Ethiopiques, Vol. 5: Tigrigna Music

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Tigrigna music refers to music of Tigray and Eritrea which is quite distinct, both rhythmically and melodically, from ‘Ethiopian’ music, though both share the pentatonic scale. However, the instrument and traditional musical practices are similar, while their names may vary. Feat. Tshaytu Braki, Twod Rdda, Tebreh Doris Day Tsfa-Hunegn, Tkl Tsfa-Ezghi.

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Volume 5 in this remarkable series focuses on the music of Eritrea and Tigray (now a province of Ethiopia), the cradle of the Abyssinian Empire and homeland of the Queen of Sheba. Like the Ethiopian selections found elsewhere in the series, these were recorded in the late ’60s and early ’70s, a very modernist period for the region. Tigrina music has less overtly present jazz and R&B influences than its counterparts from Addis Ababa, retaining its own distinct rhythms and melodies, with the
krar and
tcherawata being the dominant instruments. These rare recordings are often political; especially of note are the banned recordings of Tekle Teska Ezghi, never released prior to his imprisonment by the new Ethiopian junta in 1975, and issued here for the first time ever. Excellently notated,
Ethiopiques 5 continues the high standards of the series.
–Derek Rath