released: february 6th, 2026

genre: ethio-jazz

from: addis ababa, ethiopia

label: muzikawi

a few thoughts: tilaye gebre found himself at the centre of the legendary and musically diverse ethiopian jazz scene in the mid to late 1970s. a tenor saxophonist who studied and graduated from the prestigious haile selassie first theatre (ethiopian national theatre) in adis, the pioneer of the saxophone worked alongside some of the most legendary names in ethiopian jazz history, including the likes of the ibex band, mulatu astatke, hailu mergia and dawit yifru, to name a few. he dedicated his life to learning the intricacies of his country’s sound, the vast and varied rhythms that are world renown and respected today, far beyond the borders of ethiopia. under mengistu haile mariam’s derg dictatorship, a lot of the music was seen as unpatriotic, with quite a few rules and laws being put into place to prevent music being played, but also preventing people from being in the streets of the cities beyond midnight. they organised continuous sets that continued well into the early hours of the morning, keeping guests inside the concert halls as to avoid the law. tilaye managed to secure a residency at the legendary ghion hotel, and used those spaces to refine and master their sound. dahlak band, led by tilaye gebre himself, were some of the innovators of the ghion sound, and tilaye’s saxophone with the dahlak band, recorded around that time, is a celebration of that musical world. it’s an immersive, stunning meditation on the timelessness and utter beauty of ethiopian jazz. groovy, funky, unassuming and eerie at times, it captures the eclectic and experimental sound of the east african country. i love the dub influence on “ānichī keto gidi yeleshimi (አንቺ ከቶ ግድ የለሽም)” and the wondrous 10-minute composition of “eyut sitinafik’egni (እዩት ስትናፍቀኝ)”, as it meanders between intricate, meandering saxophone melodies, as well as stunning guitar melodies that come in halfway through the track. it’s the raw and soulful, expressive tone of the track that makes it stand out for me. there’s so much more to say about how beautiful, lively, dense and incredibly beautiful this album is, but this time around, i’ll let the music do the talking.

the album: