A colleague told me about a duo act from Ethiopia coming through town by the name Munit & Jörg. 
I gave their music a listen on bandcamp and, though different than the more traditional or fusion sound I generally go for, there was something new and fresh in it I liked. A few days later Munit & Jörg came into Studio 4 here in Washington.
They were on tour in the Eastern US from Ethiopia to promote the release of their new CD, called 2. The stop in Washington was to perform at one my favorite D.C. venues, a chic little world music spot with a contemporary psychedelic decor called Tropicalia.
They coined the name Ethio-Acoustic Soul to describe their musical style. They play original compositions as well as arrangements of classic works such as “Yekermo Sew” by Ethio-Jazz master Mulatu Astatke and Ethiopian folk music.
Check out our interview and their live performance of three tracks off 2: “Trans-Africa Highway” (written by Munit & Jorg), “Yekermo Sew” (music by Mulatu Astatke), and “Hagare” (written by Munit & Jorg).
19 responses to “Soulful Sounds from Ethiopia”
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Thank you for profiling the two talented artists. I loved their style. I will definitely buy their CD. May the Lord be with the two of them.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Eyob.
thank you so much for this wonderful time, heather! you can follow us at: http://www.facebook.com/munitandjorg – appreciate the support!
Munit, you were a pleasure to interview and hear. Best of luck and may our paths cross again soon.
Munit & Jorg thriving
Munit & Jorg thriving…
Yes, Kassahun, isn’t it wonderful?
I like wish I could sing & be invited to your studio
Well, Kassahun, if you are a musician and have music and/or video to share, you can send it to me at hmaxwell@voanews.com.
Oh …. How sweet these two are! How can I miss this? Thanks VOA introducing Munit & Jorg. I really enjoyed them. Will buy the CD.
Glad you enjoyed it, Daniel.
Wow what a refreshing change.I Came across this site while checking out something else. I have a feeling this couple would do very well in Asia too, both among the local and expat audiences . What a blessing. thanks for the post.
Sonja
I like those artists.
I wonde Munit, she Wes singing incredibly!
God bless you.
Really cool songs. Came across this while researching some extra songs for an African music playlist post that I put together, would be interested to get your opinion! http://20greatsongs.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/20-great-songs-african/
Hi Natasha. Where is your playlist?
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Experiencing a jetlag and ran into this – how amazing are these duet, especially singing Mulatu’s song..keep representing!
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I most certainly will forward this information to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!