From an ancient kingdom fixed in the popular imagination as civilization's cradle, birthplace of biblical consorts to Hebrew kings and would-be messiahs, emerges the voice of Gigi. Gigi Shibabaw, a stunning young Ethiopian singer, reaches from the past with a spiritual vision for the future, reminding us of the most fundamental human truths: beauty, devotion, harmony. Gigi's self-titled release is a space odyssey that takes us back home, to what really matters.

Produced by music mastermind Bill Laswell, who has worked with artists ranging from Herbie Hancock to Morocco's Master Musicians of Joujouka, Gurimale is an organic flowering of ancient Nile rhythms, contemporary jazz virtuosity, pan-African rhythm, and dub-reggae studio wizardry. Percolating around Gigi's rich, affectless voice are a team of master musicians that include saxophonists Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill, and Pharoah Sanders; guitarist Nicky Skopelitis; percussionists Aïyb Dieng and Karsh Kale; and Laswell himself on bass. From the title track, a sweeping pop number kitted out in soulful organ swells, to the West African styled "Mengedegna," the rugged horn-laden Ethio-funk of "Tewuantsewu," and dark dub energy of "Sewaregegne," Gigi's debut captures the many facets of this unique artist.

Twenty-seven years old, tall, dusky and crowned with a nest of sun-kissed curls, Gigi embodies polar possibilities with disarming grace. From a tiny corner of East Africa, she has emerged with an effortlessly cosmopolitan voice. Gigi is conversant in the ancient language of Agew, a root language and lingua franca of ancient northern states of Ethiopia.

For an Ethiopian artist, my work is different," she explains, sequestered in Laswell's Orange Music Sound Studio during the recording of her self-titled debut recording. And not only because Gigi writes all of her own songs. "I grew up singing in the Ethiopian Church, which is actually not allowed for women, but my father hired a priest who taught me how to sing the songs. And I listen to a lot of West African music, South African music, hip-hop, and funk, so you feel all that in the melodies. Even if it's in Amharic, people can appreciate the music."

Those who know Ethiopia's pop superstars Aster Awake and Mahmoud Ahmed will find Gigi's music markedly different. Her varied musical interests leaven the rigid Ethiopian scales; her voice is just as likely to soar full-bodied like the Malian songbird Oumou Sangare as it is to break into break into breathy falsetto. Fifth child in a family of ten, Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw was raised in far-off hamlet by conscientious parents who'd turned their backs on the squalor of the city. Her family's life was directly dependent on the river Ardi, a child of the Blue Nile (Abay) itself that her mother had once brought home to irrigate her coffee plants.

"I always knew I wanted to be a singer," she recalls. "We always had a lot of entertainment in my house. When people would come over, my parents would have the kids perform for them." A loyal daughter with a rebellious streak - some things truly are universal - Gigi sought her artistic fortunes abroad. When her tradition-minded father initially forbade her to make her way in the world as an entertainer. Living first in Nairobi, Kenya, and performing with an ensemble of East African expats, Gigi returned to Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself as singer and songwriter to be reckoned with.

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 Francisco at age 24. It wasn't long before her music, released for the local Ethiopian community, caught the attention of Chris Blackwell, Palm Pictures founder.

Her music derives from celebrations of Genna (Ethiopian Christmas), when men and women used to assemble at her home for two months of feasting, games and, of course, zefen (song) & chifera (group dancing). Her poetry is inspired by the land, by scripture, the ancient Ethiopian church and the beauty of the Ethiopian civilization.

For her debut Palm Pictures release, Gigi entrusted her songs to an international cast of musicians -- fellow Ethiopians, West Africans, Americans, and Indian-Americans. "I thought it would be difficult to work with people who weren't Ethiopian and didn't know our music," she admits, "but everything we've done is magic. Bill Laswell is incredible. It's like when we got all these musicians together, it just happened - they're playing my heart."

 

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