The original classic Ethiopian vinyl reissue series continues - the best of Ethio Jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed and his band recorded in 1975 plus two tracks from 1978. Excerpt from the sleeve notes: "Melancholy blues, starkly minimalist, brassy country tunes, dancing urban jazz: a rich and moving patchwork of sounds, traversing Afro-beat, moving towards Latin-swing and oriental arabesques (Anaïs Prosaïc)". These were the first - and enthusiastic - reviews from the music press when the first notes of modern Ethiopian music sounded on our shores. It was in 1984-1985, a positive note for a country hit so hard at that time. The country had been so ravaged by media frenzy, a mixture of horror and pious pity, harsh denunciation and humanitarian appeals. With one brutal stroke of reality TV, Ethiopia was transformed into a cursed nation, abandoned by God and by men. Contrary to these tragedies, but in the same hackneyed tones, the life of Mahmoud Ahmed resembles a hallucinating fairy tale where destiny, talent and achievements combine to triumph over poverty, fate and the evil eye. Biography, history and legend invariably write, with the help of God, the lesson of rewarded merit. But who can make remarks, despite the mockery that celebrities invariably attract, in the face of one of the greatest voices in all of Africa? Once upon a time, a street kid in Addis Ababa, who started as a shoeshine boy and became one of his country's biggest stars, opening the door to Ethiopian music for Western audiences." Francis Falceto
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