GIGI
From an ancient kingdom fixed in the popular imagination as civilization's
cradle, birthplace of biblical consorts to the Hebrew kings and would-be
messiahs, emerges the voice of Gigi Shibabaw. Gigi, a stunning young
Ethiopian singer, reaches from the past with a spriritual vision for
the future, reminding us of the most fundamental human truths: devotion,
harmony, and beauty. Her self-titled album, is a space odyssey that
takes us back home, to what really matters.
Produced by world music mastermind Bill Laswell, who has worked with
artists ranging from Herbie Hancock to Morocco's Master Musicians of
Joujouka, Gigi's album is an organic flowering of ancient Nile rhythms,
contemporary jazz virtuosity, pan-African rhythm, and dub-reggae studio
wizardry. Percolating around Gigi's rich, affectless voice are a team
of master musicians that include saxophonists Wayne Shorter, Henry Threadgill,
and Pharoah Sanders; guitarist Nicky Skopelitis; percussinists Aiyb
Dieng and Karsh Kale; and Laswell himself on bass. From "Guramayle,"
a sweeping pop number kitted out in soulful organ swells, to the West
African styled "Mengedegna," the rugged horn-laden Ethio-funk of "Tew
Ante Sew," and dark dub energy of "Sew Argegn," Gigi's debut captures
the many facest of this unique artist.
Twenty-seven
years old, tall, dusky and crowned with a nest of sun-kissed curls,
Gigi embodies polar possibilities with disarming grace. From a tiny
corner of East Africa, she has emerged with an effortlessly cosmopolitan
voice. Gigi is conversant in the ancient language of Agew, a root language
and lingua franca of ancient norther states of Ethiopia. "For an Ethiopian
artist, my work is different," she explains, sequestered in Laswell's
Orange Music Souns Studio during the recording of this album. And not
only because Gigi writes all of her own songs, "I grew up singing in
the Ethiopian Church, which is actually not allowed for women, but there
was a priest at my home who taught me how to sing the songs. And I listen
to a lot of West African music, South African music, hip hop, and funk,
so you feel all that in the melodies. Even if it's in Amharic, people
can appreciate this music." Those who know Ethiopia's pop superstars
Aster Aweke and Mahmoud Ahmed will find Gigi's music markedly different.
Her varied musical interests leaven the rigid Ethiopian scales; her
voice is just as likely to soar fullbodied like the Malian songbird
Oumou Sangare as it is to break into breathy falsetto.
Fifth
child in a family of ten, Ejigayew "Gigi" Shibabaw was raised in a far-off
hamlet by conscientious parents who'd turned their backs on the squalor
of the city. Her family's life was directly dependent on the water from
the river Ardi to irrigate their coffee plant crops. "I always knew
I wanted to be a singer," she recalls. "We always had a lot of entertainment
in my house. When people would come over, my parents would have the
kids perform for them." A loyal daughter with a rebellious streak --
some things truly are universal -- Gigi sought her artistic fortunes
abroad when her tradition-minded father initially forbade her to make
way in the world as an entertainer. Living first in Nairobi, Kenya,
and performing with an Ensemble of East African expats, Gigi returned
to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself
as a singer and songwriter to be reckoned with.
Cast
in a French theatre production of the story of Solomon and the Queen
of Sheba, which featured an all-Ethiopian ensemble, Gigi toured East
and South Africa, and eventually France, where she was invited to perform
at a Paris World Music Festival. Seeing the world stage as her true
home, Gigi relocated to San Fransisco at age 24. It wasn't long before
her music, released for the local Ethiopian community, caught the attention
of Chris Blackwell, Palm Pictures founder.
Her music derives from celebrations of Genna (Ethiopian Christmas),
when men and women used to assemble at her home for two months of feasting,
games, and of course, zefen (songs) and chifera (group dancing). Her
poetry is inspired by the land, by scripture, the ancient Ethiopian
church, and the beauty of the Ethiopian civilization.
Gigi entrusted her songs to an international cast of musicians -- fellow
Ethiopians, West Africans, Americans, and Indian-Americans. "I thought
it would be difficult to work with people who weren't Ethiopian and
didn't know our music," she admits, "but everything we've done is magic.
Bill Laswell is incredible. It's like when we got all these musicians
together, it just happened -- they're playing my heart."