Gétatchèw Mèkurya
Gétatchèw Mèkurya ( Amharic ጌታቸው መኩሪያ , born March 14, 1935 in Yifat ; † April 4, 2016 ) was an Ethiopian jazz musician ( saxophone ).
Live and act
As a child, Mekurya learned to play traditional folk instruments such as the lyre krar and the single-stringed lute Masinko , before switching to the saxophone and clarinet in adolescence , instruments that were popular in Ethiopia at the time because of Haile Selassie's preference for brass bands . At the age of 13 he played in a city band; He began his career as a musician in orchestras in Addis Ababa and in the house band of the Haile Selassie I Theater . As a member of the police orchestra , he accompanied popular singers such as Hirut Beqele and Alemayehu Eshete . In the 1950s, Mekurya developed a personal style on the tenor saxophone that incorporated traditional Ethiopian chants. Outside his home country he became known through the album Negus of Ethiopian Sax , which was re-released on compact disc in 2003 in the world music series Éthiopiques . This led u. a. on the collaboration with Russ Gershon and the Either / Orchestra as well as the band The Ex , which invited him to a festival in Amsterdam; with The Ex he released the album Moa Anbessa in 2006 , in which Xavier Charles was also involved. In 2012 the album Y'Anbessaw Tezeta followed , on which he reinterpreted his earlier compositions. In 2008 he performed with The Ex at Lincoln Center in New York .
Web links
- Gétatchèw Mèkurya at Discogs (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Nate Chinen: Getatchew Mekurya, Ethiopian Jazz Saxophonist, Dies at 81. April 12, 2016, accessed on April 12, 2016 (English).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mèkurya, Gétatchèw |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | ጌታቸው መኩሪያ (Amharic) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Ethiopian jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 14, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Yifat |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 4, 2016 |