| Gigi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ejigayehu Shibabaw |
| Origin | Ethiopia |
| Genre(s) | Ethiopian music |
| Instrument(s) | Voice |
| Years active | 1997 - present |
| Website | Gigi Music |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Vocal | |
Ejigayehu Shibabaw, or Gigi as she is popularly known, is one of the most successful contemporary Ethiopian singers worldwide. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other The music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse with each of Ethiopia 's ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. NOTE This intro is the result of careful NPOV work Please do not make potentially controversial edits to it without first discussing on the talk page Coming from an ancient tradition of song originating in the Ethiopian Church, she has brought the music of Ethiopia to wider appreciation and developed it in combination with a wide variety of styles. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic: Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental The music of Ethiopia is extremely diverse with each of Ethiopia 's ethnic groups being associated with unique sounds A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other
Contents |
Recording career
Gigi was born and raised in the north-west Ethiopia small town called Chagni. Chagni (also known as Kedamawi Haile Selassie Ber) is a town in western Ethiopia. She lived in Kenya for a few years before moving to San Francisco in about 1998. The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city She recorded two albums for the expatriate Ethiopian community, but it was her 2001 album, titled simply Gigi, that brought her widespread attention. She had been noticed by Palm Pictures owner Chris Blackwell, who had years earlier introduced reggae to the mainstream through his former label, Island Records. Palm Pictures is a US based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell. Chris Blackwell (born June 22, 1937) is the founder of Island Records. Reggae is a Music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s Island Records is a Record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. Blackwell and Gigi's producer (and later, husband) Bill Laswell, decided to use American jazz musicians (including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Pharoah Sanders and others) to accompany Gigi on the new album. Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. Wayne Shorter (born August 25 1933) is an American Jazz Composer and Saxophonist, commonly regarded as one of the Pharoah Sanders (born October 13, 1940
The result was a fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds. The album was a critical success internationally and generated controversy in her home country for such a radical break with Ethiopian popular music. [1] This release was soon followed by Illuminated Audio, an ambient dub style remix of the album by Laswell.
Recent releases
2003 saw the release of Zion Roots, under the band name Abyssinia Infinite. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Bill Laswell played guitar and keyboard (instead of his usual bass), and several of Gigi's family members contributed vocals. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. The album was a return to a mainly acoustic sound for Gigi, incorporating instruments such as the krar and the tabla. The krar is a five- or six-stringed bowl-shaped Lyre from Eritrea and Ethiopia. This article is about the Indian drum For the drum with the same name in Arabic, see Goblet drum. 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. Beyond Borders is a 2003 movie about Aid workers starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen. Angelina Jolie (born Angelina Jolie Voight on June 4 1975 is an American film actor The 1984 - 1985 famine in Ethiopia were two famines that occurred simultaneously in Ethiopia, of which the northern is the most prominent
She released her sixth album, Gold and Wax on Palm Pictures, in 2006. Palm Pictures is a US based entertainment company owned and run by Chris Blackwell.
Controversy
Gigi has been criticised by some conservatives in Ethiopia for breaking out of the traditional role of women in the Ethiopian Church. For instance, the song "Adwa" on her album Gigi is a cry of mourning for soldiers who died in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. Adwa (also spelled Adowa, Aduwa, or See also First Italo-Ethiopian War. The Second Italo–Abyssinian War (also referred to as the Second Italo-Ethiopian War) was a This type of song is traditionally sung by men in Ethiopia.
Discography
- Tsehay, 1997
- One Ethiopia, 1998
- Gigi (Guramayle), 2001
- Illuminated Audio, 2003
- Abyssinia Infinite: Zion Roots, 2003
- Gold & Wax, 2006
Featured on:
- Future 2 Future by Herbie Hancock
- Sacred System: Dub Chamber 4 (Book of Exit) by Bill Laswell
- Realize by Karsh Kale
- Live at Stern Grove by Tabla Beat Science
- Enter The Chicken by Buckethead
- Radioaxiom by Bill Laswell and Jah Wobble
- Putumayo Presents: One World, Many Cultures Compilation
References
- ^ Falceto, Francis. Herbert Jeffrey Hancock ("Herbie" born April 12 1940 is a Jazz Pianist and Composer. Karsh Kale ( Hindi: कुरश कले Kursh Kah-lay) is an Indian producer composer and musician known for melding the music of his heritage with Tabla Beat Science is a musical group founded in 1999 by Zakir Hussain and Bill Laswell Brian Carroll, better known as Buckethead, is an American Guitarist and Songwriter. Alfanalech - Gigi Between Past and Future (HTML) (English). Les nouvelles d'Addis. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. “What is new with Gigi and Bill Laswell, is the extremely modernist bent of an enterprise which marks, like it or not, a radical break with the usual routine and the decadence prevalent for the past quarter-century. ”
External links
See also
Afropop Worldwide is a radio program which presents the musics of Africa and the African diaspora. Public Radio International ( PRI) is a Minneapolis -based American Public radio organization with locations in Boston, New York Asnaketch Worku, also known by the French spelling of her name Asnatqèch WèrquDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic