"Guzo" by Samuel Yirga

The joint venture between British and Ethiopian musicians called Dub Colossus has been a firm favourite on the Local Global Show for three years now, with "A Town Like Addis", "Addis Through The Looking Glass" and the remix CD "Dub Me Tender" all being quite extraordinary releases by Real World Records. The keyboard player with Dub Colossus is the precocious talent Samuel Yirga. Now in his early twenties he has only been playing piano since the age of fifteen, when he was one of only three out of two thousand applicants to secure a place at the Addis Ababa Music Academy. His parents disapproved of him being a ne'er-do-well musician, but he was quite driven and would practise for twelve hours a day. Eventually the Academy asked him to leave when he persistently refused to perform the classical music that they insisted upon, in favour of more contemporary EthioJazz compositions that he preferred to play. "Guzo" is his first solo CD and is one of the standout releases of 2012. Partly recorded in Addis, partly in London and produced by Nick Page (of Transglobal Underground fame) there are four distinct elements to it. First up, there are some solo piano pieces with his own distinctly Ethiopian filter. Then there is some traditional Ethiopian music with a Jazz tinge, recorded with local Addis musicians - the one stringed violin and plaintive singing plus Fender Rhodes bass. "The Blues of Wollo" is quite outstanding. Thirdly, there is some full-on postmodern BeBop Jazz, sometimes fierce and in your face (with some wild saxophone parts) and at others very introspective and considered. Finally there is the soul / funk crossover fusion from Western music that has inspired him from the 70's and 80's, which features a great brass section and some wonderful harmonies provided by the Criole Choir of Cuba. This is music that is richly layered and textured, taking the listener through a whole gamut of emotions. It is music from the heart but also, at times, highly complex cerebral stuff. Recent research in Canada using Sting as a guinea pig has shown that composing and performing, and also just listening and dancing to, this sort of music can fire up the neurons in one's brain, releasing dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin galore. Great added value indeed for the price of a humble CD!