Gétatchèw Mèkurya

ጌታቸው፡መኩሪያ (Getatchew Mekuria) was an Ethiopian tenor saxophonist from Addis Ababa who began his professional career in the 1950s and is associated with Ethiopian jazz and instrumental traditions. His playing applied the modal system of Ethiopian music (qenet) to tenor saxophone improvisation, blending traditional folk melodies and azmari vocal lines with jazz phrasing, and in later decades he collaborated with European rock and avant-garde ensembles, bringing Ethiopian modes into cross-cultural experimental contexts.

Releases

Moa Anbessa

Y’Anbessaw Tezeta

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