Imperial Tiger Orchestra is a Swiss group of modern popular
Ethiopian music
Ethiopian music is a term that can mean any music of Ethiopian origin, however, often it is applied to a genre, a distinct modal system that is pentatonic, with characteristically long intervals between some notes.
The music of the Ethiopian Hi ...
. Its name hints at the Imperial bodyguard band of the Halie Selassie era and
Monty Python
Monty Python, also known as the Pythons, were a British comedy troupe formed in 1969 consisting of Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. The group came to prominence for the sketch comedy ser ...
’s “Tiger in Africa” sketch.
It was formed after a jam organized by Genevan trumpet player Raphaël Anker.
The band has released three albums and played in Europe, Southern Africa and Ethiopia.
[ It also worked with Ethiopian musicians such as Endress Hassen and the singer Hamelmal Abate.]
Biography
They were inspired by original albums that the band found while shopping for rare musical ornaments and the Ethiopian Golden Age of music
The Ethiopian Golden Age of Music was an era of Music of Ethiopia, Ethiopian music that began around the 1960s to 1970s, until the Derg regime progressively diminished its presence through politically motivated persecutions and retributions agai ...
(1969 – 1975) on a first visit to Addis Ababa in 2009. Imperial Tiger Orchestra released a first record in 2010, named Addis Ababa, which explored Ethiopian music from the 70s. The second release, Mercato, veered towards a more pop-inspired repertoire from the 80s, and the latest release celebrates Ethiopian culture, from the vibration of the azmari repertoire to the race of the major tribes. Imperial Tiger Orchestra has toured Europe for 3 years. The band has also taken to the African continent, touring South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe back in 2010. Having been invited to Addis Ababa by the producer of the Ethiopiques series, Francis Falceto
Francis Falceto is a contemporary French musicologist and music producer, specialising in World music and in particular music of Ethiopia which he helped propagate internationally from 1986 onwards. , the Tigers met many of the local musicians who work to change traditional Ethiopian music. Based in and around Geneva, Switzerland, Imperial Tiger Orchestra has also worked with musicians and dancers from the Ethiopian diaspora.
Discography
* ''Addis Ababa'', (2010)
* ''Lale Lale/Yefikir Woha Timu'', (2010)
* ''Mercato'', (2011)
* ''Wax'', (2013)
References
https://mentalgroove.bandcamp.com/album/mercato
External links
Official website
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Music in Geneva
Music of Ethiopia
Swiss musical groups
Organisations based in Geneva