A Piece of Infinity Meklit

• 1 Ambassel 04:40
• 2 Tizita 04:32
• 3 Abebayehosh 03:29
• 4 Dale Shura 04:19
• 5 Geefata 03:44
• 6 Era Mela Mela 04:33
• 7 My Gold 04:13
• 8 Stars in a Wide Field 04:12
• 9 Lefeqer Enegeza 05:36
• Total Runtime 39:18

Info zu A Piece of Infinity

"A Piece of Infinity", the latest album by Meklit, is an invitation to think, to love, and to groove. Celebrating the rich musical traditions of Ethiopia, the Addis-born, San Francisco based vocalist, songwriter, and composer molds folk tunes from a multitude of communities and cultures throughout Ethiopia into jazz-inflected fantasies imbued with warmth and reverence. At its center is Meklit’s voice, which soars and whispers, intoning strength and devotion in Kambaata, Amharic, Oromo, and English. From songs of longing and love to children's riddles and original compositions, Meklit traverses expansive sonic ground that offers just a glimpse at the infinite complexity of Ethiopian culture. Featuring guest appearances by harpist Brandee Younger and flutist Camille Thurman and recorded at San Francisco’s Women’s Audio Mission.

In addition to its musical innovation, A Piece of Infinity is also a work of cultural activism, showing that “tradition is alive and not a static object.” Meklit says that her interpretations of these songs bloom from her experiences as an immigrant, a poignant statement at a time when immigrant communities face peril and displacement. On her podcast, Meklit asks, “What do global movements of people sound like? Through solidarity, through music, we can come to a greater understanding.”

Getting at the spirit of community that the album seeks to foster, A Piece of Infinity includes guest appearances by Black women collaborators and musical friends like harpist Younger and flutist/saxophonist Camille Thurman. Meklit worked on two of the pieces – “Geefata” (a synth-driven track inspired by Ethiopian communal celebration songs), and “Stars in a Wide Field” (with original lyrics based on translations of traditional Kembata children’s riddles and Meklit’s dreams) – with her father. “Stars in a Wide Field” includes a line inspired by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, the late musician/activist and founding member of The Freedom Singers.

A Piece of Infinity highlights songs and stories, exemplified by “Tizita,” that are traditionally performed by women and girls, celebrating the role they play in music and culture at large. The album was recorded entirely at the Bay Area’s Women’s Audio Mission, and much of its sound was inspired by Meklit’s newest chapter in life: as a mother to a six-year-old son. The album received funding from the Smithsonian American Women’s History Initiative, and was originally conceived through a grant from the Creative Work Fund.

Meklit, vocals
Brandee Younger, harp
Kibrom Birhane, piano
Sam Bevan, bass
Colin Douglas, drums
Marco Peris Coppola, tupan and percussion
Howard Wiley, tenor saxophone

Meklit
is an Ethio-American vocalist, singer-songwriter and composer, making music that sways between cultures and continents. Known for her electric stage presence, innovative take on Ethio-Jazz, and her fiery, emotive live shows, Meklit has rocked stages from Addis Ababa (where she is a household name) to San Francisco (her beloved home-base), to New York, London, DC, Montreal, Nairobi, Chicago, LA, Arusha, Rome, Zurich, Rio Di Janeiro, Seattle, Cairo, and more.Her fame in Ethiopia skyrocketed in 2015 when her TED talk went viral in the country and her music videos began playing daily on multiple Ethiopian television stations. She goes back to Addis Ababa regularly to perform.

Meklit is a TED Senior Fellow and her TED Talk, The Unexpected Beauty of Everyday Sounds, has been watched by more than 1.2 million people. She is a National Geographic Explorer and has been an Artist-in-Residence at Harvard, NYU, Purdue and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Meklit has received musical commissions from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the MAP Fund and has toured extensively across the US, UK, and East Africa. She has collaborated with Kronos Quartet, NASA Kepler Co-Investigator Dr. Jon Jenkins (and his star sounds), musical legend Pee Wee Ellis and members of the BBC Philharmonic. She is a Co-Founder of the Nile Project, served as musical director for the beloved Bay Area powerhouse UnderCover Presents, and sang alongside Angelique Kidjo and Anoushka Shankar as a featured singer in the UN Women Theme Song.

Meklit’s album – When the People Move, the Music Moves Too – was released June 23rd on Six Degrees Records, receiving rave reviews and quickly reaching #4 on the iTunes World Music Charts, #1 on the NACC World Charts and #12 on the World Charts in Europe. It was also named one of the 100 Best Albums of 2017 by the Sunday Times UK, one of the Best Soul Albums of 2017 by Bandcamp and amongst the 10 Best Bay Area albums of 2017 by KQED. These 11 songs were deeply inspired by Mulatu Astatke (the Godfather of Ethio-Jazz). Back in 2011, he told Meklit, “find your contribution to Ethio-Jazz and keep on innovating!” Produced by multi-GRAMMY winning artist/songwriter Dan Wilson (Adele, John Legend, Dixie Chicks), the album also features world renowned musicians Preservation Hall Jazz Band and the violinist/whistler Andrew Bird.

Meklit’s work has been supported by grants from National Geographic, California Humanities, the MAP Fund, the Center for Cultural Innovation, Panta Rhea Foundation, The Creative Work Fund, The Christensen Fund, San Francisco Arts Commission, Zellerbach Family Foundation, Intersection for the Arts, Grants for the Arts, the San Francisco Foundation, Oakland Cultural Funding Project, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, The Belle Foundation for Cultural Development and more.

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet