Getatchèw Mèkurya

Born in 1935, Ethiopian jazz saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya rose to prominence after playing in the Municipality Band and, especially, the Police Band through the mid-'60s. His 1972 album Negus of Ethiopian Sax (reissued as part of the Ethiopiques series) helped establish Mekurya as a prime proponent of the burgeoning African jazz movement. During the 2000s, the Ethiopian musician attained even greater visibility as a result of an ongoing association with Dutch post-punk band the Ex, to the extent of having the European band back him up on the 2006 album Moa Anbessa. Getatchew Mekurya died in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in April 2016 at the age of 81.
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