Jan 23/08
Eritrea Week: Tewelde Redda
Today we’ll hear some music by one of the first guitar players in Eritrean popular music, Tewelde Redda.
As I mentioned yesterday he was the one who “discovered” Tsehaytu Beraki back in the 1970s and took her to Addis to record some music.
It’s very difficult to find music by this guy but I wanted to include him anyway despite my mediocre findings. His name keeps popping up the more I dig into the history of Eritrean popular music.
Yesterday in a comment Awet mentioned a YouTube video of Tewelde Redda back in 1967:
I also found a few songs of his in various corners of the web. Unfortunately someone has laid a horrible drum track over otherwise nice music. But try to listen through the drum track for the music within…
You can also find Redda on Ethiopiques Vol. 5, that incredible collection of Tigrinya music:
Tewelde Redda – Milenu
Tewelde Redda – Nehadar Zeytkewen
I’d also like to post some music by an Eritrean who I think is called “Goytom”. I really like his music but I don’t know anything about him.. or even his full name. Any ideas?
ps- thanks to a tip from Benn loxo listener, winta, I’ve learned that the singer in these is Ghirmay Kidane – Tewelde Redda is on guitar. Thanks, winta!
Goytom – Unknown 1
Goytom – Unknown 2
Dear Bennloxo,
great you pay attention to Tewolde Redda (and Tsehaytu Beraki). Tewolde is THE guitar pioneer in Eritrea, and probably one of the first to have played the elektric guitar in Africa as a whole. He also was the first to design an electric version of traditional lyre, the krar. In short, he’s one of the modernizers of Eritrean (and Ethiopian) music. There’s much, much more to tell about him and is his music, which I can if you like. He’s currently living in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), and his guitar playing is still amazing. A website and a documentary film dedicated to his life and music is expected later this year.
Thanks, and good luck, Marc
Marc,
Thanks for your comment. It’s interesting how you also say that Tewelde/Tewolde is the pioneer that he is, since everyone seems to say that.. but no one seems to be able to sell or give me any quality recordings of his music. I like what I hear so far and would like to get some more.
…so please do tell us more! If you have any music to share that would be great, too. Let me know if you’d like to do a guest post, or contribute any tracks. I’m also happy to promote the documentary release on Benn loxo – keep me posted. At the very least I’d like to buy a copy.
Cheers
Matt
Matt,
Yes, it’s hard to find his music. Strangely enough even his biggest hit Shigey habuni (a very popular independence song, known by every Eritrean) is not available in a decent quality. There’s only one cd (apart from the Ethiopiques), called ‘Legends of Tewolde Redda’, but in a poor quality and a lot of these songs are overdubbed with synths and drum machines, as you have noticed. There must be more in Eritrea, Ethiopia and in private collections around the world, but a lot is also destroyed during the Derg regime. Hopefully we will still be able to find some more of his music. At the moment I do have home made recordings of some of his original 7″ singles, but these are also not of a very good quality. But nice songs. Later on these will be on the site dedicated to Tewolde, but I’ll ask him if he agrees to have a kind of pretaste at Benn Loxo?
regards,
Marc
Hi, Matt! I love this site and have learned so much from it — AND it’s a great place to find other links for African music.
Given the incredible knowledge you, Matt, and the lots of people who leave comments here of African music, I have a request. With very short notice, I’m teaching a class on Cultures of Africa. It’s an anthropology class and we’re focusing on some classic ethnographic works about southern, eastern, and northeastern Africa since these students (from a predominantly African-American university) know quite a bit about their ‘ancestral’ cultures in West and Central Africa.
As a lagniape at the end of the semester (April/May 2008), I’d like to present them with a playlist of a musical tour of Africa.
I know what I like — but I am by no means as knowledgeable as you all. So, what would YOU include if you were mixing just one CD to excite and stimulate and educate people to explore further?
Thanks much!
Kate G.
Hi Matt, marvelous site. Thank you very much for your efforts. Just one question. Are you sure about this song called “Milenu”? The amazon page you are linking to lists this as a song by Tsehaytu Beraki (title 6), but there is a another song called “Ab Teqay Qerebi” by Redda. May be you mixed something up? I’m really no expert, so I can’t tell…
Thank you in advance!
Greg
What a great site. Fabulous music, interesting (and informed) conversations and a life long education. Today I learnt a new word – lagniappe. For those of you wanting to learn a little about this word, look here: http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-lag1.htm
Andrew
Greg, I think that maybe Amazon got mixed up! That certainly isn’t a woman singing… and he does repeat the word “milenu” several times.
Marc,
It would be an honour to have a preview of any music Tewolde has to offer.
Kate,
Are you looking for “historically significant” music from West and Central Africa specifically? Or more popular music? Do you have an era in mind? A double-disc playlist comes to mind: selections celebrating independence around the continent from 1960-65, then selections of popular music from recent years from those same countries. The contrast would be interesting.
Dear Bennloxo,
Thank you very much for sharing Eri music with us. I cannot wait to hear more of Tewolde Redda and if you do mind, could you pls pass my message below to Marc Schmidt.
Regards
Ben
Dear Marc Schmidt,
I am delighted to hear that there will be a documentary movie on Tewolde Redda coming this year. I cannot wait to see the movie and also I am eagerly waiting to discover and know about Tewolde on the website that you have mentioned. He is truly a legendary and his Tigrigna guitar skills are superlative and I love his music and admire his style. I understand that you know much more about Tewolde and his talent. There is nothing that I didn’t do to know about him over the internet and so forth over the last couple of years but to no avail. Your comment comes as a surprise as my last option was to try to go to Holland in search of the Man!
Marc, I would appreciate if you can share any information you have on Tewolde Redda and also let me know if there is a possibility of seeing him, if not performing live, in the near future. I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards
Ben
Dear Ben (and Matt),
Thanks for your interest.
There’s a lot to say about Tewolde, since he’s had a life full of musical, political and personal developments, with both highlights and hard times. But you maybe know that already. At the moment he’s living a quiet and slightly drew back life in Rotterdam. He does not perform in public anymore, but he’s still in good health. And a very kind and charming person.
Like stated before, there’s currently not much information about Tewolde available, let alone his music. This will change in the near future, I hope. At least I am gathering all kind of information, pictures, films, music, etc. On a site and in a film this will all be presented later this year.
I am not much of a writer -I am a filmmaker after all- so I won’t tell his whole life in detail here, although you’re right and I do know a lot more. I am afraid you have to be patient and wait for the film and the website, the latter might be online sooner than you’d expect. But if you really cannot wait and/or want to meet him, ask Matt for my emailadress. I don’t know who you are and where you live, but why couldn’t we arrange something?
There’s one question which I’d like to ask you in return, if you don’t mind: how do you know Tewolde and his music? Any special memories?
regards,
Marc
Hi Marc (and Matt),
Matt, Could you please forward me Marc’s e-mail address? Please see his message above.
Marc, Thank you for your prompt response. I hope Matt has my e-mail address as well and I would be delighted if he can pass it on to you so that we can deal directly.
As a teenager I wanted to play the Guitar like Tewolde and he was my inspiration and hero. I grew up listening to his music and I used to own a few vinyl records of his, many of which I had to destroy, as we were not allowed to keep any of that material during the Derg Era. Although I am much much younger than him, by collecting some of his music recorded live and talking to people that had direct contact to him, I got to know more of him. What inspired me was his guitar skills and how he pioneered and used electric guitar to play Eritrean songs. That was very creative and clever.
I once wrote to Francis Falceto asking him if he can do the sort of thing that you envisage to do with Tewolde. He told me that it was not possible but he said that Mr Assress Tessema was going to write in detail about him and MATA, a book that I believe has been released and I am eagerly waiting to read.
I am glad to hear that that Tewolde is alive and Healthy. I do not know if he is capable of singing or performing but I do hope he can. it is very important! BTW, You are doing a fantastic job. I understand that there is little understanding of what you doing and could be a bit frustrating but it is all a matter of time. In a couple of years time young Eritreans will be craving for your work and Tewolde’’s biography.
I hope this creates an opportunity for me to get to know more about Tewolde and arrange something in the future
Regards,
Ben
hi i cant find my fevorete musician ATO ATOWEBRHAN SEGID’S MUSIC: i canHAVE NO WORD TO tell you howmuch i love him but i cant find even single Song of hiM ,,, so what can you help me
THANKS
Well, if you want his records, visit Asmara, Eritrea. There is music shop (sorry I forgot the exact name of the shop but I am sure anyone there will guide to that place) there which keeps almost all the records of the legendary singers such as Tewolde Reda, Atewebirhan Segid and others. Good luck.
the singer is not Tewlde Reda in this clip ,,it is Ghirmay Kidane ( wedi filipo) the guitarist is Tewelde Reda
Thanks, Winta! I’ve corrected the post.
i still see Tewelde Reda , asmara on Ghirmay KIdane’s (wedi filipo) picture
i plat guitar west and central african bluse can u pls provide me tewelde redda and eng asgodom licks dankishen
hi this is SEFFA thak u for good job u did keeo doing .