WOMAD

Samuel Yirga

From Ethiopia

Prodigious young pianist and Dub Colossus crew member
Samuel Yirga is on a mission. "Our musical culture is under attack from inside and out. It's all rock bands, hip-hop groups and pop singers," explains the young Ethiopian. "I take traditional music and turn it around." Anyone who's heard even just the odd snippet from the impeccable Ethiopiques reissue series could identify the country of origin of Samuel's music. Sure, there are echoes of American jazzers like Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock in his playing, but it's largely grounded in his homeland - often improvised and always shot through with enchanting figures and darker refrains that recall Ethiopian music's heyday. Not that his stare is fixed in the rear-view mirror. Samuel's also part of the forward-facing Dub Colossus collective, the UK/Ethiopian collaboration giving the music of Addis Ababa a little more contemporary context. Samuel's debut solo album is due for release later in the year on Real World Records.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)