The
only thing that can ruin good music is politics. In the late 1970s, Ethiopia
had some of the world’s best music and the ugliest politics. For a while, it
seemed like the music might be lost, but an intrepid record collector would
wait out the Socialist Derg regime, in order to bring the country’s sounds to
the wider world. The groove will not be denied in Maciej Bochniak’s Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul (trailer here), which screens during
the 2018 Margaret Mead Film Festival.
Frankly,
Amha Ashete was already defying the old regime when he started producing
sessions of Ethiopian music without official approval of the emperor. However,
nobody responsible for enforcing the law hassled him. Technically, he even had
to smuggle his own records into the country, but the customs inspectors looked
the other way (in exchange for comp copies). However, everything changed
following the civil war and the ascension of the Soviet backed Derg junta.
Amha
happened to be abroad when they consolidated power, so he stayed in exile based
on his family’s advice (those who remained did not fare so well). Eventually,
Amha also had success in America as a restauranteur and night club owner, but
he assumed his career in music was over. Then he met Francis Falceto, a French
record collector, who developed an evangelistic interest in Ethiopian music.
(It is hard to blame him, considering how infectious this blend of jazz, funk,
and highlife-esque music sounds.) He was determined to reissue Ashete’s
sessions on CD, but the expatriate producer insisted they had to wait for the
fall of the Stalinist regime, so the artists would not be subject to state
reprisals and could freely share in the proceeds.
Of
course, it eventually happened (weren’t the late 1980s just the best time
ever?). Falceto’s Ethiopiques series
became a cult hit that grew into a crossover sensation. It was a rockier
process for the musicians to restart their performance careers, but that too
largely came to pass, albeit after a few false starts and short-term hiatuses.
Yet, the shy but eminently respected Girma Beyene was left out of the revival.
The third act of Bochniak’s stirring doc captures his overdue comeback.
You
can never go wrong with a film that sounds as good as Ethiopiques. As an added bonus, Bochniak also makes it rather
stylish visually as well, incorporating evocative photo-real-animated segments
to recreate the milestones of Ashete’s career. He also captures some live
performances that should definitely get everyone’s toes tapping.
It
is fitting that the Ethiopian musicians who were oppressed under Communism are
now documented by a Polish filmmaker and a largely Polish crew. While Bochniak
was a young child under Communism, he presumably still has a sense of how
things were from his family and colleagues, which would help him relate to his
subjects. He also clearly trusts their music to hold viewers interest, which
fans will appreciate. The result is a terrific music documentary that is
probably doomed to be dubbed the Ethiopian Buena
Vista Social Club, but deserves it own identity. Very highly recommended, Ethiopiques: Revolt of the Soul screens
this Friday (10/19), as part of the Margaret Mead Film Festival, at the
American Museum of Natural History.