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In Defense of Contemporary Ethiopian Music...
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Throughout the long-winded diatribe, Mintesinot had been inching his way to the edge of his seat, wide eyed and excited, eagerly listening to Imahoy Tisemé. He glances about the room, and without consulting with his erudite Tebeqa, he starts applauding the Grande Dame's speechifying.
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| Mintesinot |
"Tell it like it is, yene Enat! You got right to the point, and took the words right out of my mouth! . Bravo! Bravo!
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The stunned audience looks up at him as if he were possessed. Even Afe Negus is slow to respond, lost in thought, and doesn't look up until the buzzing of voices breaks his reverie...
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Afe Negus
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Tsetita yikeberilin Inji! Order, for the last time!! Imahoy, you've obviously posed a very grave question, and since our defendant seems to have an opinion on the matter, let him answer the question. Well, sir, how do you explain the lack of true musical talent today?
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Mintesinot
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Well, I certainly did not expect this turn of events; may I suggest a brief recess before I answer you, as my response might take longer than a few minutes? This would also allow me to make a brief call to an associate of mine so he can join us. I think that you'll find that his expertise in matters of music and entertainment extremely pertinent.
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Afe Negus |
Very well then, Court is in recess for one half hour, after which we will hear testimony from Mintesinot regarding the appalling state of Ethiopian music today.
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As Mintesinot steps away he pulls out his cell phone and furiously dials a number, oblivious to his approaching counsel, " Have you gone MAD?! What do you think you're doing? You'll get crucified! This is not the time and place to grandstand about the merits of Ethiopian music....Hellloooooo!? Are you even listening to me?"
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Mintesinot
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Ebakihin, tewegn legizzaew, and I'll explain... "Hello? Yohannes! Ere diress baschekway. No, no, no... this can't wait; I need you now! I'm sending the driver right away and I'll be waiting." He hangs up and turns with a small smile as he whispers to himself, "Ayzoh, the truth will come out today."
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He looks off towards Imahoy, who is giving him a quizzical look, still unsure of his agenda. One of the silent members of the panel, Hajj Shenno, silently gives him the once-over; meanwhile, Afe Negus returns with refreshments for Imahoy and the other members of the bench. He then glances over to Mintesinot, who gives him an almost imperceptible nod to indicate that he is ready. While Afe Negus calls the court to order, Mintesinot motions one of the clerks over and gives him a quickly scribbled note, instructing the man to bring "Yohannes here b'aschekway."
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Afe Negus gets the proceedings underway, "The question has been posed as to the ailing state of our music Ato Mintesinot, the floor is yours; please proceed.
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Mintesinot
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To all present, I wish to offend no-one, but sometimes the truth ain't pretty. We've all known for years that Ethiopian music is in a period of stagnation. The number of truly talented musicians is growing ever smaller, whereas the poseurs and would-be cognoscenti abound; some would have you believe that our music is extremely dull because it primarily is based on the pentatonic scale...
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Imahoy
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Ihhhh, ité, yeminu lefdada new, ibakachihu? What in the name of Kidane-Mihret is this tonic? Tell us something we can understand or sit down!
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Mintesinot
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Yene enat, let me try to explain: the Amarigna Kignit is called a PENTATONIC scale in English. There are four primary pentatonic scales that are used in the composing of our music: Bati, tizita, anchi-hoy and Ambassel. Though the music sounded similar, the true litmus test of what was considered "good" music was the musicians' ability to compose songs offering up lyrics that would challenge the most learned of us all. For instance, what few recordings of Kassa Tessema we still have are revered by Ethiopians throughout the world. Musically, it is very simple, uncluttered and beautiful, yet his songs appeal more because of his singing style and the spare accompaniment with the krar. The lyrics are also simple, but convey to the audience a feeling, an emotion that cannot be explained, or defined.
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Going back to the question of the poor state of Ethiopian music, a brief history is required, so please bear with me. Back in the day, when all the greats of our music were at their peak, what they did not know was that they were also ushering in a new dawn in Ethiopian music: the krar, masinqo, washint were being put aside in favor of the saxophone, the guitar and the piano. The emphasis shifted from lyric-driven acoustic music to a new, more electronic sound that ; all the bands raced to keep up: Police Orchestra comes out with a song emulating Chubby Checker's popular "Twist", then Kibur Zebegna Orchestra has to respond to the challenge by coming out with a James Brown-flavored piece of music; these were the "hooks" used to get their audience. Alemayehou Eshete, a.k.a. the Ethiopian James Brown, is a classic example of this practice. While I do not want to appear to be disparaging him, the facts do speak for themselves. Ask anyone to name a Mahmoud Ahmed song, and I wager that "Tiz Tiz" and "Alawekshilignim" would be counted as one of their favorite songs OF ALL TIME! And we all know that no-one dances the eskista to that -- you TWIST.
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Now fast forward to today and you will see that the seeds that were sown 30 years back have taken root, and have had a major effect on music today. Take, for example, Mulatu Astatqe, a learned and experienced man in our musical history. But even his music has been affected by the Western taint. His earlier forays into instrumental music show a definite Latin influence, and his later recordings, either as an artist or producer, definitely show a seventies soul/jazz influence, so much so that one of his songs starts out with a piece of music written by Horace Silver, a noted African-American jazz musician. While it may be possible that Mr. Silver's ancestors might have been Ethiopian, (Silver derived from Birru, perhaps?), I doubt very much that his impetus for composing said song had anything to do with being of Ethiopian descent. AND it is not in the afore-mentioned pentatonic scale! AHA, what does that say, well maybe Ato Mulatu wanted to pay homage to Mr. Silvers song " Song for my Father" and that's why he used it , I can't answer that, but next time I run in to Ato Mulatu I'll remember to ask.
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Yared Mandefro
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Your honor, I beg you to make this fool cease his ranting. I ask for your forgiveness but I cannot let this go on, particularly about this last point. The sin is not that Ato Mulatu, an internationally recognized composer, used Latin influences at all...the issue is that these influences carry with them the thrum of African beats. Thus it is the Italian who must answer for the use of African rhythms, not the other way around.
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Mintesinot continues, unabashed, although the audience is clearly on Yared's side.
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Mintesinot |
Coming to the music of today, though the style of music has certainly changed, I still find many things to celebrate. For instance, the music of Elias Negash is simply amazing, with his incredible mastery of the piano. (Finally, the crowd can relate to what he's saying, and a few nods are seen around the room). Another Elias, Elias Tebabel, has a natural gift with the masinqo, and his ability to craft a giTem to fit the situation or venue is unparalleled. Setegn Atanaw is another gifted musician who has an uncanny ability to improvise verse at the drop of a hat. These are just to name a few. While their talents might not be as universally known as, say, Mahmoud or Tilahun, give them time and listen to them. Note, please, that I said listen to THEM. Don't forget that the heart of our musical heritage lies in the lyrics, the giTem, the Sem'ena Worq. The music, or melody, is just there to add a bed for the words to lay on. The singer has to wrap the words around the music so that when we listen, mouth agape at these intricately woven strands, it's like accepting a specially prepared gursha. One has to chew on the words, savor, swallow and digest them. Or we can resort to simplistic lyrics like..." Hodeye, wodedkush, anchiye lemenkush, blah blah blah ..." Personally, I prefer the traditional gursha, thank you!
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Imahoy spontaneously claps her hands, "Inem, lije; inem, I prefer the traditional gursha." Suddenly remembering, she rummages through her large bag and her chubby fingers emerge, triumphantly clutching a bit of day-old QiTa. She starts to gnaw away at it, but her attention remains unwaveringly on the speaker.
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I'm sure you now see why the blame cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of the musicians. The biggest culprits are the audience themselves. In order to keep them happy, we as musicians have to give them what they want; otherwise, we find ourselves looking for other work. Case in point, why is it that there is a market for acts like La Fontaine and Chachi, but someone like Teshome Mitiku has to strive for his market? To paraphrase from a very famous adage, while I might disagree with, or even dislike a person's musical/artistic taste, I fully support his/her right to continue to practice that chosen craft. I know, I know this seems like I'm waffling but I'm not; while I personally CANNOT stand either of the two examples I gave, I certainly would not want to deny them their right to attempt to create something, anything. On the other hand, it is a crime that someone like Teshome Mitiku, who in my opinion has a much better grasp of our musical heritage, does not enjoy the same accolades as others. The irony to this statement, of course, is the knowledge that Teshome, along with his brother Teodros, was one of the founding members of the now defunct, Soul Ekos Band from the Sixties, which in its time was probably seen as a cutting edge modern electric band, possibly seen as a precursor to the impending demise of Ethiopian music (I wonder what the music literati of that time had to say, hmmmm)
However, let me leave you with a grain of hope. While the music of today might appear to be in decline, I feel that we are in a period of great evolution. We are experiencing a birth, a rebirth if you will. The musical revolution that started with the likes of the Mitiku Brothers and the Soul Ekos Band, and the Ibex Band, is continuing, but the influx of new recording equipment and the relatively cheap electronic equipment of today has allowed anybody who is so inclined to release a CD. Remember Milli Vanilli, New Kids on the Block, or Hammer? They all enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame, all were extremely popular, but where are they now? I liken them to fast food, in a pinch you'll stop and get something because you're hungry, but you wouldn't make a steady diet of it. Therefore, while there is a whole bunch of dreck available right now, there is also a collection of very good music that is waiting to be heard. But, again, very few people are listening because its not something or someone they are familiar with, OR because it sounds different (this last is a personal gripe).
For example, I recently played Sileshi Demessae's newest CD, entitled Sorene, to a non-musician friend. It was a children's CD, with children singing with him. My friend immediately dismissed it as "yemanew shimagley k'hitsanatotch gar yemizefnew, yemanew sirra fet?" Having had numerous opportunities to speak with Ato Sileshi, I am well aware of his devotion to his craft and his years of understanding that music is a great artistic endeavor and that children would benefit from being exposed to it early on; this is evident in his work as well. But because it isn't the eskista-inducing, rolling rhythm, his work is ignored by the majority of the Ethiopian music-buying population (incidentally, Sileshi plays the krar beautifully) While he certainly is a bit of an iconoclast, one cannot deny his obvious talent, nor his incredible mastery of the krar. Nor should anyone sane question why someone would want to pass this heritage on to our children.
At the risk of boring you with too many anecdotes (Imahoy is back in the peanut gallery, "Wiy, awo, ere beQan -- selechehen!") regarding the lack of appreciation for new and "different" music by the general public, let me add this. When people arrive too late, or are too busy chatting outside, to catch the opening act at any concert, they will miss our growing efforts to identify new talent and to support music that is fresh and new, while trying to keep our feet grounded in our musical heritage. This is never an easy task; when we give "birth" to an artistic idea, it's our "baby", our creation , not a piece of steak you can send back to the kitchen to be cooked till it's done, or to be tossed aside because you have a taste for tofu today.
After all, let's not forget that Mozart was one of the most reviled and least celebrated musicians of his time. The great Salieri, Composer to the Emperor Josef II, was better regarded than Mozart, but today he is a footnote in musical history, while Mozart's genius, his "babies", are celebrated worldwide. But I digress and the hour is getting late. With Your Honor's permission, I would like to cede the floor to my esteemed colleague, who has just arrived.....
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Afe Negus |
I'm sorry but you can't just leave the floor to whomever you choose. Your lawyer, and the prosecutor are the only people allowed to speak. Is this man a witness on your behalf? If so, he can wait until he is called.
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Mintesinot |
I am sorry, he is my co-counsel. His flight was delays so he is just arriving from the airport. He will be assisting with the cross-examination and has some crucial evidence to present to the court.
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Afe Negus |
Very well then please step forward and identify yourself to the court, please.
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As the flashy stranger approaches the bench, several eyes are upon him; even to Imahoy there's something oddly familiar about him. He sets down his briefcase, puts on his fashionable Lunor glasses, and adjusts his understated, yet expensive gold cufflinks; the matching ring has the initials YC. Turning a steady gaze at each member of the judging panel and then at prosecution, and finally at the audience (including the preening Imahoy), he introduces himself
Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for arriving late, I am co-counsel for the defense, and as such I am privy to his dealings as they pertain to the entertainment industry within the Ethiopian community. Let me just say to you that he is innocent. Per the contract agreement that I have with me, signed by all parties involved in the concert in question, we will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my clients are not to be held accountable. Moreover, we are claiming that other parties were involved that did not want this event to go on as planned, and we will prove that with incontrovertible evidence. I have only one more statement to make
If the musicians played (MuziQegnochu KeteCHawetu)
They Must Get Paid! (B'weQtu Yikefelu)
My name is Yohannes Cochrane. Thank you for your time
A stunned silence follows..............
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