Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret, Army Band – ሸገኔዎች (Beauties) [Ethiopia 1976] – New LP

 Release date: June 16, 2023ሸገኔዎች (Beauties) by Aselefech Ashine & Getenesh Kebret "BEAUTIES, a never-before-reissued classic of the Ethiopian Golden Age - all woozy horns, heavy rhythms, and stunning intertwined female vocals. It’s been a dream release for us for many years, and it’s finally coming out in collaboration with our friends at Domino Sound in New Orleans. Across ten tracks, the “beauties” Aselefech Ashine and Getenesh Kebret duet in close harmony, backed by the Army Band in top form. Arranger Teshome Sisay’s flute weaves through Mulatu-esque minor key piano runs, interlocking percussion, and rocksteady bass. The greatest elements of Ethiopia’s Golden Age combine here, in one of the final records of the era. Aselefech and Getenesh were raised in the bustling cosmopolitan world of late-empire Addis Ababa. They met at the Hager Fikir Theatre, the legendary center for art and cultural learning in Addis, where they were trained in centuries-old vocal techniques as well as a