Moa Anbessa is an album by Ethiopian saxophonist Getatchew Mekuria with Dutch post-punk band The Ex and guests, released in 2006 on The Ex’s subsidiary label Terp. The project came together on the heels of The Ex’s previous studio album Turn, which incorporated elements of Eritrean and Congolese music alongside a tribute to the Ethiojazz anthems of Getatchew Mekuria. The Ex had toured Ethiopia twice and then invited Mekuria to perform at their 25th anniversary show in Amsterdam where he proposed that The Ex be the backup band for his next album. In addition to Moa Anbessa, the collaboration yielded tours of Europe and North America as well as an official live DVD released by Buda Music, producers of the influential Ethiopiques series of ethiojazz compilations.
‘‘A killer combination of sounds – the searing tenor sax of Getatchew Mekuria and the raspy guitars of The Ex brought together here in really unique cross-cultural formation! Mekuria’s influence really transforms the sound of The Ex, bringing their anarchic spirit into a strongly Ethiopian mode, one that’s further underscored by some great guest horn work on clarinet, alto, and trombone used like the kind of horn sections you’d find on Ethiopian recordings from the 70s, which lets Mekuria really do his thing by soloing over the tunes with a great deal of feeling.’’
Dusty Groove America.
GRANAZI 