IT Connects - Berhanu Tadesse
Let’s kick off week 6 with music! Berhanu would like to share an Ethiopian song by Mulatu Astatke, which brings back memories for him. The song is beautiful and relaxing; I’m going to add this to my Spotify!
“I grew up listening to music produced and arranged by a great Ethiopian artist, Mulatu Astatke. Mulatu was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston, where he combined his jazz and Latin music interests with traditional Ethiopian music. Astatke led his band while playing vibraphone and conga drums—instruments that he introduced into Ethiopian popular music—as well as other percussion instruments, keyboards, and organ. His albums focus primarily on instrumental music, and Mulatu appears on all three known albums of instrumentals that were released during Ethiopian Golden 1970s. National Public Radio uses his instrumentals as beds under or between pieces, notably on the program This American Life. Samples of his music were used by Nas, Damian Marley, Kanye West, Cut Chemist, Quantic, Madlib, and Oddisee.”
Ethiopian music has four main modes: tezeta, bati, ambassel, and anchihoy. One of the very popular instrumental music Mulatu arranged and produced Tezeta, which means “nostalgia”, has a beautiful, haunting, and addictive quality that touches the heart and soul in a very unique way.
