Hailu Mergia And The Walias* – Tche Belew

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Label:	Kaifa Records – LPKF 45
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album
Country:	Ethiopia
Released:	1977
Genre:	Jazz, Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country
Style:

Tracklist

A1		Tche Belew Arranged By – Girma Beyene
A2		Yemiasleks Fikir Arranged By – Mulatu Astatke
A3		Yikirta Lemminalehu Arranged By – Yohannes Tekola
A4		Musicawi Silt Arranged By – Girma Beyene
A5		Lomi Tera-tera Arranged By – Yohannes Tekola
B1		Wegene Arranged By – Moges Habte
B2		Ibakish Tarekigne Arranged By – Yohannes Tekola
B3		Birukane Arranged By – Yohannes Tekola
B4		Eti Gual Blenai Arranged By – Mulatu Astatke
B5		Yenuro Tesfa Alegne Arranged By – Moges Habte

Made in Greece

	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
	Tche Belew (LP, Album, Reissue)	Awesome Tapes From Africa	ATFA012	US	2014
Recently Edited	Tche Belew (CD, Album, Reissue)	Awesome Tapes From Africa, Awesome Tapes From Africa	ATFA012, #012	US	2014
New Submission	Tche Belew (Cassette, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue)	Awesome Tapes From Africa	ATFA012	US	2014
New Submission	Tche Belew (CD, Album, Reissue)	P-Vine Records, Awesome Tapes From Africa	PCD 17693, #012	Japan	2014
New Submission	Tche Belew (CD, Album, Reissue)	Awesome Tapes From Africa, Awesome Tapes From Africa	ATFA012, #012	US	Unknown

Alexz_music_parlour Jun 27, 2023
This has to be my favorite album of all time. Just breathtaking at each listen. Obviously, if you have a copy... DM ME!
Expansive09 Dec 13, 2017
Stone cold classic Ethiopian cross over album. A hybrid of Ethiopian traditional music intermixed with jazz and funk.
Mind you this was recorded in a country that was going thru a major political strife when socialism had taken a stronghold of almost every aspect of Ethiopian society so Hailu had to tip toe thru very treacherous social waters in order to get his art across to his listeners. What you get is some very sincere organ(think Farfisa) based full band instrumentals featuring funky guitar licks, congas and horns. Hailu's band is tight yet slinky with a very velvet like rhythmic and textural under tone.
Afro-pop music of its time but a unique almost "alien" in form it is music drawn on Northern Africa but not in any way an emulation of what many people might perceive as African pop music. Review is drawn on a western perception of this music not something easy to do but it IS something special and worth seeking out.