Around The World (39)

Hello, as announced sunday more Bill Laswell connected today, and it doesnt get closer then this next artist, Mrs Laswell, though at the time this album was recorded she was still single...You could say that working together on this album sparked their flame...need i say more ? Its a great album from a great singer with a beautiful voice....don't miss it.
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Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw - Gigi (01 ^ 145mb)

Gigi Shibabaw was born and raised amid a family of ten in the north-west Ethiopia, a small town called Chagni. Surrounded by music she grew up singing in the Ethiopian Church, which is actually not allowed for women, but there was a priest who taught Ejigayehu how to sing the songs.Her early determination to become a singer put her at odds with her father, but she never wavered, leaving home for Nairobi (Kenya) before returning after a few tears to Addis Ababa (Ethiopian capital) as a singer and songwriter of instant note. Cast in a French theatre production of the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, which featured an all-Ethiopian ensemble, Gigi toured East and South Africa, and eventually France, where she was invited to perform at a Paris World Music Festival. Seeing the world stage as her true home, Gigi relocated to San Fransisco at age 24, where she recorded two albums for the Ethiopian expatriate community, which attracted the attention of Palm Pictures owner Chris Blackwell (formerly Island records). At his request, Bill Laswell, well versed in african music since the mid-eighties, oversaw Ethiopian singer Gigi’s debut release for Palm Pictures. Supplementing Gigi’s multilingual, Ethiopian rooted vocals with a vast array of well respected musicians such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Laswell himself, the result was a fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds. The stunning release was a critical success internationally, though it generated some controversy in her home country for such a radical break with Ethiopian popular music. Meanwhile Laswell and Gigi had related strongly, became romantically involved and subsequently married. 
 
This release was soon followed by Illuminated Audio, where Laswell returns to the original Gigi tapes and lays down entirely new tracks ! on top of loops of the old songs. The result is a lovely ambient groove-pop album but more a Laswell album. 2003 saw the release of Zion Roots, under the band name Abyssinia Infinite. Bill Laswell played guitar and keyboard (instead of his usual bass), and several of Gigi's family members contributed vocals. The album was a return to a mainly acoustic sound for Gigi, incorporating instruments such as the krar and the tabla. The track "Gole" is in Agewña, the language of Gigi's father's village. Gigi's voice may be heard in the Hollywood film Beyond Borders (2003), in which Angelina Jolie portrays an aid worker during the 1984 - 1985 famine in Ethiopia. She released her sixth album, Gold and Wax on Palm Pictures, in 2006. Where husband/producer Bill Laswell brings together musicians from Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, including Bernie Worrell, Karsh Kale, Ustad Sultan Khan, Buckethead, Midival Punditz, and original Swinging Addis saxophonist Moges Habte. 



01 - Gud Fella (5:35)
02 - Mengedegna (5:33)
03 - Tew Ante Sew (4:20)
04 - Abay (5:18)
05 - Bale Washintu (5:35)
06 - Guramayle (4:27)
07 - Sew Argen (5:16)
08 - Aynama (5:05)
09 - Kahn (3:47)
10 - Zomaye (4:00)
11 - Abet Wubet (4:07)
12 - Nafeken (5:23)
13 - Adwa (5:02)

diet version

Ejigayehu “Gigi” Shibabaw - Gigi ( 01 * 99mb)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !