Comprehensive,
Press Quotes
>>
“The sounds are as vibrant and diverse as the ragtag players making them and the enthusiastic crowd dancing with abandon, a rare sight around here.” – James Reed, Boston Globe
“Their Western Front show this past Saturday was mobbed. Elastic-voiced crooner Bruck Tesfaye waltzed through the crowd... The saxes of Danny Mekonnen and Abye Osman growled cop-show harmonies; the strings of Jonah Rapino and Kaethe Hostetter darted through jagged scales.” – Matt Parish, Boston Phoenix
“What is remarkable about Debo Band is that they manage to straddle a lot of seemingly contradictory positions. On the one hand, their music is deeply traditional, including a lot of covers of Ethiopian folk and pop songs from decades ago, yet on the other it is staunchly contemporary, incorporating original compositions and traces of the individual members other projects....” – Gabriel Birnbaum, The Ampeater Review
“If you like fat horn riffs, funk, tubas, dancing, and shaking, you will love the Debo Band.” – Smoke, Smoke and Lights Blog
“An eclectic mix of players... a sound that bridges cultures... just what Ethiopian pop music did in its golden age.” – Bob Young, Boston Herald
“Debo Band, eight members strong, represents for Ethiopia. Playing a pop fusion that could have come straight off any disc in the Ethiopiques series, Debo manages to sound fresh without sounding derivative.” – Rick Sawyer
"The Fendika band, lead by Melaku Belay and his accomplice Zenash, who dance over the fascinating voice of Selamnesh, at the sound of the masinqo (one cord violin) and kebero (percussion), give an exhilarating version [of azmari music]." – Bougez (Tous les sons d'Ethiopie et d'Afrique, France) 08/09/10
|