Zafari - Addis Ababa
As a companion to our radio shows. Here, you will find writing on some of our favourite songs of the last 10 years.
There seems to be very little information available about the Ethiopian ensemble behind this remarkably tough and funky Afro-Beat track. Here at Jumble Sale Radio HQ we had played this as a favourite of 2014, due to it’s inclusion on the Beyond Addis compilation of contemporaneous Ethiopian music inspired by the halcyon days of the pre civil war 1970’s and the many top class jazz groups in the country at that time.
However, a bit of research shows that the tune itself does not date from 2014 and had previously been compiled in 2009 on the African Music Today comp pictured above. Prior to this, the tune was sourced from the UK crate diggers label Soul Fire who issued it as a 7” in 2002, on the flip side of a song by a group The Third Eye. Therefore, the actual date and provenance of the track remains sketchy. It certainly sounds vintage enough to be an older recording, but these things are often hard to read, the recording facilities and fidelity available in Ethiopia would not date it as clearly as a US or European recording.
Whatever the date of the original recording, it doesn’t matter, and it remains ageless. Addis Ababa is a favourite of any year. An intense psyche jam suitable for any occasion. Swaggering bass grooves, zipping keyboards, bright horns, played as tight as hell with each instrument allowed to shine and interlock like a shimmering mandala in the heat. If you ever need a lift, you can always bet on this track.