York Times as “generous, warm, high-spirited real entertainment for a big audience. It was a delight to watch them.” The Debo/Fendika collective became only the second Ethiopian music ensemble to perform at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors event, following in the footsteps of Ethiopia’s leading musicians Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and legendary saxophonist Getachew Mekuria, who made a historic appearance here in 2008.
New York (Tadias) – Debo band and special guest Fendika staged a memorable concert on Thursday, August 11th, in New York at the 41st annual Lincoln center summer music festival — one of the longest-running, free, outdoor festivals in the United States.
The Debo/Fendika collective became only the second Ethiopian music ensemble to perform at the Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors event, following in the footsteps of Ethiopia’s leading musicians Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and legendary saxophonist Getachew Mekuria, who made a historic appearance here in 2008.
“There were an estimated 4,500 people in attendance,” Marian Skokan, the event’s Senior Publicity Manager, told Tadias Magazine.
As The New York Timesput it: “At the end of a day of perfect New York summer weather on Thursday, the mood established by the Lincoln Center Out of Doors two-part event of dance and live music at the Damrosch Park Bandshell was just right: generous, warm, high-spirited real entertainment for a big audience.”
Tadias crew was there and we had the opportunity to interview the band members, as well as the Director of Public Programming for Lincoln Center.
New York (Tadias) – Debo band and Fendika dance group will perform near Los Angeles’s Little Ethiopia at Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts at MacArthur Park on Friday August 6.
The group is also expected to make its first appearance in Northern California this coming weekend when they perform live at the “Historic Sweets Ballroom” in Oakland. The Oakland event is being hosted by the Ethiopian Arts Forum of the Bay Area and will take place on Saturday, August 6th.
In the East Coast, “Ethiopian funk invades Washington as Debo welcomes Lounge Lizards to the Kennedy Center’s Atrium on the roof terrace level for an extraordinary happy hour,” reports The Washington Examiner. The D.C. concert is slated for August 8th.
The band will then head to New York for an outdoors performance at the Lincoln Center – Damrosch Park, scheduled for Thursday, August 11th.
Debo, the Boston-based Ethio-groove ensemble, and Fendika, the Addis Ababa-based cultural dance group, have been collaborating on joint international shows since 2009. “U.S. audiences went crazy for the traditional dancing of [Fendika],” said Debo’s band leader Danny Mekonnen in an interview with Tadias Magazine in regards to the group’s recent tour. “I think seeing the dance of a culture immediately creates a greater appreciation and understanding of the music.”
Watch: Debo Band Tour 2011 from Ashley Hodson on Vimeo
Debo is an Ethiopian American band. And its unique instrumentation – including horns, strings and accordion – was inspired by the Golden Age of Ethiopian music in the late 1960s and early 70s, but its accomplished musicians are giving new voice to that sound.
The Ethiopian traditional dance and music troupe, Fendika, includes amazing young Azmari artists led by one of Ethiopia’s leading dancers Melaku Belay. Belay, who is one of the most active arts advocates in the Addis Ababa scene today, is an innovative and virtuoso interpreter of Eskista. Belay performed at the Lincoln outdoors concert in 2008 with legendary saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and The Ex band.
Regarding the collective’s upcoming NYC show – which will be held at the same venue where the historic concert featuring Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria took place three years ago – Danny said he is eagerly anticipating his New York gig.
“I can’t tell you how I excited I am to present Debo Band with special guests Fendika at Lincoln Center Out of Doors!”, he said. “I was at the historic concert in 2008 with Getachew Mekuria, Mahmoud Ahmed, and Alemayehu Eshete.”
Danny adds: “I loved the collaborations with saxophonist and The Ex and vocalists and The Either/Orchestra. I think that audiences will remember Melaku as the dancer with Getachew and the Ex. I’m honored that my band is the next group to present Ethiopian music to Lincoln Center audiences. Also, I’m thrilled to have Melaku as the project’s co-leader. He is a visionary Ethiopian artist and his work with Fendika is second to none.”
Los Angeles Friday August 6 at 7PM
Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts – MacArthur Park
230 West 6th Street Los Angeles, CA 90057
Info: FREE – call 213-384-5701
For more details: http://levittla.org/en/calendar.html
Oakland Saturday August 6th at 9PM
Historic Sweets Ballroom
1933 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
Door: $20.00
Venue phone: 510-501-3413
More info at: ethiopianartsforum.org
Washington, D.C. Monday August 8th at 6pm
Where: Kennedy Center Atrium, Millennium Stage
Who: Debo Band / Fendika
When: Lounge opens at 5:30 p.m.
Info: Free, 202-467-4600 or kennedy-center.org
New York City Thursday August 11 at 7:00pm
Lincoln Center – Damrosch Park
Lincoln Center’s Plaza
B/N Broadway & Amsterdam Avenues
West 62nd Street to West 65th Street
Visit LCOutofDoors.org for complete schedule
Call 212-875-5766 to request a brochure.
Direction to Lincoln Center – Damrosch Park:
Take No.1 IRT to 66th Street/Lincoln Center Station)
OR the A, B, C, D and No. 1 trains to 59th St/Columbus Circle.
Video: Addis Ababa Bete – Debo Band with Fendika Dancers at Joe’s Pub, NYC, September 2010
New York (Tadias) – The Boston-based Ethio-groove ensemble, Debo, and the Addis Ababa-based cultural dance group, Fendika, are set to collaborate on another exciting NYC summer concert. This time, the collective will perform on August 11 at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors, the same venue where the historic concert featuring Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria took place in 2008.
Debo is an Ethiopian American band led by Danny Mekonnen. The band’s unique instrumentation – including horns, strings and accordion – was inspired by the Golden Age of Ethiopian music in the late 1960s and early 70s, but its accomplished musicians are giving new voice to that sound.
The Ethiopian traditional dance and music troupe, Fendika, includes amazing young Azmari artists led by one of Ethiopia’s leading dancers Melaku Belay. Belay, who is one of the most active artists and arts advocates on the Addis Ababa scene today, is an innovative and virtuoso interpreter of Eskista. Belay performed at the Lincoln outdoors concert in 2008 with legendary saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and The Ex band.
Below is our recent interview with Debo’s band leader Danny Mekonnen, standing front-right in the above photograph.
Tadias: The last time your band was in town, we danced all night. The lead singer makes it very easy.
Danny Mekonnen: Bruck is charismatic and humble, but he’s also a very serious musician! I definitely think having him as a front man makes it easy for audiences to get into our music, even if they don’t understand what he’s singing about. One of the things that inspires me is knowing that what we do is unique — there’s not a group anywhere in the world quite like us. Playing a diverse musical set is important to us because we love music from across the country and throughout Ethiopia’s musical history. To only play music from the 1970s would miss out on great contemporary artists like Gossaye and Tsehaye Yohaness; we’ve played and studied several arrangements by Abegaz Shiota, as well. And to play only Amharic music with a chic-chic-ca beat, would miss out get Tigrigna and Oromo music, too. Ethiopia has a reach musical landscape and we try hard to honor that.
Tadias: How was Fendika received by U.S. audiences?
DM: U.S. audiences went crazy for the traditional dancing of Melaku Belay and his partner Zinash Tsegaye. I think seeing the dance of a culture immediately creates a greater appreciation and understanding of the music. And Melaku and Zinash are the best at what they do! We started working with Fendika (Melaku’s group) in May 2009 on our first tour in Ethiopia. It helped that Debo Band’s members hung out at Melaku’s azmari bet – also called Fendika – every night that we weren’t playing! So the friendship and bond grew in a very organic way.
Tadias: How excited are you about your upcoming appearance in New York this summer?
DM: I can’t tell you how I excited I am to present Debo Band with special guests Fendika at Lincoln Center Out of Doors! I was at the historic concert in 2008 with Getachew Mekuria, Mahmoud Ahmed, and Alemayehu Eshete. I loved the collaborations with saxophonist and The Ex and vocalists and The Either/Orchestra. I think that audiences will remember Melaku as the dancer with Getachew and the Ex. I’m honored that my band is the next group to present Ethiopian music to Lincoln Center audiences. Also, I’m thrilled to have Melaku as the project’s co-leader. He is a visionary Ethiopian artist and his work with Fendika is second to none.
Tadias: Any plans to come out with a CD?
DM: I hope to do more touring with Debo — this summer we are going to California for the first time. And hopefully we’ll do our first European tour in 2012. Yes, we are planning to release a CD next year. I’m really excited about all that we have going on right now.
Tadias: On a personal note, we also hear that you recently became a father. Congratulations!
DM: Thanks so much. My daughter is a year and a half now. I’m not sure I have quite learned to balance work and family! It’s always a struggle, but it helps to have a wife who’s supportive of my band. It also helps that she’s an artist and business owner herself!
Tadias: What kind of music do you listen to at home?
DM: I listen to all kinds of music. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Fleet Foxes, a great indie-folk band. But I go through phases where I listen to nothing but hip hop or experimental or Ethiopian music. My inspiration comes from all over including from my friends who are great musicians.
Tadias: Is there anything that you would like to add?
DM: I just want to add that this summer’s tour with Fendika wouldn’t be possible without the support of Lincoln Center. New York is lucky to be home to one of the largest and most artist-friendly performing artists institutions in the world. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Bill Bragin, Director of Public Programming at Lincoln Center, who is a big fan and supporter of both Debo and Melaku.
Tadias: Thank you Danny and good luck.
—-
If You Go: All events are free and take place on Lincoln Center’s Plaza between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenues, from West 62nd Street to West 65th Street (except where noted). Debo will perform on August 11th. Take No.1 IRT to 66th Street/Lincoln Center Station) OR the A, B, C, D and No. 1 trains to 59th St/Columbus Circle. Visit LCOutofDoors.org for complete schedule or call 212-875-5766 to request a brochure.
Photos courtesy of Debo band.
Video: Addis Ababa Bete – Debo Band with Fendika Dancers at Joe’s Pub, NYC, September 2010
Above:Debo Band will stage a show at 92y Tribeca in NYC on
May 28, 2011. (Photograph courtesy of Amael Tesfaye, 2011)
Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam
Updated: Saturday, May 28, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The Ethio-jazz group Debo Band will return to NYC to perform at a special concert featuring Ethiopian, Sudanese, and North African music. The event is set to take place at the 92Y Tribeca tonight.
Led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye, Debo’s performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian music, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, as well as developing new compositions.
At today’s show in New York, Debo will be joined by Nettle — a band that was founded by DJ/Rupture when he lived in Barcelona. Nettle will release their second album in Fall 2011 entitled El Resplandor: The Shining In Dubai, a soundtrack to an imagined remake of The Shining, set in an abandoned luxury hotel in Dubai.
The other musical ensemble set to share the stage with Debo is Alsarah & The Nubatones. The band came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through the diaspora viewed through an urban lens.
“We’ve never done a show quite like this,” says Debo bandleader Danny Mekonnen, speaking about his team’s NYC gig. “We’re really interested in seeing how these different bands will compliment each other.”
Debo is also scheduled to make an appearance at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors this Summer, which is the same concert that featured Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria in 2008.
“Very exciting time for us,” says Danny.
If You Go:
Saturday, May 28
8pm Doors, 9pm Show
$16 cover. All ages.
92YTribeca
200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
212.601.1000 www.92y.org/92ytribeca/
Video: Debo Band – “Lantchi Biye” Live: SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist
Above:Debo Band will stage a show at 92y Tribeca in NYC on
May 28, 2011. (Photograph courtesy of Amael Tesfaye, 2011)
Tadias Magazine
By Tigist Selam
Published: Wednesday, May 11, 2011
New York (Tadias) – The Ethio-jazz group Debo Band will return to NYC later this month to perform at a special concert featuring Ethiopian, Sudanese, and North African music. The event is set to take place at the 92Y Tribeca on May 28th, 2011.
Led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye, Debo’s performances bring together the best of the last forty years of Ethiopian music, with a reverence for the vintage sounds of the 1970s and a commitment to discovering contemporary gems, as well as developing new compositions.
At the upcoming show in New York, Debo will be joined by Nettle — a band that was founded by DJ/Rupture when he lived in Barcelona. Nettle will release their second album in Fall 2011 entitled El Resplandor: The Shining In Dubai, a soundtrack to an imagined remake of The Shining, set in an abandoned luxury hotel in Dubai.
The other musical ensemble set to share the stage with Debo is Alsarah & The Nubatones. The band came together out of a collective love for Nubian music and a genuine belief that Soul transcends all cultural and linguistic barriers. Inspired by the pentatonic scale they blend a selection of Nubian ‘songs of return’ from the 1970s with original material and traditional music of central Sudan. Their set is a musical journey through the diaspora viewed through an urban lens.
“We’ve never done a show quite like this,” says Debo bandleader Danny Mekonnen, speaking about his team’s NYC gig. “We’re really interested in seeing how these different bands will compliment each other.”
Debo is also scheduled to make an appearance at The Lincoln Center Out of Doors this Summer, which is the same concert that featured Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, and Getachew Mekuria in 2008.
“Very exciting time for us,” says Danny.
If You Go:
Saturday, May 28
8pm Doors, 9pm Show
$16 cover. All ages.
92YTribeca
200 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10013
212.601.1000 www.92y.org/92ytribeca/
Video: Debo Band – “Lantchi Biye” Live: SXSW 2011 Showcasing Artist
Above:Tadias TV spoke with Fendika’s group leader Melaku
Belay (left) & Debo band’s founder Danny Mekonnen (right).
Tadias TV
Events News – Video
Published: Monday, September 20, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The Boston-based Debo band and the Fendika traditional dance troupe from Addis Ababa performed to a sold-out audience in New York.
The American and Ethiopian musicians, who made their first joint international appearance at the 7th Sauti za Busara music festival in Zanzibar earlier this year, launched their U.S. tour on Friday, September 17, 2010.
The fifteen piece cross-cultural jazz collective is scheduled to make upcoming stops at select American cities, including Philadelphia, Boston, Richmond (VA), Chicago, and Milwaukee with expected highlight concert at the Chicago World Music Festival.
Tadias TV caught up with Debo band’s founder and Harvard graduate student Danny Mekonnen as well as Fendika’s group leader Melaku Belay at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan.
Watch: Backstage With Danny Mekonnen and Melaku Belay
Above:Debo band’s upcoming NYC show highlights Fendika,
traditional dance group from Ethiopia. (Courtesy photograph)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Debo Band’s recent musical performance at the 7th Sauti za Busara festival in Zanzibar is now featured in a documentary film entitled Twice in a Lifetime. The film captures the group’s energy and poignancy through clips of live performances interspersed with interviews and behind–the–scenes footage as the band travels from Ethiopia to Tanzania.
The fifteen piece cross-cultural jazz collective from Boston, founded by Ethiopian-American Harvard graduate student Danny Mekonenn, combines Ethiopian classics with modern sounds and traditional azmari grooves from Addis Ababa.
If you go:
09/17/10, New York, NY, Joe’s Pub
Time: 9:30pm. | Admission: $15 in advance/$20 at door
Address: 425 Lafayette St.. | Venue phone: 212-967-7555. | 9:30
Note from the band:
New Yorkers! Our collaborators from Ethiopia are arriving this week,
and we hit the ground running with a fantastic show in NYC. This is
the stage show we brought all the way to Zanzibar, don’t miss it!
Above:Debo band’s upcoming U.S. tour highlights Fendika, a
traditional Azmari group from Ethiopia. (Courtesy photograph)
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Published: Wednesday, August 18, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Debo Band, the Boston-based jazz collective which focuses on Ethiopian grooves, is gearing up for a U.S. debut tour featuring Fendika, a group of traditional Azmari artists from Addis Ababa.
Debo Band’s expanded 14-piece project will tour select American cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Richmond (VA), Chicago, and Milwaukee with expected highlight stops at the Chicago World Music Festival and NYC’s Joe’s Pub.
The band’s Ethiopian-American founder Danny Mekonnen said the concert has been a long-time coming. “Ever since we first worked with Fendika in Addis, we’ve wanted to share this collaboration with U.S. audiences…they are incredible folk performers who do what few have seen in this part of the world,” Danny said. “We also wanted the chance to host them in our country as they did in theirs.”
Fendika’s group leader Melaku Belay – the traditional dancer who accompanied saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya and the Dutch band the Ex at the historic 2008 outdoors show at NYC’s Damrosch Park – “has established himself as the top dancer in Ethiopia with more than 40 international concerts in the last three years, including performances at Chicago’s Millennium Park and New York City’s Lincoln Center,” the band said in a press release. “One of the most active artists on the Addis Ababa scene today, Melaku is an ardent supporter of Ethiopia’s diverse musical traditions and a savvy cultural entrepreneur who manages his own nightclub and is developing his own institute for the arts.”
This tour is supported by two new releases by Debo Band: Adderech Arada, the group’s first 7-inch vinyl record and Flamingoh (Pink Bird Dawn), their first EP. The live recording featured on Flamingoh documents the brief period around Debo Band’s trip to East Africa in Winter 2010, with performances from Sauti za Busara, Club Alize in Addis Ababa, and the Western Front in Cambridge. They also have a documentary, featuring their escapades with Fendika in Ethiopia and Zanzibar, and a full-length live album on the way.
“Fendika’s arrival marks a new chapter for us. I think our fans are going to get a kick out of the dancing, traditional singing and drumming, and we can’t wait till Fendika get here to begin working with them once more,” Danny said.
Melaku Belay with Getatchew Mekurya (Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Damrosch’s
Park, New York City. Photograph by Trent Wolbe / Tadias magazine events file image)
Video: Sauti za Busara 2010: Debo band
Related from Tadias Archives: Video: Interview with Debo band founder Danny Mekonnen at L’Orange Bleue – NYC (2009)
Above:Front, left to right – Stacey Cordeiro, Danny Mekonnen,
Kaethe Hostetter, Arik Grier; (rear, left to right) P.J. Goodwin,
Keith Waters, Dave Harris, Bruck Tesfaye, Jonah Rapino.
(Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)
The Boston Globe
By James Reed
January 10, 2010
CAMBRIDGE – Just before midnight on a brisk night at the Western Front, an unassuming club outside Central Square, a refreshing scene is unfolding. Soon after a handsome man croons a love song in Amharic (Ethiopia’s official language) over the band’s chunky ’70s funk riffs, a rapper gets up on stage and drops fluid rhymes also in his native tongue. Other times the musicians lock into long instrumental grooves solely in service to the party vibe. Read more.
Above:From left, alto saxophonist Abye Osman, Debo Band
founder Danny Mekonnen, and vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. (Photo
credit: H. Asrat)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, January 6, 2010
New York (Tadias) – The Ethio groove ensemble known as Debo Band, whose signature music explores the unique sounds that filled the dance floors of “Swinging Addis” in the ‘60s and ‘70s, has won the Boston Music Awards’ under the category of “International Music Act of the Year.”
The Boston Music Awards, having recently celebrated its 22nd year, is the most prestigious annual music event in Boston. The BMA website points out that the program pays “tribute to the region’s finest musicians.”
For jazz saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at Harvard University and founder of Debo Band, the coveted recognition has garnered excitement.
“It was a huge surprise for us. We really didn’t expect the recognition because there were several great local bands in the category, ‘International Music Act of the Year,’” Danny said. “But somehow we got the attention of the judges (who are Boston-area promoters and music critics) and were also able to garner votes from our fans. I think it will mean more widespread attention for our band throughout Boston, which we’ve already seen at our last few concerts. They have been well attended even in blizzard-like weather!”
The group surfaced from Boston’s underground after playing in major festivals in 2009, including making an appearance at the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa. Danny told Tadias Magazine that the band is gearing up to make a return trip to Africa in 2010.
“Yes, we’ve been given the incredible opportunity to bring Ethiopian music for the first time to East Africa’s largest music festival: “Sauti za Busara” on the island of Zanzibar, February 11th-16th, 2010,” he said. “For our performance at the festival we’ll be joined by four brilliant musicians and dancers from Fendika, an azmari bet in the Kazanchis area of Addis Ababa: Selamnesh Zemene (vocalist), Melaku Belay (dancer), Zenash Tsegaye (dancer), and Asrat Ayalew (drummer). Your readers may know Melaku, who was the dancer at the incredible Getachew Mekuria/The Ex concert at the Lincoln Center in August 2008.”
The Debo Band is currently raising funds to cover travel expenses for 15 musicians to attend the Sauti za Busara festival.
Danny also shares one more bit of good news: “My wife and I have a beautiful newborn girl. Life has been very hectic these days, but we feel blessed.”
We congratulate Danny and look forward to Debo Band’s first album.
New York (TADIAS) – Ethiopian-American jazz saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at Harvard University and founder of Debo band, will be a guest on the second half of The Intercontinental on WMBR (MIT radio) this Wednesday to talk about Ethiopian music and play some rarities from his collection.
Danny’s band, which has been cultivating a small but enthusiastic following in the loft spaces, neighborhood bars, and church basements of Boston, explores the unique sounds that filled the dance floors of “Swinging Addis” – a period of prolific Ethiopian jazz recordings in the 1960s and 70s.
The program airs this and every Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. and can be heard anywhere on the web. Programs are also archived for future reference. For instructions to listen online, visit: WMBR Online.
New York (Tadias) – Ethiopian-American jazz saxophonist Danny Mekonnen, a PhD candidate in Ethnomusicology at Harvard University, founded Debo band in 2006. The band, which has been cultivating a small but enthusiastic following in the loft spaces, neighborhood bars, and church basements of Boston, explores the unique sounds that filled the dance floors of “Swinging Addis” – a period of prolific Ethiopian jazz recordings in the 1960s and 70s. Addis Ababa’s nightlife was buzzing with live Afro-pop, Swing, and Blues performances rivaling those in Paris or New York. The sounds of that era have been showcased on the Ethiopiques Buda CD series. The 60’s and 70’s also witnessed the rise of legendary stars such as Tilahun Gessesse, Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete, Mulatu Astatke, and saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria, among others – some of whom Danny credits as his source of inspiration. He pays tribute to Menelik Wossenachew, a member of the Haile Sellasie Theatre Orchestra, led by the famous Armenian composer Nerses Nalbandian. Debo began making appearances outside of Boston this year, including shows in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. We spoke with Danny prior to the band’s concert at L’Orange Bleue in New York City.
