Éthiopiques 7: Erè Mèla Mèla

Every song he cut for Kaifa in 1975 with the Ibex Band, plus two from 1978: the album that started Éthiopiques.
Mahmoud Ahmed, 1999

Released: 1999
Recorded: 1975 and 1978
Label: Buda Musique
Producer: Francis Falceto (executive producer)
Length: 61:20
Type: compilation

Play on hypersongs

The original Erè Mèla Mèla was a Kaifa LP, LPKF 20, released in Ethiopia in 1975 with the Ibex Band. Its fourth track was Tizita. The 1986 Crammed Discs LP drew eight tracks from it and from his 1978 own-label album, and left Tezeta off. Buda Musique's seventh Éthiopiques volume gathers all of his 1975 Kaifa recordings, the LP plus two songs from another single, and keeps the two 1978 songs from the Crammed release. Most of it was recorded in Addis Ababa around 1975.

Francis Falceto edited the booklet and wrote the notes with Anaïs Prosaïc, and Wilfrid Harpaillé restored the transfers. Buda calls it one of the last major works of Ethiopia's golden age. A 2016 vinyl reissue in the Éthiopiques series kept eight of the songs, Tezeta among them.

Track listing

Erè mèla mèla4:39
Mètché nèw3:25
Bèmen sèbèb letlash4:34
Abbay mado3:18
Embwa bèlèw3:38
Atawurulegn léla4:02
Ohoho gèdama4:47
Sedètègnash nègn2:02
Samerayé3:28
Endénèsh gèdawo3:48
Fetsum denq ledj nèsh4:44
Ebakesh tarèqign4:40
Ashèwèyna4:35
Bèlomi bènna3:55
Tezeta5:45

Personnel

Mahmoud Ahmed vocals
Giovanni Rico bass
Tesfaye "Hodo" Mekonnen drums
Selam Seyoum guitar
Haile Ghiorgis keyboards
Dereje Mekonnen keyboards on the two 1978 tracks
Girma Tchibsa percussion
Fekade Amde Maskal saxophone
Theodros Mitiku saxophone
Francis Falceto executive producer, booklet editor
Wilfrid Harpaillé transfer and restoration

More from Mahmoud Ahmed

Éthiopiques 26: Mahmoud Ahmed & The Imperial Bodyguard Band (1972-74) (2010)

Sources

Ethiopiques 07: Erè Mèla Mèla, Buda Musique
Éthiopiques 7: Erè Mèla Mèla, MusicBrainz (1999-05-19)
Éthiopiques 7: Erè Mèla Mèla, Discogs
Erè Mèla Mèla (Kaifa LPKF 20), Discogs (1975)
Erè Mèla Mèla, Bandcamp