Name: Ere Mela Mela (Ethiopiques)
Brand: Mahmoud Ahmed

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

HS093VL

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-12-01

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Rush Hour (new)

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

3700409812460

Total Cap

Black LP

Artist

Mahmoud Ahmed

Genre GB

African

Jazz

Label GB

Heavenly Sweetness

Heavenly Sweetness is a French label that was founded in 2007 by Antoine Rajon and Franck Descollonges. Based in Rue des Tamagnards, Villard-de-Lans, France, the label focuses on issuing new releases and reissues with a particular emphasis on spiritual jazz.
With their informative and authoritative tone of voice, Heavenly Sweetness has become known for their dedication to showcasing exceptional music within the genre. Their commitment to releasing both new and reissued albums ensures that listeners have access to a diverse range of spiritual jazz music.
Whether you are an avid fan or just discovering the beauty of spiritual jazz, Heavenly Sweetness offers a curated selection of albums that will captivate your soul. Explore their collection today and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of spiritual jazz.

Ethiopian vocalist of Gurage descent, Mahmoud Ahmed was born on May 8, 1941 in the Mercato district of Addis Ababa. He began his professional singing career in the early 1960s at the Arizona Club, a semi-legal establishment where he worked in maintenance.

Despite facing challenges due to political unrest and restrictions on music production, Mahmoud's talent continued to shine. Following the Derg coup in 1974, which led to the imprisonment of Emperor Haile Selassie I and his family, Mahmoud and other musicians were forced underground domestically. However, he continued performing for foreign audiences and gained international recognition during extensive travels in the 1980s.

Today, Mahmoud Ahmed is celebrated as a highly acclaimed musician both at home and abroad. His contributions to Ethiopian music have earned him numerous accolades including the prestigious BBC World Music Award in 2007. With his soulful vocals and unique style, *Mahmoud Ahmed* remains an influential figure in Ethiopian music.

Newest Listed Items

The re-release series of original Ethiopian classic vinyl continues -- the finest Ethio jazz by Mahmoud Ahmed and his band from 1975 plus two tracks from 1978.

The liner notes: 'Melancholy blues, piercingly minimalist country airs, brassy, danceable urban jazz, heart-wrenching, off-key crooners: a rich and stirring patchwork of sounds, crossing Afro-beat, Latino-swing moves and Eastern arabesque.  Such were the first -- informed and enthusiastic -- opinions of the music press when the first strains of modern Ethiopian music sounded on our shores. This was in 1984-1985. Such a positive note, struck about such a country at such a time, created plenty of reverb. The country had been so thoroughly trashed by the media's feeding-frenzy, which spewed out a mix of horror and pious pity, bitter denunciation and humanitarian appeals, wallet-tickling cliches and refusal of identity. In one brutal swoop, TV-reality transformed Ethiopia into a cursed nation, forsaken by God and by man. In contrast to these tragedies, but in the same hackneyed tones, Mahmoud Ahmed's life resembles an edifying fairy-tale where destiny, talent and achievement combine to triumph over poverty, fate and the evil eye. Biography, history and legend, with the help of God, infallibly weave the lesson of merit rewarded. But who can argue, in spite of the mockery that celebrities invariably draw, when faced with one of the greatest voices in all of Africa? Once upon a time, there was a street urchin in Addis Ababa, who started off as a shoe-shine boy and went on to become one of his country's biggest stars, opening the door to Ethiopian music to Western audiences. --Francis Falceto

Ere Mela Mela (Ethiopiques) 

Music GB

Discover Ere Mela Mela (Ethiopiques) by Mahmoud Ahmed. Re-release of original Ethiopian classic vinyl on Heavenly Sweetness label.