Ayalew Mesfin - Che Belew! (March Forward!) - A Short Film

Shot & edited by Bennett Piscitelli.
A short film focusing around Ayalew Mesfin’s return to the stage in 2018 after his voice was silenced for decades. Mesfin stands aside the likes of Mulatu Astake, Mahmoud Ahmed, Hailu Mergia and Alemayehu Eshete as a legend 1970s Ethiopia. The music he created with his Black Lion Band is amongst the funkiest to arise from Addis Ababa.
His recording career, captured in nearly two dozen 7” singles and numerous reel-to-reel tapes, shows the strata of the most fertile decade in Ethiopia’s 20th century recording industry, when records were pressed constantly by both independent upstarts and corporate behemoths, even if they were only distributed within the confines of this unconquerable East African nation.
For many, the music created in ‘70s Ethiopia will sound both familiar and alien: while the trappings of ‘70s Ethiopian music carry some aspects that those in the West will easily identify with - trap drum kits, jazz big-band styled horn sections, guitars played through wah wah and fuzz pedals - the Ethiopian style of singing, and the modes in which the musicians move, may confound and transfix. Perhaps some who have delved into Mulatu’s instrumental Ethio-Jazz will have a context in which to engage this, presumably the last great, unheard catalog of ‘70s Ethiopian music.
Though Mesfin was forced underground by the Derg regime that took control of Ethiopia in 1974, he has returned almost 50 years later, both on stage, and now, with this triumphant set of five albums on Now-Again Records - the first time that his music has been presented in this form.
These albums give us a chance to discover a rare & beautiful moment in music history, in anthologies built from Mesfin’s uber-rare 7” single releases and from previously unreleased recordings taken from master tapes.
Each album contains an oversized 11” x 11” 16 page book that tells the story of modern Ethiopian music and Ayalew’s role within it. An OBI wrapped “box set” of all five albums is available at a discounted price. The box set only contains one booklet.
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[@yonathanmengistu731]

This is my Uncle, soooo lit 🔥🔥🔥

[@backendbb22]

please let him know the youth knows his name bro💯

[@desertflwrs]

Send him our best regards and respect ✊🏾

[@salmonorigami]

Begging you man could you ask him what song he’s performing from 2:06 through like 2:50 😭😭 it’s special bro I gotta hear the full thing

[@romantsehay7354]

WOW IT WAS GOLDEN TIME AYALEW ❤😍😘

[@lgvc6660]

What a legend!

[@thepowerisout]

So excited! I can't wait!

[@elsahaile3630]

What a treasure he is to us 💚💛❤️

[@xanderjordanjones]

Amazing. Very pumped for this.

[@Ethiopified]

Wow!!!

[@tuffgonggbUNCTION]

SOULJAH.....MARANATHA

[@YeAhaduTub]

ድንቅ ሰው 🙏🙏🙏

[@idiotproof3199]

Cool dude. I know nothing about him, but am eager as to know & hear more.

[@eknewmovies4990]

🇪🇹🇪🇹👏🏾👏🏾thanks

[@eskedartessema6318]

ደርግ ካጠፋው ነገር የሙዚቃን እድገት ሰበረው ትክክል። እኔም እናቴ በዛን ሰአት የክቡርዘበኛ ሙዚቀኛ አባል ውስጥ ነበረች። መበተኑ ያሳዝናል። እንባዬ ነው የመጣው በተናገረው ነገር።

[@eleniboulotte1591]

አልቻልኩም፡

[@eleniboulotte1591]

እውነት፡ነው፡ሰርቻለሁ፡ለምን፡ድነው፡ፍታችን፡ቶሎ፡የምታጠፉት፡

[@salmonorigami]

Anybody know the name of the track that he enters to at 2:06?

[@elsahaile3630]

Looked for it everywhere 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@petermoreno4316]

!!

[@siwadedumelyayet474]

Ayalew chilotah eko yeteyelele new zefenochih tilk nachew Alehu alehu sil Syshergid Agadmo talew Enderkidad Le tamrat layne

[@eleniboulotte1591]

አስቴር፡አለምጸሀይ፡አድርያና፡ሶስታችን፡ፋአፍልቱ፡ያለው፡ፎቶ፡እኔጃ፡በስላም፡እዳሉ፡ካገር፡የወጣሁት፡ደርግ፡እደገባ፡ነው፡ጀዋኒ፡እደሞተ፡ስምቼ፡በጣም፡አዘንኩ፡ስሜን፡ቀይሬ፡ነው፡እሁንም፡እረጅም፡እድሜ፡ከጤና፡ጋር፡ይስጥሕ፡ጋሽ፡አያሌው፡😘🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@eleniboulotte1591]

ፈቴየን፡አየሁት፡ካስቴር፡ጋር፡እድርያና፡ተመስገን፡እዝታ፡በየ፡ጠቅላይ፡ግዛት፡እስራ፡ነበር፡ጋሽ፡አያሌው፡ጥሩ፡ስው፡ነው፡🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😘👍

[@eleniboulotte1591]

ፈታችን፡እየሁት፡ለምን፡ያወሩም፡ስለኛ፡ያሳዝናል፡የሰው፡ልጅ፡ያለፈውን፡ስደብቅ፡

[@eleniboulotte1591]

ሰላምነው፡ለሁላችሁም፡ስትሉ፡ከዋላ፡ያልው፡ፎቶ፡ሶስት፡ተወዛዋዥ፡አድርያን፡አስቴር፡አለምጸሐይ፡ስይፉ፡ናቸው፡

[@eleniboulotte1591]

እዚላይ፡ያለው፡ፎቶ፡ስላም፡ሰላም፡እዬት፡መአከል፡ነኝ፡አስቴር፡እኔ፡አድርያን፡

[@eleniboulotte1591]

የጥንቱን፡ካልክ፡አትርሳ፡የጥት፡የስራ፡ተከፋዬችን፡ፎታችን፡አለህ፡አውጥተህ፡ትንሽ፡እስታዉሰን፡ስው፡ከወክ፡

[@eleniboulotte1591]

ብልጭ፡አርጋችሁት፡ለምን፡ታጠፉታላቹ፡ይኛን፡ፎቶ፡አይ፡ስው፡የለም፡ብላችሁ፡ነው፡ሲዘፍን፡ጭቅጭቅሽን፡ከዋላው፡ያለው፡ፎቶ፡አለሁ፡መሀከል፡