Mahmoud Ahmed’s story is that of a kid raised in the streets of Addis-Ababa who began as a shoeshine boy before becoming one of his country’s leading stars and the person who opened Ethiopia’s musical doors to the Western world.
The ten tracks of his album Live in Paris, recorded at the Theatre de la Ville, feature music at the crossroads of Afro-beat, Latin swing and oriental arabesques. However, it is Ahmed?s astonishingly rich, original and powerful vocals that are the true star of the show. In a field of great performers, no other artist captures the spirit of Ethiopian song like Mahmoud Ahmed.
Several of Mahmoud Ahmed’s recordings were reissued on CD under the Éthiopiques series: Volume 6, 7, 19 and 26.
Partial discography
Almaz, with Ibex Band (1973)
Alèmyé (1974)
Erè Mèla Mèla (1975)
Soul of Addis (Earthworks, 1997)
Slow Collections (Sounds of Abyssinia, 1998)
Live In Paris (Long Distance, 1998)
Yitbarek (Yene Production, 2003)
Tizita Vol. 1 (AIT Records, 2003)
Tizita Vol. 2 (AIT Records, 2003)
DVDs:
Ethiogroove: Mahmoud Ahmed & Either/Orchestra (EthioSonic, 2007)
Éthiopiques Live: Mahmoud Ahmed, Alemayehu Eshete & Badume’s Band (Innacor, 2009)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
