{"product_id":"tilayes-saxo-2lp","title":"Tilaye's Saxophone With The Dahlak Band","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGatefold. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eTilaye Gebre\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is one of Ethiopia's most soulful saxophone giants, with a musical legacy that's hard to surpass. A founding member of the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eEquators\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, later renamed the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eDahlak Band\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, he was a key figure in Ethiopia's vibrant hotel music scene and a sought-after musician and arranger for artists like \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eAster Aweke\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eMahmoud Ahmed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eTilahun Gessesse\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eMuluken Melesse\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. In the quiet storm of Ethiopian music in the mid- to late-1970s, Tilaye Gebre was some-thing of the eye at the center. Even though much of the music from that period has been ridiculously hard to excavate from history, chances are that if you pick up any gem recorded in Addis Ababa during those times, it features Tilaye on saxophone and his arrangements. Tilaye was a central figure in Ethiopia's vibrant hotel music scene, where creativity and innovation flourished. He later joined the legendary \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eWalias Band\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, with whom he toured extensively across the United States. It was during one of these tours that Tilaye made the pivotal decision to remain in the U.S. and further develop his musical craft. His artistry has since taken him around the world, with performances in major cities across Europe, Canada, and the Virgin Islands. From the late sixties onwards, Dahlak Band lit up Addis Ababa with a mixture of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eJames Brown\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eWilson Pickett\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e tunes, rhythm and blues, soul, funk, and the sound of the disco era -- mixed with modern Ethiopian styles -- serving up majestic concoctions with full-range instrumentation, featuring trumpet, keyboard, saxophone, bass, drums, and guitar. Through their hotel sessions, Tilaye developed further as an arranger, arranging fellow band member Muluken Melesse's first solo album, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eMuluken Melesse with the Dahlak Band\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, recorded during the turbulent years of 1975-1976, following the fall of Haile Selassie. Some of the Dahlak Band's releases featured Tilaye as frontman, such as \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eTilaye's Saxophone with the Dahlak Band\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cspan\u003e from the late 1970s -- typical of a rare groove on the Ethiopian scene -- with excursions into reggae territory, including the band's characteristic sound featuring Tilaye Gebre (tenor and alto saxophone), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eDawit Yifru\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (organ), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Kassa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (electric guitar), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eShimelis Beyene\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (trumpet), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eMoges Habte\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (tenor saxophone), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbera Feyissa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (bass guitar), \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eTesfaye Tessema\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (drums), and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eMuluken Melesse\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (cowbell). The Dahlak Band's output was so prodigious that they simply couldn't be pigeonholed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forced Exposure","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52697653117207,"sku":"MUZLP 004LP","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0996\/6983\/6055\/files\/Tilaye_sSaxophoneWithTheDahlakBand.jpg?v=1776747256","url":"https:\/\/sisyphusrecordworks.com\/products\/tilayes-saxo-2lp","provider":"Sisyphus Record Works","version":"1.0","type":"link"}