Various Artists - Rough Guide To Ethiopia - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

From Milford Graves' guttural experiments with percussion and the body to Mary Lou Williams' jazz combo interrupted by atonal Inchfungus,Inch this compilation of new (1970s) music makes for an eclectic mix of musical sounds. Star innovators Gil Evans, Sam Rivers, Sunny Murray also contribute to this collection of jazz.

Recorded in the Tigrai and Shoa Provinces and in the Gura Valley, this collection of Folk Music of Ethiopia actually represents not only Ethiopian music but the music of Eritrea and the Sudan. Several of the recordings feature traditional Ethiopian instruments from the string family including the Begenna, the Tcherawata, and the Masonquo, along with the Coboro and Kettledrum and traditional Ethiopian flutes.

In the summer of 1972, Lin Lerner and Chet A. Wollner traveled throughout southwestern Ethiopia, recording the songs, chants, and dances of the various people they met. Folk Music and Ceremonies of Ethiopia documents their journey, exploring the music of Ethiopian ritual with analyses of performance practice, summaries of the stories told through song lyrics, and historical backgrounds which imbue each work with tremendous cultural significance for both individual performers and entire communities. The liner notes also include original transcriptions of song melodies with photos of performers and descriptions of pertinent choreography.