New York, NY:  In the rich, varied and bizarre history of African music, the tragedy of the Ethiopian pop recording industry stands alone. Today, Buda Musique brings us the Ethiopiques series, showcasing the immense scope of the golden age of Ethiopian music – lovingly assembled, remastered and fully annotated. The Ethiopiques series has received gushing accolades from an endless list of magazines, newspapers and radio stations – and numbers everyone from Elvis Costello and John Zorn to Rocket From The Crypt among its fans.

Series curator Francis Falceto writes in the program notes to éthiopiques #20, “One of the most gratifying phenomena linked to the publication of éthiopiques  is the sort of second life that vintage Ethiopian music is enjoying, not only among music lovers in search of inspired sounds, but also among many non-Ethiopian musicians, on nearly all continents...the originality, fidelity and enthusiasm of their interest is a pleasure to behold.”  Live in Addis represents this trend, if it can be so called, as it is the first entry in the series with a primarily non-Ethiopian group.

In 1994, Either/Orchestra leader Russ Gershon heard the first of Falceto’s compilations, Ethiopian Groove ˆ(reissued as éthiopiques 13 ?)  Within a couple of years, the Grammy-nominated arranger began adding Ethiopian songs to the ten-piece ensemble’s already eclectic repertoire.  This material became the hit of the E/O’s set, and led to contact with Falceto and ultimately an invitation to the 2004 Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa, the first US big band in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington in 1973.

In Addis, the E/O wowed music fans with their contemporary interpretations of familiar popular tunes, and invited Mulatu Astatke (see éthiopiques 4 ), Getachew Mekurya (Ethiopiques 15?), Bahta G. Hewet (éthiopiques ???) and others to join them on stage for a thrilling concert. éthiopiques 20 is a double CD set containing that concert.  Their collaboration with Mulatu continued in the US, including packed performances in NY and Boston in November 2005 and March 2005, and continues yet again in October.  On January 28 of 2006, the E/O will be hosting a major Ethiopian guest vocalist, yet unnamed, for a concert at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston.

Mulatu Astatke studied in London, Boston and New York, in the late 1950s and returned home to invent Ethio-jazz, which stands with various South African and Nigerian styles as the most successful fusion of jazz and African music. The Either/Orchestra is among the longest running and highly respected large ensembles in jazz. Since 1985, under the direction of saxophonist/composer Russ Gershon, the ten-piece has traversed the length and breadth of jazz to make unexpected connections between styles and approaches to music, including Ethiopian music and jazz.  Don’t miss your chance to see this beautiful collaboration.  Mulatu Astatke & the Either/Orchestra @ Joe’s Pub on Thursday, October 13, one show only from 7-9 pm, $20; @ The Lizard Lounge, Cambridge MA, on Friday October 21, at 10 and 11:30, $14.

Buda Musique and the Ethiopiques series are distributed in North America by Allegro Corporation. Founded in 1982, Allegro Corporation’s catalogue has grown to cover a broad range of music and entertainment products, which includes rock, alternative, classical, pop, world, jazz, new age and blues.  For more information about Allegro products or Buda Musique please visit www.allegro-music.com or www.budamusique.com  For more information about Either / Orchestra please visit Accurate Records at http://accuraterecords.com   or  http://either-orchestra.org

Joe's Pub at The Public Theater debuted in October 1998, and quickly became one of New York City’s most celebrated and in-demand showcase venues for live music and performance. The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street (between East 4th Street & Astor Place). Tickets to events can be purchased at The Public Theater box office Tues-Sat from 1-7:30pm, Sun & Mon from 1-6pm, or via Telecharge at 212.239.6200 or www.telecharge.com. Reservations strongly recommended: please call 212.539.8778 (a ticket does not guarantee a table); and for further show information please call 212.539.8770.

Tickets for the Lizard Lounge are available from virtuous.com