Fantahun Shewankochew CD release @ Alliance Française Theatre, Saturday

Krar ripper Fanahun Shewankochew & his Ethio-Zema crew launch their new Adera disc tonight.   

Fantahun Shewankochew has crafted an album that harkens back to the golden era of Ethiopian music. With the support of Ethio-Zema, Shewankochew's latest project Adera (an undertaking) continues his exploration of traditional Ethiopian music and Ethio-jazz with a modern twist.

Fantahun Shewankochew is an accomplished krar player, vocalist, composer and arranger, inspired by the late Tilahun Gessesse to pursue a musical career. From his early years working in the Ethiopian National Theatre until his arrival in Canada in 2010, Fantahun has performed in many countries around the world and released a number of recordings. He is well experienced in traditional and popular music genres from Ethiopia. Ethiopian music uses an essential modal system (pentatonic scale), which is called "qenet." There are four main modes of qenet: tezeta, bati, ambassel and anchihoy. He is now based in Toronto where he has performed at the Harbourfront Centre, Alliance Francaise de Toronto, CBC's Glen Gould Studio, the Music Gallery, Lula Lounge, Gladstone Hotel and the Luminato Festival.

The Ethio-Zema ensemble brings together a wide range of talented Toronto-based musicians from various backgrounds including Daniel Barnes on drums, Tom Juhas on guitar, Simeon Abbott on piano, Liam Smith on bass guitar, John Maclean on saxophone, Steve Dyte on trumpet and trombonist Paul Tarussov joining vocalist Fantahun Shewankochew on acoustic krar.



Fantahun Shewankochew & Ethio-Zema's Adera CD release concert

Alliance Française de Toronto Theatre (24 Spadina Rd)

Doors open at 8 PM / Show at 9 PM

Tickets $25 advance / $30 at the door.