GIGI

  1/  Gud Fella                                  (E. Shibabaw)                 5.35
  2/  Mengedegna                                 (E. Shibabaw)                 5.33
  3/  Tew Ante Sew                               (E. Shibabaw)                 4.20
  4/  Abay                                       (E. Shibabaw)                 5.18
  5/  Bale Washintu                              (Gigi,Dejene,Bekel,Assefa)    5.35
  6/  Guramayle                                  (E. Shibabaw)                 4.27
  7/  Sew Argen                                  (E. Shibabaw)                 5.16
  8/  Aynama                                     (E. Shibabaw)                 5.05
  9/  Kahn                                       (E. Shibabaw)                 3.47
  10/ Zomaye                                     (E. Shibabaw)                 4.00
  11/ Abet Wubet                                 (E. Shibabaw)                 4.07
  12/ Nafeken                                    (E. Shibabaw)                 5.23
  13/ Adwa                                       (E. Shibabaw)                 5.02

          Created at Orange Music Sound Studio, West Orange, NJ
          Additional recording at Garage Sale Studio, Los Angeles, CA
          Engineer: Robert Musso
          Engineer at Garage Sale: Khaliq Glover
          Axiom: Bill Murphy
          Invasion: Steven Saporta
          Mastered by Michael Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone Studios, NYC

Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw: vocals; Dereje Mekonnen: organ, electric piano, synthsizer; Tony Cedras: accordion; Herbie Hancock: electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer; Amina Claudine Myers: organ, electric piano; Abegasu Shiota: electric piano, synthesizer; Wayne Shorter: soprano saxophone; Pharoah Sanders: tenor and soprano saxophones, bells; Graham Haynes: cornet, flugelhorn; Henry Threadgill: alto saxophone, flute; Art Baron: trombone; Mark Taylor: french horn; Nicky Skopelitis: 6 and 12 string guitars; David Gilmore: guitar; Zakki Jewad: guitar; Bill Laswell: bass, guitar, synthesizer; Mikias Abebayehu: drums, congas; Aiyb Dieng: chatan, congas, percussion; Thomas Gobena: bass; Hamid Drake: drums, tabla, congo, doff; Karsh Kale: drums, tabla, synthesizer; Abdou Mboup: congas, talking frum, djembe, percussion; Setegne Satenaw: masinko; Melaku Gelaw: kerare; Imani Uzuri: backing vocals; Tigist Shibabaw: backing vocals; Hebest Tirunehe: backing vocals; Dawit Melesse: backing vocals; Abonesh Adenew: backing vocals; Mizanekristos Yohannes: backing vocals.

Horn arrangements by Henry Threadgill

          2001 - Palm Pictures (USA), PALMCD 2068-2 (CD)

REVIEWS :

A young Ethiopian songstress with a beguiling voice that manages not to be lost among the big-name contributors (Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders, Bill Laswell) - perhaps because this isn't her debut. There's a pop edge to the material (in the sense that it's memorable), with full use of backing vocals. And while the bests are a little canned and clubby at times, the melodies break through, and, above all, Gigi's personality comes through, even though she's singing in Amharic. Laswel''s production hits a high spot on "Sew Argen" but with the cast she has, it's impossible to fault the musicianship. Give her another 10 years and she'll be a world-beater on the lines og Susana Baca or Cesaria Evora.

courtesy of the Global Village Idiot website