It begins with an Ave Maria on the piano. Seemingly recorded in a large room, the flowing beauty of the piece recalls the well-known albums of pianist Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru. Long before Mulatu Astatke combined Ethiopian traditions with jazz and Latin influences, Gebru pursued a different vision of music between worlds: classically trained in Europe, yet deeply rooted in Ethiopia’s orthodox culture, she began composing – and in a life spanning nearly a hundred years, created an oeuvre in which there are always new facets to be discovered.
Mississippi Records continues this commendable work with an expanded reissue of Church of Kidane Mehret. »Essay on Mahlet« and »The Storm« from the album Der Sang des Meeres, recorded in Germany in 1963, are available here for the first time since then. The remaining pieces are taken from the material of the 1972 album Church of Kidane Mehret, which was originally released as a private pressing in an edition of 500 copies. Here we also hear the musician on the harmonium and on the great organ of the Kidane Mehret Church in Jerusalem. This reveals her deep connection to the Orthodox liturgy, which blossoms into music of universal beauty.
