Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ethiopiques 4--Best of series I've heard, September 16, 2004
This is the first of the Ethiopiques series I bought and it still stands up, five years later, as my favorite. After losing my original copy last year I finally managed to borrow it from the Brooklyn Public Library.
When I listened to it (for the first time in 12 months) I was swept up once again just like every time I've listened to this disc. The melodies are beautiful, across the board. The musicianship is incredible. And there is a wistful, pentatonic sound that suffuses the whole album and, for me, encapsulates a certain kind of regretful feeling.
You will not be sorry to add this disc to your collection.
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33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A direction for the future, March 15, 2000
Listening to the three instrumentals on Ethiopiques 1, I was prepared for what I heard on this CD. The music here is exclusively traditional Ethiopian pentatonic melodies arranged in a new and creative style. Except for the wonderful Tizita, new names are given to the songs, which is misleading, since they are not original Astatke's compositions. I enjoy the quiter and slower arrangements, when you can hear the distinctive sound of the soloists. Where are all of these musicians today ? It seems that the Mangistu revolutions has done permanent damage to the music and the musicians, since Ethiopian music after 1975 has nothing of the creativeness heard here. Today I believe that Ethiopian musicians should look back to these recordings for inspirations and try to pick up where they were stopped. This is goldmine to those who look for ways to develop Ethiopian music while keeping close to the roots.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Exciting Find..., June 24, 2000
I was smitten when I heard a cut off this disk on a "left of the dial" radio station in Boston and immediately tracked down a copy. I was not disappointed. The entire album has a fantastic musicality to it that is hard to describe, tradition and the exotic combined gracefully and interestingly. My sole complaint is that the sound quality on a few of the cuts (late 60s, early 70s recordings) is a bit spotty, which induces a little ear fatigue - after about the third consecutive listening. But I consider that a quibble. I recommend very hightly.
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